Some Ways To Effectively Spend, Budget and Stretch Your Tax Refund

One of my personal favorite times of the year is here: tax season. It allows those that actually receive a refund a chance to recoup and recover from the Christmas frenzy, save up some cash for summer and beyond, and treat yourself and others. 

Many people, however, spend their refunds frivolously.  They go to Wal-Mart, the mall, online, everywhere, buying up stuff they could otherwise do without. 

Now I'm not saying don't enjoy your refund. You worked hard for this money from Uncle Sam. However a penny saved is a penny earned. Here are some tips to spend that money more effectively, and even stretch it out some.

1. Tithe 10% of it, or give a portion to a local charity.

Many don't realize you should tithe 10% of your refund to the Lord via your church. Well if you don't wanna do that or do not have a church to send your monies to, choose a church or philanthropy and go that route. The amount will seem small, but the impact will be monumental.

2. Take care of home and automobile.

Car commercials are everywhere now, as many car lots are still trying to clear last year's inventory.  Having your refund can make this possible.  However, if you already have a car note or you don't want another, use some of your refund for routine maintenance.  This includes tires, brakes, tune-ups, and anything that may need replacing.  Also, many that own homes already spend a lot of money at Home Depot or Lowes. You can take care of home improvements as well.

3. Pay off bills and get ahead.

Speaking of the aforementioned car note, it doesn't hurt to pay off your car, or put a dent in the note so the interest is lower. Also, this applies to other outstanding or huge upcoming bills.

4. Pledge to save about 10 percent for a rainy day. 

Regardless of how you spend the check, set aside 10 percent of it for an emergency fund. Put it in a credit union or savings and allow it to accumulate some interest. This will keep that money working for you.

5. Treat yourself. 

It's perfectly fine to do this, as long as you don't break the bank in the process. Go to that five star restaurant you saw on Yelp. Take that vacation or cruise this summer. Buy yourself some new electronics, clothes, or gadgets. Some retail therapy and money to get away is actually healthy.

6. Take care of needs, then wants

This is the theme I'm driving towards.  You should pay down as much debt, and take care of any and all needs you can before having fun with your funds. You will enjoy it more having that peace of mind.

7.  Set a budget for each spending purpose. 

I typically write a list of things that I need to take care of, along with a wish list. I try to make it as reasonable as possible, and ensure I still have money left over. This is discipline with your windfall.

Remember this is tax season, not the lottery. You aren't rich, just a little blessed. Just take proper care of your blessing and don't get quickly separated from your monies.

Seven Effective Ways To Avoid Identity Theft

The country and specific regional areas has been hit hard over the past few months with identity theft and fraud. Another epidemic has been catfishing, where someone steals your pictures and profile from social media and poses as you. MTV made a hit show about it.  Facebook has even changed their privacy settings yet again and has been flagging more people who request people they do not know. The IRS even had a delay in filing and completing 2012 federal returns.

I have dealt and helped protect against identity theft for quite some time now. Here are some tips to make your life in cyberspace and beyond easier.

1.  Change your password every three-six months, and make it something hard for others to guess.

It is suprising to me how many people do not change their passwords, or make their passwords so mundane and easy. Make your password a combination of numbers, letters and even symbols. I like how PayPal does their security. You must have one uppercase letter, a number and a character in your password. Also, do not write down your password. That is the easiest way for someone to get to your information.

2. Refrain from clicking on untrustworthy links.

Often we may receive emails or FB messages from friends with a strange link. Do not click that link. Afterwards, alert that friend of their account being compromised.

3. Set your privacy settings on social media to the max and change them often.

Social media has to change how their privacy is regularly to keep up with changes. Therefore, check every few months that your privacy settings are tight. Basically, you want your accounts to be like Fort Knox or a Las Vegas casino: nearly impossible to crack. No one that you do not want to should see your profile, updates, tweets, or pictures.

4. Register with your state sponsored identity theft program.

This doesn't take long, is free and will give you further protection. Many states also provide a free credit report with registration. You will receive alerts if your report has any sort of changes. Also, if your state does not offer this, write your Congress representative and fight to implement it.

5.  Be careful on who knows your personal info, especially your social security number.

People often do not mind letting others have their passwords, or even banking information. However info such as this can be the skeleton key to you as a person. Utilize PayPal more when paying bills so you won't have to give banking information. Ensure that your bank or credit union has top notch research, and quick response times if you have to report a stolen check or debit card. 

6. Report intrusive, abusive and suspect users

If someone seems grimey or posts and sends spam constantly, reach out to them. If they continue, report them to the popular authorities so they won't harm anyone else. They can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

7. Invite and meet new friends into your life, but keep a tight and close circle.

Some social networks only want you requesting folks that you know. However, if you choose not to do that, at least speak to that person first. Have some mutual friends that you can ask each other about. Also have a good tight, trustworthy circle that can back you when intruders do come along.

I have said this before "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" Protect yourselves properly.

Legal Side Hustles: Ways to Curb The Recession through odd jobs

Yes we are a month into 2012, and the war in Iraq is over. However, we are still in a recession, many folks are either out of work, working reduced hours, or haven't seen a pay raise since George W. Bush was in office. Plus it is a presidential election year, making things more iffy financially. 

Being that I always have to find ways to earn extra money and stay above water, I have been looking into side hustles.  This means additional but legal and amazingly practical sources of income.  What will follow will be a list of what would be considered odd but practical legal side jobs.  They don't include gambling, selling drugs, pipe dreams, or cheating the IRS. They have been proven to put extra cash in your pocket without often having to punch a time clock.

1. Sitting (children, houses, and even pets)

All of these can be extremely lucrative, even pet sitting and pampering. I have a friend in St Louis, MO that started with just pet sitting and now runs her own pet pampering business full time. Plus I know someone personally that house and pet sat for the last week of December and pocketed $600.  Not bad, eh?  Now opening a daycare is one thing.  I'm talking about simple, routine, sitting and caretaking

2. Sports referee.

Many guys I know referee and umpire sporting events year round. Like some of the jobs on this list, a test is required. But once that test is passed and you build your reputation, you can have some change in your life. It's an added bonus if you love sports and can handle hostile crowds.

3. Test proctor

A former employer put me onto this. Many standardized tests (SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, etc) are administered every weekend. These tests need folks to proctor them, i.e., monitor them, and get paid for it. 

4. Blogger

Yes you can get paid for what I currently do, mostly from ads and/or TV shows and entertainment sites. Believe me, I don't plan on writing for free my entire life!

5. Personal trainer

These are especially popular during this time of the year. Certification, and obviously being in superb physical shape, is a must. But if you regularly work out, this is also a good way to bank some dollars while doing something you already do on the regular

6. Network marketing

Now many of these companies have been called "pyramid schemes" and overall the name makes most screech. However, there are many reputable ones, such as Mary Kay, Avon, Tupperware, and even Pure Romance. Even if you fail to turn a profit from a business such as this, it makes an awesome tax write off

7. Repair services (TV, home, car, computer)

If you possess natural and trained skills on how to fix and repair various items, you can almost name your own price, provided you are skilled and reputable enough. 

8. Lawn/yard care

Landscaping companies have long been known as "prison schemes" as a way for parolees to make money when society doesn't roll out the welcome wagon for them. Hey, don't knock the hustle. With a riding lawn mower, weed eater, pressure washer, and a few other garden tools, you can be spending your spare time making spare change.

9. Tutor

Now many services offer free tutoring in many subjects. However, for advanced academic subjects such as law, computer skills, accounting, creative writing, art and music, it pays to know how to help others.

10. Bounty Hunter

This is for the thrill seekers out there who aren't afraid to bring in bail and border jumpers. You can collect the reward and go. Dog and Beth don't have to be the only ones getting paid from this dirty job.

11.  Event Planner

This has become really popular among women, especially the super organized that love weddings and other extravagant events.  Hundreds of dollars can be made on a single weekend for planning a great event or party

12.  Car detailing

Different from repairing and beyond washing cars, someone whom details cars vacuums, cleans, waxes, and basically cleans parts of the vehicle you may not know to clean. The pay is small/vehicle but enough clientele can add up.

13.  Chauffeur

This is mostly driving folks around that don't have their own transportation, and competing with and even overcompensating for lack of public transit. There are instances where you must have a chauffeur's license so check into this. 

14. Boarders

If you have an extra room in your home (assuming you own your home), rent that room out for a few hundred dollars to someone you trust. They get a place to stay, and you can apply the money directly towards the mortgage or other bills.

15. Photographer

Buy yourself a nice camera, start small, and you would be surprised how much you can make working certain contracts and events. Weddings, parties, even setting up at a nightclub a couple of nights/week is where its at far as the photography game. It is competitive so if you're good with the glass eye and have good connections, use them!

There are many others, but most fall in the same category of having to be certified, licensed, and otherwise qualified. Notice that some of these jobs can be worked on a part time basis, on a contract, typically legal. 

So get to researching these and other side jobs. Your tax refund won't last forever, and you may be able to make your own full time job or business from something as small as one of these "hustles"

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