#in case you need help with the math - 1.5 x 2 = 3

[ironskyfinder]

The typical weight of the female human brain is, on average, around 2.64lbs.

The typical weight of a single 38C/36D sized breast is, on average, around 1.5lbs.

If that’s you, or if you have even bigger tits - congratulations! You literally have more boobs than brains.

[notfinancialadvice]

A few weeks ago I wrote a post: Fastest + Safest Way to Start a Business

Spoiler: IT IS SETTING UP A HIGH YIELD SAVINGS ACCOUNT and then not withdrawing cash for as long as possible. And when you do withdraw cash, as little as possible.

Let's talk about another aspect to quickly, safely, though admittedly slightly less so, increasing your cash flow.

A savings account runs on auto-pilot.

Here are smart people talking about this.

You can start it with literally $1 and walk away and forget about it.

A savings account with literally $1 is not going to make a huge difference in emergency or wealth building...

...and...

...it is a start.

This is an INCREDIBLY valuable point to hold in your brain. A start is good. Do what you can when you can.

Guilt is not personally profitable so fire the guilt.

A huge portion (the driving portion?) of this blog is "I am a business ghoul and I am fucking tired of business blogs starting with the mindset of "well duh you start with a huge pile of resources"

Not everyone has a huge pile of resources Throckmorton, we gotta talk about how to work in systems when you don't

Okay back to work

Right after I apologize to anyone named Throckmorton who isn't a bastard

This is my producer talking to me (hi) and a purpose to this post (it's coming)

Okay let's talk about actual legitimate passive income for a second to help dispel myths and hopefully armor you up against frauds and scams and hucksters

but first

why is "huckster" used for such a shitty type of person

the sound is so fun to say... why does it have to be such a terrible definition... god damn it I'm a bit sad now OKAY BACK TO WORK

This is is a SLIGHTLY LESS SAFE method of doing business than having a savings account because it involves having using credit card.

I wish to be respectful to folks who for any number of reasons in, or not within, their direct control to which this could cause problems.

This isn't financial advice.

Be safe.

Modify this to your life as fits best.

I use the following method in my personal and professional life.

Let's say you have 3 streaming service (movies, music, data backup) subscriptions at $10/month. So, every month, you are paying $10 x 3 = $30

I have a credit card with rewards set up to to handle my recurring subscriptions -- this is it's exclusive use.

The physical card sits in a box on my shelf, I only keep the physical card in case I need to log in to the card website and I can't remember my password.

The card has a $0.00 balance at the beginning of the cycle.

The total balance is paid off via an automatic transfer at the end of the cycle.

It costs me $0.00 in annual fees.

It generates 1.5% on each transaction. Sometimes you can find promotions where it's 2%, so keep an eye out if you set this up.

Every month, I generate $30.00 in charges ($10 streaming x 3 streaming services)

Every month, I auto-pay $30.00 to pay it off

Every month, I generate ($30 x 0.015) $0.45 in rewards cash.

That is $5.40/year ($0.45 x 12)...

...so 1 service gets 1/2 month, free, every year, based on this auto-pilot system.

"That doesn't seem like much?!"

(This is an exaggeratedly small example, I run a business, we'll get to that towards the end, right now we are using easy numbers)

Cards that generate points do not ever have auto-sweep features, so you'll have to go in once in awhile to say "Hey. I want my money." Just keep that in mind.

If you forget and only do it a few times a year, this is not ideal, but it is also not terrifically damaging. The point-generating is where most of the money comes from.

I transfer this extra cash into my high-yield savings account, which has a 4% annual interest return.

QUICK MATH WHY THIS IS GOOD

$10/month x 3 = $30/month charges for streaming services.

$30/month x 1.5% points return = $0.45/month

$0.45/month deposited into a high yield savings account at 4% daily compounding interest

calculation

Ending annual balance with minimal effort: $5.99

The extent of your labor was once a month or so going into the credit card account and saying "I want my rewards in cash" and you accrue just shy of $6.

I know that doesn't sound like a lot.

Let's fast forward using this same $0.45/month --

THAT YOU DID NOT DO WORK FOR

-- and look at it in 5 years.

$30.49

Is this going to save your life? No.

Is this going to change your life alone? No.

How long do you think you'll have 3 streaming services at $10/month? Probably not a limited-time transaction... so... maybe... they should work for you...? Yes.

I use extreme examples a lot in my work because I find they help drive the point home.

Let's say you start now and run this for 25 years.

Let's say you start this at the age of 35.

And continue until you're 60.

You invest $0.45/month earned via rewards ergo no physical or mental or time-based labor into a savings account at 4% interest

You return $233.57

Again this isn't life-changing money

But you can extrapolate this into however much money you spend on a monthly basis anyway

Ergo

This is another way your money becomes an employee.

As a side note: I'm a huge advocate for naming your budget something fun because i enjoy business. You don't have to.

That's just how I do it.

I like the whimsy.

My personal budget is called Slime Research Adventure Fund

IF YOU HAVE CREDIT CARD DEBT: I recommend this same system, but instead of taking the cash, use the points against your credit card balance.

This will be a higher interest rate than a savings account.

The idea is the same -- making your recurring expenses to generate money -- but you're applying it more efficiently for your personal situation.

"THIS DOESN'T SEEM WORTH IT THOUGH?????"

I used a low numbers in hopes of being relatable.

Let's use a bigger example (see above note re: using extreme examples to ensure something is worth it)

I run a small business and our postage fees are about $2,500 every month. We have so many other expenses (cry) but let's just focus on postage because that's the easiest number to immediately grab.

$2500 x cashback rewards bonus 1.5% = $37.50 in rewards/month

We make $500/year by monetizing our postage expense and once a month taking 2 minutes to say "HEY. GIVE US OUR POINTS. IN CASH DEPOSITED INTO OUR HIGH YIELD SAVINGS. THANK YOU."

calculation

To repeat:

We make $500/year

monetizing an EXPENSE we have to PAY

WHETHER WE

MONETIZE IT

OR NOT

At the end of the year, we take that $500 and re-invest it into the business.

This one cool trick that financial course hucksters advertising on youtube and tiktok, who are trying to sell you their vapor bullshit, hate because THIS WORKS and requires a total of maybe 5 minutes a year.

Modify this to your own needs and situations and resources my fellows!

Rich people use their money to make money because the system inherently rewards success so build up as many tiny, even seemingly irrelevant, successes as you can so they can start building!

The time is going to pass anyway! Harness it!

Regret nothing about starting sooner! Regret and guilt are not viable personal profit propulsors!

[kob131]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1q5Hk7u9aw

Ah FMF, even when you’re not Genwunning RT writing, you’re still not good. So Why am I covering his video on a ‘bad review’ of Netflix’s Death Note? Well this was used in the video of a Youtuber I once respected and I’m pretty sure he started adopting FMF’s bullshit so I’ve decided dissect the video to showcase that he’s bad at this no matter what the subject and why he shouldn’t be listen to.

Before we even begin, FMF begins his video with saying ‘this is just my opinion’ even though his video is titled ‘A response to a bad Death Note review’ and he has a visual counter system for what the original video gets wrong called ‘Wrong/Illogical’ which aren’t opinions. Honestly, it comes off as FMF using this as a shield to prevent criticism.

So his first point against Cosmonaut Variety Hour is that he complains about the pacing, talking about how Netflix Light gets the Death Note 2 minutes in, meets Ryuk 8 minutes in and kills his first victim a little later. FMF says that the anime had Light following a similar path. Which is true...only because FMF cuts off Cosmonaut’s final part: where he states a short while later Light gets a girl friend (Misa/Mia). This completely changes things, as how many minutes into the anime does Light get a girlfriend?

Well, each episode is about 22 minutes long with episode 1 being 23. Light and Misa part ways about 3 minutes 15 seconds into Episode 14. However, about 2 minutes 40 seconds of each episode is opening and ending. So let’s do the math.

22 * 13 + 4.25 = 290.25

2.66 * 13 + 1.5 (the opening is about 1 minute 30 seconds) = 36.08

290.25 - 36.08 = 254.17

Each .01 is .6 seconds. so 17 X .6 is 10.2

the time to getting Misa is 290 minutes and 10.2 seconds. In the movie? Let’s just say 30 minutes for simplicity’s sake (it’s more like 27 minutes and 11 seconds). That’s a net difference of 260 minutes and 10.2 seconds. WELL over double the length of the movie. So Cosmonaut’s point makes sense, if a bit ill explained.

Also in this point, he says it doesn’t make sense because Cosmonaut said ‘I like it wasn’t two hours’ ... when anyone with awareness could tell that wasn’t an actual like, it was a potshot at the movie’s poor quality that it was short. 

The next point is that Cosmonaut complains about the movie not fleshing out  Light, Mia and Ryuk. FMF says the exposition before finding the Death Note is about explaining Light’s life situation. ... This is a really dishonest response because he cuts off Cosmonaut explaining himself, up to and including how he would have found the few scenes with Light, Ryuk and Mia interesting if they were all more fleshed out. Not only is this stuff not helping because only one third of his point is addressed- Light’s life situation is mostly technical and meant to build up his motivation whereas Cosmonaut is talking about Light and the others as people. It’s reliant on FMF either missing or misinterpreting the point, neither of which is acceptable.

Also, in the bit he doesn’t show, Cosmonaut says ‘I’m not saying make this two hours. For the love of God, don’t make this two hours long’ with an image of a man having a heart attack, which should have informed FMF than part of his previous point was based on taking a blatant joke seriously. ... Yeah.

Next point is...Nothing. No seriously, Cosmonaut says ‘spend some time making your main character likeable or relatable in any way’ and FMF just says ‘You can’t just say there’s nothing to like.’ He doesn’t even give an example whereas Cosmonaut does, showcasing that infamous scream of Light’s (given, FMF cut that part off.) He also considers this wrong by the way. Not in my words, his ‘Wrong’ counter goes up.

His next point is about when Cosmonaut says the logic of the movie is being dumb because Light chose the name Kira. FMF claims that the logic is sound because Light makes a dumb decision and he gets immediately figured out. Issue is that A. He cut Cosmonaut mentioning that Light in the anime never actually choosing the name (setting up how the name choosing is dumb) B. That it doesn���t get immediately figured out until L figures it out (a character meant to be smart) and C. The movie itself never treats the name as being a dumb decision, in fact the police are stated to have fallen for it. Nothing here functions.

The following point is ... another dishonest one. Cosmonaut says that L finding out that Kira’s name is a misdirection doesn’t make him look smart, it makes him look dumber than Light. And FMF responds by saying ‘that doesn’t make sense because L used the death of the first victim to find out where Light was, like the anime version did!’. Thing is, Cosmonaut is saying it makes him look dumb, not that he is. You normally don’t notice this because both involve discussing L’s intelligence, never realizing that FMF is talking about something different. This is a fallacy called ‘pivoting’: you see politicians doing this a lot. He’s being dishonest again.

Before we move onto the next point, I wanna point out that he skips Cosmonaut bitching about the movie giving L a reason to eat candy and how it doesn’t make sense. Thing is, Cosmonaut says that the movie is stating candies can keep you awake for 48 hours but the clip he shows doesn’t say that. It was 41 hours and the topic was keeping his mind focused. You’d think FMF would jump on this since he IS wrong here...but no, he doesn’t. Trust me when I say this becomes important later.

fMF;s next point is another case of cut context. He shows a clip of Cosmonaut saying some scenes were likely cut with an example of Ryuk saying he’s disappointed and that he said Light should give up the Death Note  while FMF responds by saying Ryuk already informed him. Thing is, Cosmonaut is talking about Ryuk SAYING Light should give it up instead of INFORMING Light he can give it up like FMF says, playing a clip where Ryuk says as much (’I asked politely but you didn’t hear me: let the note go!’) and Cosmonaut even rebutes FMF’s point, saying what Ryuk did before was inform him of an option but not insisted on it (in fact egging Light on). Again, relying on cutting off his argument.

His point afterward is short but correct: Cosmonaut says L should be surprised Light knows his name and FMF shows that they revealed it earlier. I think it’s also the only point so far that he hasn’t cut off.

The next is one that FMF doesn’t cut off but is still rather sneaky. Cosmonaut says the movie is making the case for Light Turner being smart and FMF says the movie is making the case that Light is poor, has iffy morals ect. This is the scene that most people point to saying the movie says Light is smart here. FMF is trying to disprove that by giving an alternate interpretation. Thing is, why would anyone pay to have their homework partially done by a dumb person? That...doesn’t make sense. And Light has 15 customers at least, since he was found with at least 15 people’s homework on him when he was found after being punched (something FMF tries to use to say ‘see? He was punched for trying to be clever! The movie’s not saying he’s smart!’) so he should know this.

Afterward, he tackles Cosmonaut’s point about Light cracking under pressure by saying the pressure is mounting on him. I could understand this (ignoring how I’ve made this same point to him about RWBY...) except that in the anime even more pressure was on Light and he never cracked like this. Is Light Turner a different character? Yes...but no one mentions this. 

“‘Lust for power’ is one of the most basic human motivations in the world.” is his next counter argument against Cosmonaut, who says ‘we never learn why Mia wants to kill everybody.” I’m afraid I can’t let the RWBY thing directly slid anymore because this standard could really affect his work: Cinder has the EXACT SAME motivation and no one buys that shit. We don’t buy it because there has to be a reason BEHIND the lust for power. Even Dio had this (he wanted power because of his fucked up childhood.) So he really should be calling this out himself. ESPECIALLY if he’s called out Cinder before.

Next up is FMF going on and on about how the movie shows Light isn’t smart (Err, no. Getting punched was suppose to show how crooked the system was) and how L is making this a game for his ego (he...never prove this beyond showing L refer to this as a game. Nothing for ego) in response to Light being called dumb... And why wouldn’t he be considered smart? He outright says L refers to him as smart and while he says it’s for his ego, not only is the homework thing logically about him being smart but the character Turner is adapted from is notoriously smart so that’s just...logical.

Next one is fucking weird. Cosmonaut says the rule about the Death Note’s burning page makes no sense and FMF says that while he agrees with it, he tries to insert a counter by saying that ‘taking Ryuk at face value, it might not work at all.’ ... The rule wasn’t said by Ryuk, it’s said in the Death Note. Ryuk was saying that he can only do it once. He fucked up a point he says he mostly agree with.

Next part is Cosmonaut saying it’s stupid that Watari only has one name and is using his real name and FMF says that it makes sense as Watari needs to be contacted to get to L...ignoring that you could just have a private number. And before someone complains at me since he says its an opinion: that ‘Wrong’ counter goes up and that ain’t an opinion so I’m not buying it.

The next part brings up that Light got Watari’s name from his dad, something Cosmonaut says L should have known better because L wasn’t a suspect yet while FMF points out that Light wasn’t a suspect yet. ... This is still calls L’s intelligence into question as he was giving out his partner’s name out so it can be researched...and he has the man undisguised with him in the open (which is how Light gets his face). 

Next part I’ll give: This version of L is emotional so FMF is right...if he had taken the time to establish this is suppose to be a video looking at the movie on it’s own. FMF, you need to give context.

Next two are basically the same: Cosmonaut bitches about Light not giving a reason for not wanting to killing Watari and FMF cities ‘we don’t kill people’ and ‘survival instinct’ for why he would want to kill L as reasons...which brings up: wouldn’t killing Watari also fall under ‘survival instinct’?  Kill L’s ally/possible avenger?

The next point is really stupid. It’s bitching about the moment where Watari dies, Cosmonaut saying that it doesn’t make sense that Watari doesn’t reveal L’s name while FMF says that Ryuk could have interpreted his ‘dealer’s choice’ to kill him without revealing the name to fuck with Light...Ryuk’s never acted to fuck with Light like that before (could have interpreted the names being written to mean [Reveal Light’s name to the world] too) and ‘dealer’s choice’ refers to the type of death, not what everything in it means.

He then mocks Cosmonaut for saying a scene of Ryuk saying ‘dealer’s choice!’ disproved what Cosmonaut said before. Ignoring that I have personally seen him pull this on RWBY- He does this same thing here NUMEROUS TIMES with Cosmonaut. It still doesn’t make sense because Ryuk, when Watari’s circumstances are written down, mentioned the cause of death SPECIFICALLY. That’s why there’s an issue.

Afterward Cosmonaut bitches that Mia can’t get the Death Note because he needs to live it alone for seven days while FMF corrects him as he shows Light can just give it up. Nothing really bad here (in a vacuum). Same with the ‘finding Light’ thing that comes after (in a vacuum).

Next is FMF being suspicious again. He cuts up Cosmonaut’s argument about why there is so many police at the pier and why the are there that he cuts out a part of Cosmonaut’s point (that they found L so there’s no reason for so much force there). And his ‘within reason’ thing pops up again even as he doesn’t afford Cosmonaut that. Same with the ‘L said Light is Kira and he took my gun’ counter to Cosmonaut even though in any other circumstance he would have ignored that.

Next is...confusing AND bullshit. Cosmonaut says that, with Light writing that if Mia takes the Death Note she dies, the Death Note is never shown to have these kinds of deaths. And FMF says that...it wasn’t the Death Note. ... Even though the end, Light did write that down. FMF tries to justify this by saying Mia was forced to do it by the Death Note by referencing her saying ‘I love you so much’ and looking shocked when getting the Death note...what he DOESN’T show you is Light saying ‘If you love me, you gotta trust me. Don’t take the book’ before her line, Light getting distracted by his dad afterward, panicking when she takes it THEN her looking shocked as she said ‘What?’. FMF is pretty much LYING at that point.

Cosmonaut has this really big point about Light’s plan from the movie’s climax where FMF attacks some of the aspects. One is him saying Light needed to discredit L to get off the hook (even though he never shows the part about the criminal being brainwashed into doing Light’s dirty work to clear his name.) He brings up Watari not knowing where L’s orphanage is...even though he could have learned about it off screen.

And we end with him making a technical error: he says that the page L has also has the rules/instructions on it...and I can’t tell what it says. So it’s as good as worthless.

Cosmonaut did make a few mistakes and FMF could have made an actual good video by addressing how he doesn’t explain the points he makes against the movie...but that isn’t what he did. Instead of going for smaller but truthful criticisms, he goes for big, flashy and ultimately fault at the VERY best and disgustingly manipulative at worst. All of this without mentioning his hypocrisy with RWBY (example: he ignores anything that doesn’t happen on screen and gives no logical concessions to the show while demanding Cosmonaut do that.) Even when giving him some credit, the man makes it so his targets always look better out of it because he’s so dishonest and manipulative.

Honestly, no one should look to him for inspiration or good points. Because even with a video as bare bones and basic as Cosmonaut, he makes it look like a work of Robert Ebert.

[wrongfullythinking]

Science and Data and Freedoms

There are millions of these rants around, so you are under no need to read mine.  In fact, what I am about to say here should not be taken as anything more than one person’s opinion.  OPINION.  I have several qualifications (I will get to those in a second), but still, this blog is primarily concerned with, as the title suggest, wrong thought.  And yes, thoughts can be flat-out wrong, but that’s another topic for another time, yes?  I primarily abandoned this blog when tumblr decided to advocate for censorship, and well, if you don’t think that was very bad thinking, then I can’t help you and you certainly should stop reading now.  But mostly, I find myself needing a little bit of a platform to rant, so here it is.  This is not for you.  This is for me.  But maybe, if you read it, and you learn something, then it was a little bit more than that, and that’s entirely unnecessary but I’ll be fine with it.  Don’t worry, I’ll keep it a secret.

My qualifications 1) I have a Ph.D. from a major research institution in America.  What that means, most importantly, is actual training in how to read and understand academic writing. 2) I teach statistics, among other things, and I teach in a public health college at another major research institution in America. 3) I work with epidemiologists, though I don’t claim that title myself (I describe myself a psychometrician with an expertise in educational measurement), and I am currently working on several projects using epidemiological methods. 4) A portion of my work in educational measurement focuses on critical thinking, particularly the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Premises So, let’s organize this in a logical manner.  To do so, we generally start with a series of premises.  Here are some of mine. 1) Most people are afraid of dying. 2) The fear of dying plays some part in how people live their lives. 3) People are willing to make some tradeoffs between Safety and Liberty. 4) There is an inverse relationship between Safety and Liberty.  The more liberty, the less safety.  This is only a unidirectional inverse relationship (as liberty ascends, safety decreases), and NOT true in the opposite direction (as safety ascends, liberty must decrease).  This is VERY IMPORTANT. 5) People are poor estimators of their own odds of death, and especially how certain events (say, getting drunk at a party or smoking a hallucinogenic drug or driving recklessly) contribute to their risk of death. 6) There is much unknown about the “novel coronavirus” or SARS-COV_2 or Covid-19 (use whatever term you are comfortable with, the distinction between all of these is arbitrary and unimportant... the root of communication is exchange of messaging between two parties, and all these terms work fine in most cases, since we’re hardly in a lab where it is very important to separate out disease, virus, symptoms, and classifications). 7) Action has been taken by governments and individuals exceeding their statutory authorities. 8) Some of the actions taken by governments and individuals makes no difference in the ability of people to live disease-free, but does have other impacts. 9) The “other impacts” in Premise 8 can directly cause loss of life, as well as other ramifications (lack of social mobility, inability to secure safe food supplies, increase in spousal/partner/child abuse, lack of ability to achieve an education, etc.) that have social and personal consequences for potentially many years, if not generations.  This is the most controversial premise, because it has a tendency to operate on some slippery-slope type logic, which is exactly what I am going to rant against in a second.  Be wary of this one!  But it is important too.

Statistical Problem #1: Never Believe a Point Estimate If you take (my) Stats101 class, and hopefully anybody else’s similar course, one thing that should be a key takeaway is “NEVER BELIEVE A POINT ESTIMATE.”  That’s huge.  Never.  Believe.  A.  Point.  Estimate.

So, for the people who haven’t had a Stats class recently, what is a point estimate?

When you see something like “an estimated 2.2 million Americans will die from the coronavirus if action is not taken,” that “2.2 million” is a point estimate.  It is a single point.  And point estimates are a hallmark of bad reporting of often bad science.  In statistics, any time we make an estimate, we generate a confidence interval: that is, the range around which we believe that estimate to be actually correct.  This is because we don’t measure everybody; we measure a small sample, and use math to make estimates.  Since we didn’t measure everybody, there is some degree of uncertainty, and so we calculate a range that we think is very likely to contain the actual number.  This is called a confidence interval.  The wider the confidence interval, the LESS confident you are.  The narrower the confidence interval, the more confident you are.

An example.  The New York Yankees hit 306 home runs last year, and had 5561 at-bats over 162 games, meaning they hit a home run about once every 20 at-bats.  Let’s say I believe the season will be cut in half (so, 81 games instead of 162).  So, I want to know how many home runs the Yankees will hit in this shortened season.  Let’s work through several examples.

The worst example (okay, not actually the absolute worst, because I could just guess, but pretty bad). In half the games, the Yankees will hit half the home runs.  So that’s 306/2, so that’s 153.

Here’s another BAD example, but it does look legit, doesn’t it? Half of 162 is 81.  So in half the games, they will have half the at-bats, so that’s 2780.5 at-bats.  They hit a home run previously in 5.5026% of their at-bats, and 5.5062% of 2780.5 is 153.  The Yankees will hit 153 home runs next year.

A much better example The Yankees averaged 1.8888 home runs a game (306 / 162) last season.  If we take the low-end of 1.5 home runs per game (or three home runs every two games), and a high end of 2.25 home runs per game (or 9 home runs every 4 games), we expect the Yankees to hit between 121.5 and 182.25 home runs in the shortened 81 game season.

Is there a perfect example? No.  This is a great question.  Introductory statistics students will start to add all sorts of great considerations to this question: in the shortened season, won’t pitchers have less time to get warmed up, so home runs will go up?  But the same is true for batters, so home runs might go down?  If the shortened season starts later, and is played in more colder weather, are there fewer home runs?  How did the Yankees roster change?  Are they playing against more fly-ball or ground-ball pitchers?  Who changed in the rotations of the teams they will play most?  Will the rule change about facing three batters or the end of an inning increase the amount of home runs?  What about conditioning of athletes who are homebound?  No statistical estimate can take into account all factors.  And we don’t try to.  We just play the games and then call it history. So, what are the problems with the “much better example” besides not adding in all those other things? There is nothing wrong with it, it is just not very precise.  A range between 121.5 and 182.25 is more than 60, which is basically half of the low-end.  We could be like, 50% wrong from our low end and still be in the range!  That’s not very precise!

So, what does this have to do with the current issues? Mostly, I want you to very carefully consider any number you hear without a confidence interval.  If you hear a number like “2.2 million,” realize that without a stated confidence interval, the interval could be ANYTHING.  Something like, oh, I don’t know... 2.199 million.  Yep.  In other words, the only thing you could take away from that number is “anywhere between 1 person and 5 million people.  And how much are you willing to give up for that particular risk?

Statistical Problem #2: Confidence Intervals WITHIN models So, to this point, hopefully I’ve described all the things that can go wrong if you don’t use a confidence interval in your ANSWER.  But what about in the MODEL (or the prediction) itself?  Let’s say that, in the above example, we wanted to know how many home runs the Yankees will hit, and we know that MLB will shorten the season.  But we don’t know by how much.

So, let’s say that I estimate the season will be between 60 and 100 games.  That’s a pretty big margin.  Using my earlier estimates, now my confidence interval expands again: 1.5 x 60 for the low end is only 90 home runs, and 2.25 x 100 is 225 home runs!  Now my range is [60:225].  That is VERY imprecise!

The important part is that this problem compounds each time we don’t know something.  You get a wider and wider range, the less you know.  So, the more you want to put into a formula, the more you need to know... and the less you know, the wider your estimate.

Statistical Problem #3: The Missing Denominator None of the math here is particularly difficult, especially with the aid of computers and a bit of training.  So, if somebody is presenting it to you like it is super complex, think of them like a stage magician: distract, watch the glitter, and you will never notice my hand pulling the pigeon out of my coat pocket and putting it into my hat.

So, what have models been hiding from you?

The big missing piece is the denominator, or in this case, “how many people have the virus.”  That’s a VERY important number.  We need several things to build an epidemiological model, and without even an estimate of “how many people have it,” then all the rest of this is pretty much pointless.  This is because “how many people have it” is needed for at least the following: 1) Transmission Rate 2) Infection Rate 3) Fatality Rate

Luckily... we’re actually getting close to having that number!  Or at least, a confidence interval for that number.

Understanding recent data

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20062463v1.full.pdf

Basically, that paper says that in one county with a lot of cases, they estimate there are somewhere between 2.49% and 4.16% of the population infected, and they wouldn’t be surprised if those numbers are between 1.80% and 5.70%.  There are about 1.93 MILLION people in Santa Clara county.  1,930,000, and between 2.49 and 4.16 are ALREADY infected. So, let’s math that out, and I’m using their narrower confidence interval here.

Low End (2.49%): 48057 already infected High End (4.16): 80288 already infected.

So, now we have an actual denominator!  Or at least, RANGES of one.  They’re pretty confident the actual number is somewhere between those.

The date is important here.  The data here is April 1.  That range (48000-80000) the number of infected people as of April 1.  As of April 17th (over two weeks later), Santa Clara had reported 73 deaths.  63 of those had one comorbidity, and only 5 had no comorbidities.  Here’s the source.

https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/dashboard.aspx

So, what’s the fatality rate?

LOW pop prev: No comorbidities: 5 / 48000 = .0001041666. LOW: One or no comorbidities: 68 / 48000 = .00141666 HIGH pop prev: No comorbidities: 5 / 80200 = .000062344 HIGH: One or no comorbidities: 68 / 80200 = .00084788

We’ll go broad here, and assume one comorbidity.  Hey, a lot of us have something that is an issue, right?  But let’s apply those number to the American Population of approximately 330,000,000 people.

LOW (zero or one comorbidity) pop prev: 330mil * .00141666 = 467,497.8 HIGH (zero or one comorbidity) pop prev: 330mil * .00084788 = 279,800.4

There’s your number.  WOW, you say!  Wow!  A QUARTER TO HALF A MILLION PEOPLE MIGHT DIE!  That seems shocking!

It is, super shocking.  Remember, that’s the zero-case scenario.  The scenario where we do nothing.  Worst-case.  No vaccine, no medication, no treatment, no social distancing, nada.

Oh, let’s go ahead and go over some other numbers.  Not scenarios, actual data.

Motor Vehicle Deaths (2018): 36,560 Medical Error Deaths (2011): Between 210,000 and 400,000 https://journals.lww.com/journalpatientsafety/Fulltext/2013/09000/A_New,_Evidence_based_Estimate_of_Patient_Harms.2.aspx Accidents (2017): 169,936 Diabetes (2017): 83,564 Influenza/Pneumonia (2017): 55,672 Suicide/Self-harm complications: 47,173 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm

((Note, because somebody will inevitably ask: The “Death by Guns” rate is a tough one to count, because the majority of gun deaths are also suicides.  The Gun Homicide+Accident fatality rate is likely between about 10,000 and 13,000 per year (about a third of the car accident fatality rate).  If you’re interested in that number, be sure to look at the data split by category, or if you are interpreting suicides with guns in your gun death count, just be explicit about it, don’t be a pigeon-holding magician.))

Interpretation: Doing nothing at all, we would expect Covid to jump the rates of Influenza/Pneumonia deaths from 7th to 3rd in America, with somewhere between about 340,000 and 530,000 deaths.  I arrive at that number by adding 60,000 to the estimates above, for other non-Covid related Flu/Influenza deaths.  That would put Influenza/Pneumonia above the estimates of death due to medical errors, and well behind the two leading causes of death in the US (CVD and Cancer).  This is provided that there is no emergent medical option.

So, what’s the downside?  Why not do all these drastic things (like shelter-in-place orders and be forced to shut down your business) if it prevents between 1/4 and 1/2 of a million deaths? That’s a good question!  The point here is that orders have consequences, and most of them are unknown at the time of the order.  For example, let’s take a pretty simple policy: requiring every driver to car insurance.  Seems like a fundamental thing, right?  Well, now you’ve also driven the price of car ownership up.  More rural areas (which are often poorer) now have an additional cost burden, that is not shared by people who live in major cities with large public transportation networks.  And you’ve created a secondary market (insurance agents) who now have incentives to raise prices, and huge potential for collusion.  And what about people who defy that order?  Well, that’s tricky-- in some places there are additional policies for covering wrecks involving uninsured drivers, and in those places, car insurance costs more.  So you’re paying more, out of your pocket, because somebody else didn’t follow a policy.  And that means you have less money to go shopping or go out to eat, which means fewer people at stores have jobs.  All of this ties together.

So, what are the unintentional consequences of the shelter-in-place and business-shuttering orders?  The most obvious ones are the losses of income, including jobs, and the 10 million accompanying jobless claims.  But is that such a big problem?  Think about what is happening in homes without jobs... and remember, you are still legally required to pay car insurance.  So that’s the direct one.

But there are multitudes of indirect ones.  For example, this is not an academic article, but...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2020/03/21/coronavirus-pandemic-could-become-child-abuse-pandemic-experts-warn/2892923001/

And remember, a lot of children who are subject of abuse are from low-income families.  And what did they normally get?  Free and reduced-price lunch at schools.  Now, they aren’t getting those.  Sure, in a few places here and there, some schools are delivering similar meals.  But the vast, vast majority of elementary and high-school aged students on free/reduced lunches are not getting them.  So that leaves parents (or caretakers) to pick up the burden.  Those same parents and caretakers who are filing the 10 million unemployment claims.  Uh-oh.  Sounds stressful.

Guess what stress does to people?  It makes them sick.  And you know what happens when you get an ulcer?  Hopefully not much, but bad ones can end you up in a hospital.  Where there are many procedures, but most of them minor.  Unfortunately, hospitals right now are being forbidden from doing elective surgeries.  And elective surgeries helped pay for other services, like necessary surgeries and emergency care.  So, the ER is literally understaffed, even in regions where there are no COVID patients, because the state has forbidden the tummy tucks that pay the salaries of ER nurses.

You see the tumble here?  This is where I cautioned earlier about the slippery slope argument, and it is an absolutely valid critique of what I’m putting here.  But we’ve gone past speculation territory and are now in data territory.  And (again, work in health care education), I know some people who are starting to see these effects.  One of the faculty at my school (teaches our Law course) is a lawyer for a rural hospital service.  He has watched them lay off or furlough over 60% of workers.  And they have had... wait for it... 0 covid cases.  The few that were suspected, they flew down to a much larger hospital.  At high cost, because they can’t charge for COVID services.

Meanwhile, you’re talking a rural system that was one of the top employers in four different counties.  Laying off or furloughing 60% of workers.  The guy was so upset telling me about this that he almost cried, especially because he knew the families of so many of the people his board had just let go.

Any caveats to add? The big caveat that I place on the interpretation here (basically, that’s we’ve VASTLY oversold the risk of this thing) is that we don’t know about secondary infections.  If you can get infected twice, and that second infection is harmful or make you able to spread the disease to others who are then harmed, then all these numbers are too low. Bottom-line it for me, WT. Fear leads to the dark side, where you have no freedoms.  Don’t give up things because you were scared and because somebody showed you a point of data that you should not believe.

[loadpacific767]

I'm Getting Power Hungry...imac G4

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 Battery

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 User

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 Phone

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 Unlocked

Take a test run and see what your Power Mac G4 can do. For more information about a specific feature, see Chapter 3, “Using Your Computer,” on page 35, and the online. On Wednesday night, G4, the gaming network that aired from 2002-2014 and recently announced a revival, held a charity special that saw its previous lineup of hosts — Olivia Munn, Kevin Pereir. Hey all, I generally don't have a need to do this, and when I do, I can just get it from the BIOS or PXE boot. However, neither PXE booting or digging through the BIOS is showing me the MAC address for this specific model of computer (Dell 380).

The 840 & 850 G3/G4 do not support charging via the USB-C port. The USB-C port on these systems support data only and charge out (charging a cell phone as an example). These systems support charging via the barrel AC adapter and the side docking connector (while docked to the Ultra Slim Dock).

It can be really confusing when you reach for your phone and find it turned off for no particular reason. You are sure that the battery is charged and no one else has turned it off, then how it was shut down? If your phone keeps turning off randomly, then it could be a hardware problem or a software problem. However, in most cases, you can easily fix it yourself. In this post, I will show you simple methods to fix your automatically turning off phone.

Unit Test Tuesday 2/26 Week 22 2/11- Exponent Rules Review in Class Practice: 2/12-Snow Day 2/13- Exponent Foldable Practice- Exponent Rules Revisited Wkst 2/14- Quiz 13.1 Reading Scientific Notation Practice-p. 440 #1-2, 7-27 2/15- Writing Scientific Notation Practice- p. 4-20 Week 21 2/4- Finish 10-2 Notes Practice-10-2 Practice. 244 #4-7, 12-17 pg. 259 #10-14, 17-18 Practice: FINISH IF NOT COMPLETE 3/21- Quiz 14.3/15.1 (15 on Term 4) Practice- Ch. 6 Practice Test 3/22- POPS Concert will have 6th hour only! Practice-Quiz Tuesday, Unit Test Wednesday Week 26 3/11- Mark Up, Mark Down Guided Notes Practice- Mark Up and Mark Down Guided Practice. Unit 4 agendas 20182019mrs. colvilles math class. 2/14- Unit Test Week 21 2/3- 10-4 Notes Practice- pg. 435 #1-16 2/4- Exponent Rules Review in Class Practice: 2/5- Exponent Foldable Practice- Exponent Rules Revisited Wkst 2/6- Quiz 13.1 Reading Scientific Notation Practice-p. 440 #1-2, 7-27 2/7- Writing Scientific Notation Practice- p. 4-20 Week 20 1/27- Tests Back Exponents.

Hardware Issues

Usually, it’s a hardware problem when your Android phone keeps turning off but works fine when you turn it back on. Let’s see how you can fix hardware issues that are causing your phone to shut off randomly.

Does the Battery Fit Properly?

The most common cause of phone turning off automatically is that the battery doesn’t fit properly. With wear and tear, battery size or its space may change a bit over time. This leads to the battery getting loose a bit and disconnecting itself from the phone connectors when you shake or jerk your phone.

To confirm this is the problem, turn your phone on and shake it mildly. If this doesn’t turn it off, then grab your phone in one hand and mildly smack its back on the palm of your other hand. Make sure the battery side hit on your palm to put pressure on the battery. If the phone turns off, then it’s time to fix the loose battery.

The solution is rather simple. Take a tiny piece of paper and fold it in square wraps to make it a little thick. Now insert this paper at the bottom end of the battery opposite to the connectors. You will have to judge how much thick paper you need to make according to the loose space that is causing the problem.

If this doesn’t fix the problem, then it could be a problem with the loose back cover of the phone. In such a case, place that same paper on the back of the battery (between the battery and the back cover), and then put the back cover on. If you are able to make the space tight enough, it should fix the problem.

Defective Battery

There is also a chance that your battery may be damaged and improper current flow is leading to phone turning off automatically. Fortunately, it is really easy to see battery status on almost any Android phone using a secret dialer code.

Open up your Android’s call dialer app and enter this code *#*#4636#*#*. You will be immediately taken to phone details page, tap on “Battery information” here. In the battery information, make sure that “Battery health” is “Good”. If it is anything other than that, then you will have to replace the battery to stop your Android phone from shutting down automatically. If this code doesn’t work, you can also use the AccuBattery Android app to see the battery status. This app can show battery status and also help prolong its life. Although I doubt the later promise of this app.

Android Phone Heating Up

Additionally, if your Android phone is heating up too much, then it could also be the cause of random shut down. When the phone heats up to the point it could damage the components, it will automatically turn off. This even happens if you are not using the phone and it is just lying around.

There are many fixes to the Android heating problem and you can follow my extensive guide to fixing a heating Android phone to fix this problem.

Remove Phone Case

A bulky phone case or one that replaces your phone’s back cover with its own can also lead to making battery space loose. If you are using such a phone case, then use the phone without it to see if it fixes the problem.

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 Battery

Stuck Power Button

There is also a chance that the power button on your phone is stuck or malfunctioning and turning the phone off. Press the power button multiple times and make sure it is working smoothly. The button should feel smooth while pressing and also immediately come out when you release. If the button is stuck inside, then you can use a tweezer or something similar to pull it out.

Software Issues

If there is no problem with the hardware, then it could be a problem with the software of your Android phone. Below are some solutions to solve software issues that are causing your Android to turn off randomly.

Boot in Safe Mode And Delete Rogue Apps

To ensure that the problem is with the software of the phone, you should boot your phone in Safe Mode. Similar to PCs, Android phones also come with a Safe Mode that allows it to boot with least system applications and no third-party applications. During Safe Mode, a rogue application or a virus will not take effect, thus allowing you to find the problem.

The process of booting into Safe Mode varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. The most common way is to hold the power button to bring the power menu and tap and hold on the “Power Off” button until “boot in Safe Mode” prompt shows up. Confirming this prompt will restart the phone in Safe Mode. Holding the volume down button while the phone is starting can also open up Safe Mode, which is good when the phone isn’t starting at all. If this doesn’t work for you, then search online for the method to boot your particular device in Safe Mode to get an answer.

Once inside Safe Mode, check whether the phone is randomly shutting down or not. If the problem is fixed, then it must be a new added rogue application that is causing the issue. While still in the Safe Mode, move to the applications section in your phone settings and uninstall all the newly added applications. Make sure to delete all the apps after which the random shutdown issue arose.

Now restart your Android phone to go back in normal mode and see if the issue persists.

Remove Malware and Viruses

If removing the apps doesn’t help, then it could be a virus that may be automatically turning off your phone. Although there are many security apps for Android, but for this purpose, Avast Free Antivirus for Android should be enough. Install the application and it will automatically scan and delete any viruses that may be causing this issue.

Factory Reset Your Phone

This is a rather harsh option, but in most cases, it will solve all types of software related problems. If you are sure it is not a hardware problem and uninstalling apps and scanning for viruses didn’t help, then resetting your phone should fix this problem.

Warning: A Factory reset will delete all the data stored in your phone’s memory. Including contacts, messages, media files and applications stored in the phone memory. Make sure you have backed up all the important data before performing a factory reset.

To reset your phone, go to phone settings and tap on “Backup and reset” option. Here tap on “Factory reset phone” and confirm the prompts to start the reset process. It should take 5-10 minutes to completely reset the phone. During the reset, make sure the phone doesn’t get turned off as this can also brick the phone and make it useless.

After the reset process, you will again have to authenticate your Google account and a few other obligations. Your phone should work fine after the reset if it was a software problem.

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 User

Is Your Phone Working Fine Now?

The above steps should be enough to fix all types of hardware and software related problems that are making your Android phone turn off automatically. If the issue still persists, then you will have to take it to a technician or to the manufacturer if it is still under warranty. They should be able to fix it or replace the phone with a refurbished one.

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 Phone

Which one of these methods worked for you? Do let us know in the comments.

Full Mac OS X native support in Kontakt 1.5 means that the software can be used standalone in conjunction with Mac OS X's Core Audio and Core MIDI technology. It can also be used as a plug-in with. Kontakt 1.5 x for mac.

I'm Getting Power Hungry.imac G4 Unlocked

Let us know if you liked the post. That’s the only way we can improve.

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[entranceexams-blog1]

NTA JEE Main 2019 Admission

JEE Main 2019 will be formed by NTA (National Testing Agency). It is a national level way test. It is made to offer affirmation in BE/B.Tech and B.Arch/B.Plan courses. NITs, CFTIs and diverse schools and associations of India consider the JEE Main scores for giving confirmation. For confirmation in IITs and ISM Dhanbad, understudies need to qualify the two examinations, i.e. JEE Main and JEE Advanced. It will be coordinated twice in multi year by NTA. Check experiences about JEE Main 2019 including application shape, capability, exam date, exam outline, syllabus, et cetera.

New Changes Introduced Last Year

MHRD, Government of India had told a couple of changes in the JEE Main determination test. Underneath we have recorded the new changes introduced multi year prior:

⦁ There is no convincing motivation to affirm the twelfth class move number.

⦁ For online mode exam, understudies can book their space.

⦁ Top 2,24,000 qualified understudies of JEE Main are met all requirements to appear for JEE Advanced.

⦁ CBSE board has recognized 258 exam centers which join 248 exam centers in India and 10 centers in abroad countries.

⦁ Diabetic understudies can take sugar tables, results of the dirt container of water at the exam center.

JEE Main 2019 Exam Date

JEE Main 2019 notification will be released in the month of November 2018. For reference purpose, students can check the tentative JEE Main exam schedule below:

Events                                                                Dates    JEE Main: January (1st Exam) Online submission of Application form              1st september 2018 Last date for application submission                 30th September 2018 Examination date                                               6th-20th January 2019 Declaration of Result                                         First week of February 2019 JEE Main: April (2nd Exam) Online submission of Application form              Second week of February 2019 Examination date                                              7th-21th April 2019 Declaration of Result                                         First week of may 2019

JEE Main Application Form 2019 JEE Main 2019 application shape will be released in initial multi day stretch of December 2018. Underneath we are giving the purposes of enthusiasm of JEE Main enlistment 2019: ⦁ Prerequisite of Aadhaar card will be mandatory to fill the application. ⦁ Candidates are required to apply online for JEE Mains 2019 exam. ⦁ JEE Main application shape 2019 will be released in the primary multi day stretch of December 2018. ⦁ Competitors need to exchange the inspected pictures of visa measure photograph and characteristic of candidate and mother's/father's/guardian. ⦁ Photo estimation should be 3.5 x 4.5 cm and estimation of stamp should be 3.5 x 1.5 cm. ⦁ The pictures should be in JPG or JPEG orchestrate. ⦁ Various applications from a singular contender will be rejected. ⦁ There is no course of action to send the printed variant of the application. Application Fee: The application cost will be different as indicated by the arrangements and strategy for examinations. ⦁ Expense portion will be done through credit/plastic. ⦁ Competitors can moreover pay the charge through e-challan of Syndicate/Canara/ICICI bank. ⦁ Charge won't be recognized through DD, money orchestrate, IPO, et cetera. ⦁ The application cost will be non refundable. Papers Offline Exam Online Exam                                                                                                    General/OBC SC/ST/PwD/All Girls General/OBC SC/ST/PwD/All Girls For Exam Centers in India Paper 1 or 2                     1000        500                   500 250 Paper 1 and 2 both                 1800                       900    1300 650 For Exam Centers in Foreign Country Paper 1 or 2                      2500         1250 2500 1250 Paper 1 and 2 both                   3800                      1900 3800 1900 JEE Main Application Correction 2019: Candidates will have the ability to correct or modify the bare essential in the application shape in the midst of the review time allotment. Here we are giving JEE Main 2019 application outline change inconspicuous components: ⦁ The change office will be given in the significant lot of January 2019. ⦁ Adjustments will be done simply through online mode. ⦁ Adjustments will be allowed in regardless of areas from change of exam mode from CBT to PBT. ⦁ Any additional charge can be paid through credit/plastic, e-wallet or e-challan. ⦁ Check Here – How to Fill JEE Main 2019 Application Form JEE Mains Eligibility Criteria Candidates must ensure their capability before applying for the JEE Main exam. Contenders can check the capability criteria from underneath: Age Limit: The date of birth should fall on or after first October 1994. For SC/ST and PwD Candidates, the DOB should fall on or after first October 1989. Try Limit: Contenders can try for most extraordinary three times for the JEE Mains exam. Attempt control is same for each one of the classes. For JEE Advanced, contenders can appear for most extraordinary two consecutive years. Capacity Criteria: Qualifying Exam 10+2 or practically identical exam go in 2017 and 2018 are fit the bill to apply. Showing up Candidates Candidates appearing in the twelfth exams in 2019 can apply. Endorsement Holder Diploma contenders can in like manner apply anyway only for assertion in IITs. Such contenders similarly need to appear for JEE Advanced exam. Minimum Marks There is no base stamp required to apply for JEE Main. For admissions to IITs, NITs, IIITs and CFTIs Candidates need to stay 75% (65% for SC/ST) in twelfth exams or be in top 20 percentile of the different board. Number of Subjects Candidates must have five subjects in the 10+2 exam. Candidates should have material science, number-crunching, lingo, any one from the Chemistry, Biology, Biotechnology, Technical Vocational Subject and some other subject. Year of Appearance Candidates who have passed twelfth exams in 2016 are not met all requirements to apply. Understudies who have appeared in twelfth exams in 2016, did not go in 2016 but instead go in 2017 are not met all requirements to apply. JEE Main 2019 Exam Pattern The examination will incorporate two papers, i.e. paper 1 (for B.E/B.Tech) and paper 2 (for B.Arch/B.Planing). The bare essential JEE Main exam plan for the two papers is indicated underneath: ⦁ Exam Mode: The examination will be made in both on the web (PC based) and detached (pen and paper based) mode for paper 1. I. Paper 2 will be driven in disengaged mode so to speak. ⦁ Sort of Questions (Paper 1): The request paper will contain target compose questions. ⦁ Kind of Questions (Paper 2): Mathematics and wellness section will be of target compose request and drawing test will be subjective. ⦁ Term: The total exam length will be three hours. ⦁ Medium: The request paper will be drawn closer in English and Hindi lingo for all exam urban networks and English, Hindi and Gujarati vernaculars for exam urban territories in Gujarat, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. ⦁ Stamping Scheme: Four engravings will be suited each correct answer. ⦁ Negative Marking: One check will be deducted for each wrong answer. JEE Main Syllabus 2019 I. The JEE Main syllabus will contain focuses from the eleventh and twelfth class of CBSE, ICSE and other state sheets. Syllabus for paper 1 will contain material science, science and math. II. Paper 2 syllabus will contain science, wellness and drawing regions. The point by point JEE Main 2019 syllabus is given underneath: JEE Main Paper 1 Syllabus: Number-crunching: Sets, relations and limits, Matrices and determinants, Mathematical acknowledgment, Sequences and course of action, Integral investigation, Binomial speculation and its essential applications, Vector polynomial math, Statistics and probability, Trigonometry, Complex numbers and quadratic conditions, Mathematical reasoning, Permutations and blends, et cetera. Material science: Material science and estimation, Thermodynamics, Rotational development, Laws of development, Electronic contraptions, Oscillations and waves, Current power, Electromagnetic selection and substituting streams, Optics, Electrostatics, Kinematics, Work, imperativeness and power, Gravitation, Properties of solids and liquids, Kinetic theory of gases, et cetera. Science: Physical Chemistry: Some major thoughts in science, Atomic structure, Chemical thermodynamics, Equilibrium, Chemical vitality, States of issue, Chemical holding and sub-nuclear structure, et cetera. Normal Chemistry: Purification and characterisation of common blends, Chemistry in consistent everyday presence, Organic blends containing glowing light, Organic blends containing nitrogen, Some fundamental guidelines of regular science, et cetera. Inorganic Chemistry: Classification of segments and periodicity in properties, Block segments (dissolvable base and fundamental earth metals), D – and f – square segments, Environmental science, Hydrogen, Block parts total 13 to cluster 18 segments, et cetera. JEE Main Paper 2 Syllabus: Part I: Awareness of individuals, places, Buildings, Materials, Visualizing three dimensional articles from two dimensional representations, Visualizing, Analytical Reasoning Mental Ability (Visual, Numerical and Verbal), et cetera. Part II: Understanding and valuation for scale and degree of things, building structures and segments, shading surface, assention and separation, Transformation of structures both 2 D and 3 D affiliation, substraction, upheaval, Creating two dimensional and three dimensional associations using given shapes and structures, et cetera. How to Prepare for JEE Mains 2019 Here we are giving JEE Main 2019 course of action tips, which can help you with accomplishing awesome scores: ⦁ Right off the bat, get bits of knowledge about the formally suggested syllabus and exam case and impact a honest to goodness answer to plan. ⦁ Endeavor to unwind prior year question papers to set yourself up in taking note of request in outline. ⦁ Concentrate from strong reference JEE Main Preparation books and study materials available in market and web. ⦁ Make short notes on troublesome subjects and look at them with your guide and associates. ⦁ Practice insult test, it will help you with knowing the exam outline and besides analyze your execution. ⦁ Try not to dismiss your prosperity while in the meantime anticipating exams. Do consideration and yoga it will help you with expanding obsession. JEE Main Admit Card 2019 Underneath we have said insights about the JEE Main 2019 concede card: ⦁ Effectively enlisted Candidates will have the capacity to download the concede card by means of online mode. ⦁ The specialist likewise give JEE Main opening booking office along shape filling. ⦁ The concede card will be given in the second seven day stretch of March 2019. ⦁ For online mode exam, understudies can likewise book their opening. ⦁ Competitors need to download it by entering their Application Number, Date of Birth and Security Code. ⦁ On the off chance that any error found in the JEE Mains lobby ticket 2019, convey to the JEE (Main) Secretariat/CBSE instantly. ⦁ Applicants need to bring any one personal ID confirmation alongside the concede card. JEE Mains 2019 Answer Key After the few long periods of fruition of examination, the appropriate response key will be distributed through the site. It will be discharged in the most recent seven day stretch of April 2019. JEE Main answer key 2019 will be discharged alongside pictures of OMR sheets. On the off chance that applicants are not happy with the appropriate response key they can provoke it. Candidates need to fill an online application and need to pay Rs. 1000/ - per question to challenge the appropriate response key. Expense installment should be possible through charge/Mastercard. JEE Main Result 2019 Understudies who will show up in the exam can check the outcome inside multi month after the examination. Here we have specified insights about the outcome date, mode, and so on. ⦁ JEE Main 2019 outcome will be given in the most recent seven day stretch of April 2019 (for paper 1) and a week ago of May 2019 (for paper 2). ⦁ Understudies will have the capacity to check the outcome just through online mode. ⦁ It will likewise contain All India Rank and All India Category Rank. ⦁ JEE Main score card won't be dispatched to competitors. JEE Main Rank List 2019: ⦁ A rank rundown will be set up according to the imprints scored in the JEE Main examination. ⦁ It will be discharged independently for paper 1 and paper 2. ⦁ Confirmations will be given according to the rank scored in the passage test. ⦁ Tie breaking criteria will be connected if at least two Candidates get equivalent imprints. JEE Main 2019 Cut Off The cut off will be distributed alongside the outcome. Understudies can check the insights about JEE Main cut off 2019 from underneath: ⦁ The slice off will be distributed through online mode. ⦁ It will be discharged alongside the outcomes in the most recent seven day stretch of April 2019. ⦁ JEE Main cut off will be the base denotes that need to show up in the All India incorporate guiding. ⦁ The cut off will be distributed classification shrewd. Last year cut off of JEE Main exam is mentioned below: Category Cut-Off 2017 Cut-Off 2016 Cut-Off 2015 General          81                100                            105 OBC (NCL)     49                70                              70 Schedule Caste (SC)   32    52                            50 Schedule Tribe (ST)    27     48                            44 JEE Main Counseling 2019 ⦁ After the discharging of result, the board will report the point by point calendar of JEE Main 2019 advising. Isolate calendars will be reported for All India Rank and state level directing. ⦁ Guiding procedure will be sorted out from the third seven day stretch of June 2019. ⦁ JEE Main 2019 guiding will be directed through online mode. ⦁ A brought together guiding will be sorted out by JoSAA and CSAB in various rounds. ⦁ To show up in the directing, Candidates should enroll themselves. ⦁ After that competitors need to fill their inclinations of universities and courses. ⦁ Based on filled decisions, rank, class and seats accessibility, a temporary seat assignment will be reported. ⦁ From that point onward, Candidates should download their temporary seat allocation letter and pay the seat acknowledgment charge. ⦁ In the wake of paying the charge, Candidates need to answer to the announcing focus to confirm their reports. ⦁ Once the seats get affirmed by the detailing focus, Candidates need to show up at the allocated school for assist confirmation process.

Source: https://www.entrancezone.com/engineering/jee-main-2019-national-testing-agency/ 

[markdickinsonphotography]

Are you saving enough for retirement? Photographers and Creative Professionals I’m just like you.

Creative professionals, are you saving enough for retirement?

I woke up this morning, 37 years old, realizing I am no longer a full retirement package from where I worked as a police officer, panicking, wondering if I am saving enough for retirement. I have a 3-year-old, a family about another 20 years of work or more in me, So whats next? The money you earn from working is rewarding, keeping you happy but understand it will not always be there. You have to plan not only for retirement but also incidents like last week where I severely sprained my ankle and had to stay off for a couple of days.  Sometimes those incidents could be worse.

I have always monitored my finances, keeping a pyramid savings plan. So getting older, I have to focus even more on the savings for the future. I want to give you some of my experience with investing, learning how to save all the way from CD, Stocks, and savings. Check out a few of the tools that I use below. I offer no official financial advice but some of the tools that I have used. When investing, understand that there are several risks involved, loss of finances is a potential that your risk when investing in any forum.

Capital One Savings Higher interest than most brick and mortar banks

Stash Investing (iPhone/Android) ETF investing which is groups of stock 7% interest currently

Acorns (iPhone/Android) 4% interest currently

Ameritrade Standard Web based stock trading. 17% interest currently

Robinhood Stocks App Based, No fees to buy, fees to sell (less than Ameritrade)

These are just a few of the services I use to earn more money by making my money work for me. If you have any recommendations I would love to see your recommendations, leave a note in the comments!

I have always been conscientious of my finances, keeping track of credits, payment dates and saving for special purchases. This started back in High School prior to having a job, I would get 20.00 a week for lunch and spending at school. I broke that down into small bills and coins and had a folder I put it together for Gas, Food, Motorcycle, misc. Granted $20.00 doesn’t go far as it did then, but it’s still applicable. I would ultimately buy a loaf of bread, lunch meat, and oatmeal cookies. 50 cents for a drink About 7.00 would get me through the week. Remember I’m 15. I put the rest of the money 13.00 divided up and by the end of a month, I had about $50.00 saved. after a year I think I had 200.00 saved up. It was pretty impressive, well the savings my file folder was a mess, coins, and dollars everywhere.

Fast forward 20 years later and I am still doing the same thing, digitally of course and by using Capitol one 360.  It allows creating as many accounts as you’d like to organize your savings to your liking.  I’ve been with it since it was INGdirect.  Right now I am earning 0.20% interest. Bad, bad but not zero. From there I can create micro deposits daily or weekly to each account for savings. I even have one set up for our little baby. She’s going to need college soon too!

In my life, I have paid off 4 cars, 3 motorcycles earlier than expected. I haven’t owned many vehicles so I’ve kept them for extended periods of time. I have friends that have gone through as many I have had through my lifetime in a years time.

Where to keep your money?

Cash on Hand. This is the idlest currency and does nothing for you except be available when you need it. It doesn’t grow or earn interest unless you are purchasing other investments. I keep a minimum amount on hand just in case there’s an emergency purchase, there’s usually less than $500.00 since nearly everywhere takes credit cards. Catch me with cash on me it’s a miracle. Safer this way. Keeping your money in an interest bearing account is the best, let it work for you. Referring to my pyramid above, Not all the eggs in one basket. You’ve heard that repeatedly all your life so, it doesn’t change with finances either.

Thinking about physical investments? This could be physical pierces of silver, gold, property, or even sometimes a discontinued item. You might see in my pyramid a sliver between high-risk stocks. This is not fidget spinners, nor is it the next best thing. It generally is a product that has a long history on the market and then the company files bankruptcy or discontinues a product that was extremely popular. Currently, I have a few manual cameras that I am holding. Items that take up very low space and can sell in the future for nearly 2-3 x their original cost is a game of chance. Old camera grips and parts are another luck item. This worked well when Nikon Stopped consumers from purchasing normal wear and tear parts like grips.

When Should I start and how much do I need?

Now! Math is simple. Most of us could spare 10.00 a day. that translates into $100,000 by the time you are 65 at Zero Percent interest. Add 5 percent and you nearly double your money over that time.You’ll enjoy the calculator I use. I try to lock up about $3,000.00 per year on a CD with a near 1 percent interest. At retirement age I would like to have my pyramid grow wider at the top so that I can earn more, but the risk is higher. I imagine that I will have about 40 percent IRA, 30 percent in real estate, 10 percent in stock long term, 10 percent in cash,  10 percent in other investments. Ultimately when I retire at whichever age I hope to have 1-2 million saved in the bank. It might be shooting for the moon, but with hardwork and good returns you never know where it could take you. You might be surprised but it will take nearly $500,000-1.5 Million to effectively retire without needing to supplement money. If you are a photographer and you do not pay taxes, start now, pay into your SSI, and this will help you in the long run.

How much should you save?

As much as you can, seriously. Don’t over exert yourself, but if you do need liquid assets the adjust your pyramid to have more short term CD, or high-interest saving accounts. This way you can always have access. Start out with $5.00 per day or $150 a month. If you can afford more then do it! 150 a month will give you 1800 a year, $54,000 in 30 years. That’s definitely not enough to live off of but creates a pretty nice cash pot. Currently, I am saving $25.00 per day. There are ways to save money too. I will touch on those lightly but it all starts with the home.

Keeping your savings out of sight will help if you’re a habitual spender like I am. Lock them up for 6 months or 1 year and earn .5-1% interest. Unfortunately, the cd and savings accounts are really low on interest. It used to be plentiful when I first started in the 3,4 and 6 percent on some occasions.  This is why I have to diversify around between stocks, higher risk and alternative investing like bitcoin. Keep your options and mind open to alternatives but know that this type of investing is extremely risky and rare to make profits.

How to save on expenses.

I have a few steps that will save you in the long run but it takes discipline. I do not have cable tv, just internet. I have been this way since 2004. My mom pays for cable and her bill is around 200+ a month for tv. I personally can’t watch that much tv. I subscribe to Netflix and Hulu and watch some favorite creators on youtube. It’s enough entertainment for me. When I do want to watch a season I head on over to iTunes or find them on Netflix. I’m generally working too much to watch tv.  Shop Smart, cut back on excessiveness. We bought a freezer recently and Lindsay will get meets and other items that can be frozen either by themselves or with vacuum sealing. We do eat out some times which gets expensive with a 3 yr old and the two of us easy 35.00 a day. So cutting 4 eat outs a week can net you $100.00 ($140 but you have to eat so prepping your own food still has a cost) Round up savings and piggy banks. Literally. Piggy banks are a way to save about 14-20 a week if you use cash and get lots of change. This can be an effective addition to your cash set aside.  Cut on subscription services that you rarely use. Subscribe and saves, Ring doorbell video subscription or even a membership to some particular location that you might be able to sub out for a home activity like a gym. Turning your air up just 1 degree will also save you a bit of money per month. I have been a habitual “leave it on” where I’d go run out and leave the computer on. Now I have been shutting it down. We’ve also since turned our hot water heater temperature down a bit too. Reducing our electric bill down by about $40.00 a month.

        Where to keep your money?

Cash on Hand. This is the idlest currency and does nothing for you except be available when you need it. It doesn’t grow or earn interest unless you are purchasing other investments. I keep a minimum amount on hand just in case there’s an emergency purchase, there’s usually less than $500.00 since nearly everywhere takes credit cards. Catch me with cash on me it’s a miracle. Safer this way. Keeping your money in an interest bearing account is the best, let it work for you. Referring to my pyramid above, Not all the eggs in one basket. You’ve heard that repeatedly all your life so, it doesn’t change with finances either.

Thinking about physical investments? This could be physical pierces of silver, gold, property, or even sometimes a discontinued item. You might see in my pyramid a sliver between high-risk stocks. This is not fidget spinners, nor is it the next best thing. It generally is a product that has a long history on the market and then the company files bankruptcy or discontinues a product that was extremely popular. Currently, I have a few manual cameras that I am holding. Items that take up very low space and can sell in the future for nearly 2-3 x their original cost is a game of chance. Old camera grips and parts are another luck item. This worked well when Nikon Stopped consumers from purchasing normal wear and tear parts like grips.

When Should I start and how much do I need?

Now! Math is simple. Most of us could spare 10.00 a day. that translates into $100,000 by the time you are 65 at Zero Percent interest. Add 5 percent and you nearly double your money over that time.You’ll enjoy the calculator I use. I try to lock up about $3,000.00 per year on a CD with a near 1 percent interest. At retirement age I would like to have my pyramid grow wider at the top so that I can earn more, but the risk is higher. I imagine that I will have about 40 percent IRA, 30 percent in real estate, 10 percent in stock long term, 10 percent in cash,  10 percent in other investments. Ultimately when I retire at whichever age I hope to have 1-2 million saved in the bank. It might be shooting for the moon, but with hardwork and good returns you never know where it could take you. You might be surprised but it will take nearly $500,000-1.5 Million to effectively retire without needing to supplement money. If you are a photographer and you do not pay taxes, start now, pay into your SSI, and this will help you in the long run.

How much should you save?

As much as you can, seriously. Don’t over exert yourself, but if you do need liquid assets the adjust your pyramid to have more short term CD, or high-interest saving accounts. This way you can always have access. Start out with $5.00 per day or $150 a month. If you can afford more then do it! 150 a month will give you 1800 a year, $54,000 in 30 years. That’s definitely not enough to live off of but creates a pretty nice cash pot. Currently, I am saving $25.00 per day. There are ways to save money too. I will touch on those lightly but it all starts with the home.

Keeping your savings out of sight will help if you’re a habitual spender like I am. Lock them up for 6 months or 1 year and earn .5-1% interest. Unfortunately, the cd and savings accounts are really low on interest. It used to be plentiful when I first started in the 3,4 and 6 percent on some occasions.  This is why I have to diversify around between stocks, higher risk and alternative investing like bitcoin. Keep your options and mind open to alternatives but know that this type of investing is extremely risky and rare to make profits.

How to save on expenses.

I have a few steps that will save you in the long run but it takes discipline. I do not have cable tv, just internet. I have been this way since 2004. My mom pays for cable and her bill is around 200+ a month for tv. I personally can’t watch that much tv. I subscribe to Netflix and Hulu and watch some favorite creators on youtube. It’s enough entertainment for me. When I do want to watch a season I head on over to iTunes or find them on Netflix. I’m generally working too much to watch tv.  Shop Smart, cut back on excessiveness. We bought a freezer recently and Lindsay will get meets and other items that can be frozen either by themselves or with vacuum sealing. We do eat out some times which gets expensive with a 3 yr old and the two of us easy 35.00 a day. So cutting 4 eat outs a week can net you $100.00 ($140 but you have to eat so prepping your own food still has a cost) Round up savings and piggy banks. Literally. Piggy banks are a way to save about 14-20 a week if you use cash and get lots of change. This can be an effective addition to your cash set aside.  Cut on subscription services that you rarely use. Subscribe and saves, Ring doorbell video subscription or even a membership to some particular location that you might be able to sub out for a home activity like a gym. Turning your air up just 1 degree will also save you a bit of money per month. I have been a habitual “leave it on” where I’d go run out and leave the computer on. Now I have been shutting it down. We’ve also since turned our hot water heater temperature down a bit too. Reducing our electric bill down by about $40.00 a month.

        The post Are you saving enough for retirement? Photographers and Creative Professionals I’m just like you. appeared first on Mark Dickinson | Central Florida Photographer Serving Daytona Beach, Orlando, Lake Mary areas.

from Are you saving enough for retirement? Photographers and Creative Professionals I’m just like you.

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

!function(d,s,id){var e, p = /^http:/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + '://' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '/js/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

  PIN IT HERE

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS

[sentrava]

Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone!

Every year when I’m putting together my annual holiday gift guide, it’s more a compilation of my own wishlist—as well as gifts I’ve purchased for my loved ones. (Loved ones, look away! You might spoil the surprise.) No $2000 items or things like a Peloton that you’d never actually buy someone, just things I’ve got on my own wishlist or have mentally bookmarked for my family.

Quick side note: I don’t know why it took me so long to sign up for eBates! I always thought it was a sham, but it’s most definitely not. If you shop online a lot like I do and install the plugin on your web browser, you’ll get an automatic notification when an online store offers cash back; the stores I regularly shop at offer anywhere from 2 to 15 percent back, which is refunded to me every couple of months via Paypal. I pretty much only shop online as I hate going into stores and have gotten $500 refunded to me this year alone. You can sign up here, which I highly recommend before doing any Christmas shopping!

With that said, here are many things I’m loving this year:

FOR A FANCY STOCKING STUFFER: SOCK FANCY

Remember how as a child you’d roll your eyes anytime you received a piece of clothing as a gift, then somewhere around your teens or early 20s, you only hoped someone would give you a present like underwear or socks? Socks have become a routine staple for me: I get them for my mom, sister and SVV every single year, and spent hours searching online for the perfect prints. SVV, you may be surprised to know, is a bit of a sock connoisseur and the crazier the print, the more likely he is to wear it. So when I learned of Sock Fancy, an Atlanta-based sock delivery service, I was more than thrilled that someone was going to take that time searching for the perfect prints off my hands. Best of all, you can customize your subscription—men’s or women’s; all crew, all low-cut or a mix of both; one, two or six pairs per month (I’m going with six given that my washing machine eats socks like no other!)—in a commitment of three-, six-, nine- or 12-month subscriptions. Shipping is free, and if you don’t like something? You can make unlimited swaps. How’s that for satisfaction-guaranteed? You can also get 20% off with the code BF2018.

Price: from $11/month (purchase here)

FOR THE AT-HOME CHEF: RAW SPICE BAR

Born from the desire for better quality sourcing of raw spices, RawSpiceBar is built to control the entire process of ground spice production here in the United States. We’ve been using their products for a few years to make Indian chicken, Italian food, Asian-inspired tacos and so many other yummy dishes. SVV gravitates towards the blended ingredients like tandoori masala or the Persian advieh and absolutely loves the extended recipe section of their website for dinner inspiration. I’m not complaining! If you’re like me and can’t choose, RawSpiceBar offers a subscription model that will kick your kitchen up a notch and it’s customized to how you cook and what kind of dishes you typically like. Genius! We’ve now been subscribers for three years, and not only do we get brand new spices we’ve never before tried sent to us on the regular, but now we can also log onto RawSpiceBar’s online shop and order bigger portions of the spices we love. Note: You can get 12% cash back through eBates with this one.

Price: from $9/month (purchase here)

FOR YOUR PRODUCT-JUNKIE WIFE: GURU POUCH

We all have that person in their lives, who opens up her purse and an entire makeup counter spills out. And if you don’t have that person, it’s probably you (spoken from experience, ha)! The Guru Pouch is a drawstring makeup bag that opens into a 20-inch flat surface. Not only can you can see everything at once, which is my big frustration packing all my stuff into a tiny makeup bag when I travel, but when you’re done, you just pull the strings and everything is tucked inside. Best of all, you don’t need to pack and repack when you’re traveling, as you can use this method at home instead of taking it all out of your makeup drawer and messing up your counter; instead, just set the products back down on the open bag and cinch them all inside when you’re done. Voila!

Price: $12 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR TOY-LOVING HUSBAND: DJI MAVIC AIR QUAD

The best gift I ever gave SVV was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone a year-and-a-half ago. We use that thing all the time, and it’s become an important component in our photography kit. That said, if you’re just a hobbyist, you don’t need a $2000 drone; the DJI Mavic Air will work just fine (we actually produce videos for tourism boards so need the higher-end model). DJI almost never puts their gear on sale, but for this Christmas, they have the Mavic Air bundle—which includes the remote controller, a spare battery and a hard case, all expensive accessories on their own—on sale for $749. If you’ve ever wanted a drone, now’s your time. If you (or your husband) are in the production industry, I highly recommend the DJI Phantom 4 Pro, which is on sale in a bundle with a ton of accessories for $1800. And if you’re not ready to commit to the real thing just yet, SVV spent a year learning to fly on this $60 BLADE Nano before launching a $2000 piece of equipment into the air. (I much endorse this method! Too many rookie drone pilots out there ruining it for the rest of us.)

Price: $749 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR COLOR-LOVING SISTER: 3D EARRINGS

MonsteRawr was one of my first ever blog friends, so when she launched MonsteRawr Makes earlier this year, I was one of her first clients. Stephanie, who has a long history of working in theater production, uses a 3D printer to make amazing wearable art in the form of earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Her style really speaks to my geometry-loving, former math-major heart, and I absolutely love how she incorporates asymmetrical prints and circles in her pieces. You can pretty much order any color you like—her products come in pink, yellow, purple, blue, green—and Stephanie has generously offered all C&C readers 20% off their order through Dec. 31 with the promo code CAMELSGORAWR.

Price: starts at $17 a piece (purchase here)

FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: A PORTABLE POWER BANK

SVV and I got a couple of these handy charging stations by Lynktec last year, and boy have they saved our lives ever since upgrading our phones and coming to terms with the harsh reality that Mophie doesn’t make a charging case for the iPhone X. Instead, we each keep one of these charging stations in our laptop bags or purses at all times and pretty much use them daily when outside the home, whether out and about in Nashville or traveling for work. Each one gives you four full charges before you need to plug it into the wall and recharge it, plus they come with mini-USB ports as well as an Apple mFi connection, so you can charge iPhones and Droids. Can you say lifesaver? Right now, Lynktec is offering 40% off everything with the code BLACKFRIDAY18.

Price: $60 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR INQUISITIVE KID: LITTLE PASSPORTS

I bookmarked this kids’ subscription box company when I found them almost a year ago as a gift idea for my five-year-old niece Lucy. She’s a precocious kid and always eager to learn new facts and skills. So I ordered her a one-year subscription to Little Passports for this Christmas. Little Passports makes subscriptions toy boxes for kids ranging from 3 to 12 years old with each box designed to take kids on an adventure where they discover more about the world. Even better: The boxes are put together with the help of scientists, educators with PhD and Masters degrees, and award-winning writers and designers. Kids learn by touching and doing, not just memorizing facts. I reached out to Little Passports and they kindly extended a 15% off offer to C&C readers with the code PR8N2F through 12/31/18. They also have some Black Friday sales happening now, plus eBates is another 6% cash back in your pocket.

Price: $12.99/month (purchase here)

FOR THE PHILANTHROPIST: ST. JUDE

Y’all know of my love for my home state non-profit, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, by now. There’s no company I’d rather donate my money and my time to, so when they reached out to tell me about their #ThisShirtSavesLives campaign, I was more than happy to share the good word. For the second year, they asked dozens of celebrities (and a few bloggers like yours truly!) come into the studio and get our photos snapped wearing the newest iteration of the #ThisShirtSavesLives. If you commit to donate $20 a month alongside us, you’ll get the new shirt sent to you—and rest easy knowing that you’re helping St. Jude give children with cancer free access to treatment, lodging and so much more. (In case you didn’t know, St. Jude’s entire ethos is that no family should have to worry about expenses while they’re focusing on their child’s life.)

Price: $20/month (join here)

FOR THE BROADWAY FAN: THE GREATEST SHOWMAN REIMAGINED

Has it really been only a year since The Greatest Showman catapulted into our lives (and our sound systems), forever changing them for the better? I don’t know about you, but I memorized the entire soundtrack in, oh, about 1.5 days, so when I heard The Greatest Showman Reimagined was coming out just in time for the holidays with covers of the popular tracks by some of my favorite pop artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Kesha, I immediately bookmarked it to download in my Amazon Music account. (Side note: Don’t have Amazon Music? We pay $7.99 a month for it, but I just saw that it’s on sale for $.99 a month right now!) If you don’t have a streaming account, you can buy this amazing soundtrack via Amazon as a CD or audio download.

Price: $13.49 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR WOMAN ABOUT TOWN: ALL THE BODEN

I absolutely love buying my clohting from Boden, usually dresses and tunics that transition easily from day wear to night. Typically, Boden pieces are a bit more than I tend to spend on clothing (think: $150 for a dress, which isn’t bad), but Boden frequently has sales and right now is offering 30% off with the code V4N9. Things I’m lusting after: this jacket with toggles, this green jersey dress, this lilac dress, this fun yellow sweater, this color-block dress.

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FOR YOUR UNICORN-LOVING NIECE: A PERSONALIZED PILLOW

I bought this personalized sequin pillow for two of my nieces for Christmas after it popped up on my Facebook as a sponsored post (can you tell I buy a lot of unicorn things?). I love that you can personalize the name, pick silver or gold sequins, and have an option between designs. They also have other designs like a llama, mermaid, Santa and even an option where you can put your own photo on there if you’re that narcissistic, ha.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR STYLISH LITTLE: ALL THE CUTEST CLOTHES

My niece is now eight months old, and I’ve had the best time outfitting her in the cutest little girl clothes throughout the year. A few of my favorite resources are Gap Baby, Mini Boden, Cat & Jack from Target and Nordstrom (I’m obsessed with Tucker + Tate—they even have adorable little boys’ clothing, which I find is rare). Below you’ll find several of the outfits I bought her this fall and winter. I’ve been stock-piling clothes for her, but have already had to give her a few of her 1-year birthday presents as she’s 8 months but already wearing 12-18 months! That kid is not small.

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  FOR YOUR FRIEND ON THE GO: TOMS

A couple years ago, I swapped out all of my designer footwear in favor of everything TOMS, no matter the season (I often buy them via Zappos, FYI, as Zappos always seems to be running deals). They’re just so dang comfortable, they’re affordable and they have regular sales, not to mention I love their give-back philosophy, donating a pair of shoes to kids in need for every pair sold. I absolutely love their booties and have no fewer than seven pairs in my closet, with more on the way. My favorites are the Ella booties (no surprise there), but I also love the Kala Wedge Booties. BONUS: TOMS just launched an amazing initiative called “End Gun Violence Together” where they’ve pledged to commit $5 million to gun reform, plus will send a letter to your Congress person on your behalf asking for more thorough background checks of gun owners and it only takes 30 seconds, so go to their homepage and do just that. As if I couldn’t love them any more! Plus, they currently are offering 30% off site-wide with the code THANKFUL. And you get another 10% cash back in your pocket with eBates.

Price: starting at $89 (purchase here with the code MADHOUSE for 20% off)

FOR YOUR PUP: THIS CLOUD-LIKE BED

A friend posted this Best Friends by Sheri dog bed that I immediately snatched up for Ella, who has a bed in every house but only seems to be placated by sleeping on my blanket that looks very similar to this. Here’s to hoping our fur child is finally comfortable (ha)! There are four different size options of this donut-shaped bed depending on how big your pup is.

Price: $35 (purchase here)

FOR YOUR GROWN DAUGHTER: ATHLEISURE

Ahem, are you listening, Mom? Honestly, at this point in life, all I care about are leggings, tunics and puffy vests. My go-to shops are Gap, LOFT and Athleta—particularly as all of those have frequent sales (I also stock up on Zella leggings during the holidays or Nordstrom’s annual sale). Since I work from home and don’t often need dressy garb, the majority of my wardrobe is some form of athleisure that can transition from home office to errands to home office again—or be worn on planes or on road trips. I have an entire wardrobe comprising just leggings, and let me tell you I wear them all; the best leggings brands in my mind are Gap or Hue, though I’ve had success with the Vera Wang and Lauren Conrad brands that Kohl’s carries, as well. Here are a few items I’ve either purchased for myself lately or put on my own wishlist. Gap currently is offering 50% off everything with the code BLKFRIDAY (plus 10% in cash back on eBates), which makes my favorite leggings just $15 a pair. These are seriously all I wear in winter months under a tunic, and they tuck in great to boots!

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FOR YOUR CHILD STARTING HIS/HER OWN BUSINESS: GETTING NAKED

SVV recently bought this book by Patrick Lencioni as we continue to evolve our own business model into more consulting in the coming year and show more vulnerability as business owners. It’s a helpful look at entrepreneurship, no matter what field you’re in, as well as a quick read. He also has a number of other business books that are more targeted to specific industries.

Price: $15.99 (purchase here)

FOR THE STAY-AT-HOME MOM: BAREFOOT DREAMS

OK, let’s widen this net to say “anyone who is at home the majority of the time,” including but not limited to stay-at-home moms and grandmoms, creatives, freelancers, remote employees, anyone for whom comfort is key. Barefoot Dreams makes the coziest of the cozy cardigans and wraps that are legitimately like being wrapped up in a big hug. I originally had some bookmarked via Nordstrom, but they all sold out, so randomly I found them on QVC for much cheaper; they’re also having a major sale on everything through Nov. 26 making them even cheaper. They also make these amazing throws that I’m wanting for my home office.

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Price: from $75 if you buy via QVC (purchase here)

As always, I’m giving away a holiday bundle, a selection of my favorite things, some from this list and some which may be surprises, so enter below to win my annual C&C giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All you have to tell me is this: What’s your favorite holiday tradition?

Note: A few of these products are from our partners or are affiliate links, meaning I’ll receive a small commission for any purchases made. The majority are things I bought for loved ones this holiday season (hope my loved ones aren’t reading this list!). All items featured are 100% endorsed by me.

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Gifts for You, Gifts for Your Friends, Gifts for Everyone! published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS