Wondering if you can actually find ways to have fun, even on a fixed budget? Don’t worry. Just because your money might be limited doesn’t mean that you have to give up on doing the things that you love. When it comes to dealing with money, it can sometimes feel as though it’s quite limiting […]
The post Simple Ways to Have Fun on a Fixed Budget appeared first on His & Her Money.
By Cameron Huddleston | Syndicated | Originally Posted
(Photo: CDN Shopping Blog)
Memorial Day signals the start of summer – and an opportunity to score great savings on a variety of products. Big-ticket items, in particular, will be deeply discounted during sales over the long holiday weekend. In fact, some retailers already have launched their Memorial Day sales, so you can take advantage of deals now without interrupting your holiday plans. Here’s what you can expect to marked down now, through the weekend and into next week.
Apparel. The majority of Memorial Day deals will be on spring apparel, says Louis Ramirez, senior features writer for deal and coupon site DealNews.com. Expect to see discounts ranging from 40% to 90% from retailers such as 6pm.com, Eddie Bauer, H&M, Kohl’s, JCPenney, Macy’s and Old Navy. Designer brands such as Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Steve Madden will mark down spring apparel by 30% to 75%, Ramirez says. Also look for coupons for an additional 15% to 40% off already discounted items. See Best Ways to Get Online Coupon Codes and 8 Great Coupon Apps for tips on finding coupons for online and in-store purchases.
You’ll also see discounts on summer clothing – just not as deep as the markdowns on spring apparel. Brent Shelton of cash-back shopping site FatWallet.com recommends shopping for discounted clothing before the long weekend to beat the crowds and ensure a better selection.
Appliances. This is one of the best times of the year to find deals on major appliances especially refrigerators. Consumers can expect discounts ranging from 10% to 65% at retailers such as AppliancesConnection.com, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowe’s and Sears, says Howard Schaffer, vice president of deal site Offers.com. Also look for online coupon codes for additional savings, free shipping and 0% financing, he says. Most sales will start Friday and end Monday, but some will continue through next week.
Home goods and kitchenware. Department stores such as JCPenney and Kohl’s have marked down small kitchen appliances and bed and bath items 30% to 50%, and Macy’s has discounts of up to 60%.
Mattresses. Memorial Day sales represent the best time of year to buy mattresses, as mattress retailers offer discounts of 50% or more, Shelton says. Look for markdowns at department stores such as Macy’s and Sears, and at local retailers. For the past two years, Groupon has also taken up to 83% off a selection of mattresses as part of its Memorial Day sales, Ramirez says. You’ll also find that many stores will offer 0% financing until 2020 and free delivery, Schaffer says.
Outdoor items. The best time to find deep discounts on grills, patio furniture, mowers, lawn equipment and other outdoor items is at the end of summer. But if you want to enjoy them during the warm weather, you’ll find discounts of 20% to 50% during sales over the long holiday weekend, Schaffer says.
The Uber IPO is broken. On Friday, May 10, 2019, the stock opened at $42 per share, $3 below its offering price. A broken IPO is a stock that trades under its offering price shortly after going public. This drop in price seems to reflect Uber’s tumultuous existence with culture issues, scandals, infighting, and most recently a driver strike in protest of its IPO. Uber might not be ready to face the spotlight, and scrutiny, of being publicly traded.
Ten years ago, Uber set out to change the way we move, and to that end, it’s been successful. Uber’s technology simplified hailing a ride– instead of searching for money for an undetermined, and questionable, price– riders merely press a button on the app which provides all of those services in one.
Interested in learning more about Uber’s IPO? Catch the Live Replay
Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE: UBER) is the world’s biggest transportation network company operating on six (6) continents in over seven hundred cities.
Beyond Uber’s primary platform, it has two additional lines of business: Uber Eats, a meal delivery platform and Uber Freight, an on-demand marketplace connecting shippers and carriers.
Uber sought to raise $8.1 billion by offering its shares to the public at $45 per share. This price already was $2 under the midpoint of its proposed range of $44-$50. Although it initially seemed that Lyft’s recent IPO poor performance caused the price reduction, it appears that there might have undercurrents regarding Uber’s status. So what’s wrong with Uber?
Although TaaS provides riders with affordable and convenient transportation options, the business model might not be sustainable. Lyft and Uber, the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, have sustained massive operating losses throughout their history. Uber is the most unprofitable IPO; Lyft is the second. Uber’s prospectus reveals that it lost $4.08 billion and $3.03 billion for 2017 and 2018, respectively with an accumulated deficit of $7.9 billion. In addition to Uber’s consistent massive losses, revenue growth from its ridesharing operation has slowed dramatically. Growth decreased from 95% in 2017 to a mere 33% in 2018. Coupled with the ominous, “we may not achieve profitability,” things do not look bright for Uber.
Available: Replay of Live Uber Masterclass for only $29
Lyft, Uber’s closest competition, illustrates the industry’s disruption as a shift away “from car ownership to Transportation-as-a-Service, or TaaS.” As an example of the industry’s potential, Lyft shares that car ownership has economically burdened U.S. consumers, who spend over $1.2 trillion annually on personal transportation.
Uber is currently in litigation on four of the six continents it operates. Defending and resolving litigation is costly and erodes the company’s bottom line. Uber faces suit concerning its development of autonomous cars, classification of drivers, and reckless business practices. Commentators believe that many of these issues are a direct result of ousted former CEO, Travis Kalanick’s culture of “win at all costs.”
Anthony Levandowski, a former Google employee, was selected to lead Uber’s self-driving initiative after Uber acquired Otto, his self-driving truck tech startup. However, shortly after this announcement, Google filed arbitration demands against him alleging breach of his employment agreement which included violation of the non-compete clause. Uber revealed that its contract with Levandowski requires it to take financial responsibility if damages are assessed.
If the arbitration demand wasn’t enough, Waymo, Google’s self-driving technology subsidiary, filed suit claiming theft of trade secrets and patent infringement arising from Otto’s acquisition. Uber settled the claim for 5.1 million shares of stock in addition to hiring an independent software expert to ensure Uber’s autonomous vehicle hardware does not misappropriate Waymo’s intellectual property.
Because drivers choose whether to provide services, use their own vehicle, and are free to work with Uber’s competition, Uber believes that drivers are independent contractors, not employees. However, the independent contractor classification is being challenged in the United States and internationally. In the U.S., over60,000 drivers have challenged this classification, Uber has reserved $132 million for litigation. Currently, these claims exceed the reserve, they are projected to settle anywhere between $146 million to $170 million. Uber has settled two consolidated class actions with California and Massachusetts drivers for $20 million. In Switzerland, several government agencies have classified drivers as employees for social security purposes; Uber is currently challenging this classification.
In its early years, one of the hallmarks of Uber was a rogue operation; in other words, operating without a license in jurisdictions where it was required. Uber is defending itself against taxi medallion ownersin Massachusetts alleging unfair competition violations in June.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation fined Uber and its drivers approximately $800,000 for each ride that took place from January to February 2017. In Europe, Uber was preliminarily charged criminally for aiding and abetting illegal taxi traffic in 2015 in Copenhagen. Uber recently received a request relating to its activity in Copenhagen in 2016 and 2017. Two weeks ago, an Australian law firm filed a class action on behalf of over 6,000 participants in the taxi, hire-car, limousine, and charter vehicle industry alleging conspiracy by unlawful means between April 2014 and August 2017.
In November 2017, Uber revealed it concealed a data breach of sensitive and personal information for over a year. Uber settled with the Attorney General for each of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia for $148 million. Uber was also fined over $1.5 by European regulators concerning the breach. There are still pending regulatory matters which include litigation with the City of Chicago and approximately 14 individual and class action lawsuits.
In the days preceding the IPO, Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, compared Uber to Amazon. His basis was that is Amazon one of the biggest companies in the world, but at the time of its IPO, it was not profitable. Although it’s a desirable comparison, it is simply wishful thinking.
There are significant differences between companies. First, when Amazon IPO’ed in 1997 it had been in business for approximately three years. In Amazon’s 10th year, it had profits of $476 million, a far cry from Uber’s $3.03 billion loss at the same point. Second, Amazon has also faced multiple economic headwinds and has managed to still come up on top. Uber, on the other hand, has been the beneficiary of ideal market after the 2008 recession. Uber has not generated a profit since its inception and has relied on $24.7 billion in funding from notable venture capital funds, such as SoftBank’s Vision Fund and Sequoia Capital. But that unchecked flow of cash that ended Friday, with their first public injection of funds.
The growth at all costs mantra has finally caught up to Uber.It now is accountable to a larger pool of investors. Uber must employ cost-cutting strategies, and revenue generation like its life depends on it, because, well it does.
The problems with the Uber IPO are indicative of the issues with the company overall. Uber still has opportunities. The company has dramatically improved its culture by changing its Executive team and Board of Directors. Uber’s current team has an average tenure of a little over a year, excluding Chief Technology Officer Thuan Pham.CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, the former CEO of Expedia, appears to be a breath of fresh air for the once chaotic startup.
Uber appears to have restored its autonomous vehicle technology program with the $1 billion partnership deal with SoftBank, Toyota, and DENSO. Investors should watch this deal closely because development could be limited by the terms and conditions of the Waymo Settlement.
Uber Freight provides an exciting path to profitability listed as “other bets” in its prospectus increasing 457% from 2017 to 2018. The quickest route to profitability might be using Uber’s technology to move things, not people.
Overall, investors should probably wait until at least the lock-up period is over in November before considering it as an investment. Even then, it is unclear if Uber will be a worthwhile investment. It’s a strong possibility that the early investors received all of its value, leaving very little for the average investor. For the average investor to get value, Uber must overperform. However, with profitability currently nonexistent, this is a large (almost impossible) task especially considering the significant drop in growth in its primary revenue driver.We are all watching to see if Uber will rise like a phoenix or sink like the Titanic.
The post Uber’s Broken IPO: Can it be fixed? appeared first on The Ivy Investor.
We love Teachers! And despite their modest (and agreeably lower than they deserve) salaries, many Teachers still want cool stuff for their classroom, without going broke.
So, we found these cool Money Saving Tips for Teachers from WeAreTeachers.com.
When you file your taxes this spring, don’t miss those educator tax deductions! There’s a $250 above-the-line deduction for classroom supplies (which means no need to itemize, holla!), as well as a tuition and professional development deduction if you’ve been continuing your own education. Sure, we wish it were larger, but don’t leave money on the tax table. Learn more here.
“Get your finances under control by recording everything you spend. Get a spreadsheet going and take a few minutes a day to write things down and check your receipts. Once you’ve done that, you will know exactly what you’re spending your money on and where you can save so that you do not throw money away.” —Carolyn B., via WeAreTeachers Facebook
“Every year, expect that unexpected expenses will come up, so you need an emergency fund. Set up an automatic transfer to savings of a little bit each paycheck, $100 or so, that you do not touch unless it’s really an emergency.” —Samantha C., via Facebook
“A 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity will help you save more for retirement. I’m 20 years in, and I have saved more than $200,000 beyond my pension so far. Every little bit helps!” —AnnMarie D., via Facebook
It is easy to slide into credit card pitfalls—the plastic is just so enticing. When deciding to open a new card, pay major attention to the interest rate. Make sure you are aware of whether it has a fixed rate or variable rate; typically fixed-rate cards are a more stable choice in the end, even if variables seem low at the start to reel you in. If the rewards are reeling you in, ruthlessly consider which rewards you will really use.
If your credit card debt has piled up to more than you can easily pay each month, it is time to stop all credit card spending and start paying down the balances. Itemize your existing credit card debt and focus on one account at a time for the easiest strategy to reduce debt painlessly. In the meantime, use only your debit card. Here’s how to make it happen step-by-step.
Before you buy, always ask your colleagues and teacher friends if they have items you can have or borrow. Veteran teachers might be looking to downsize through donation. “Go ahead and ask your fellow teachers for unusual things. My co-workers are used to my emails asking for all sorts of crazy things for my class!” —Sharon Beth H., via Facebook
If you can, involve your students’ parents in supplementing classroom supplies before you supplement via your own wallet. At the beginning of the year when parents visit the classroom for open house and back-to-school nights, let them know which items you can use. And throughout the year, send home voluntary wish lists for items you’re low on in the classroom. You may be surprised by the level of parent participation when you make specific requests.
Need more ideas? Here are six more teacher tips on stretching your supply budget.
Time equals money, so take the time to apply for school-supply donation programs, as well as state and local union grants. Some programs our readers recommend are NEA Foundation grants, DonorsChoose.org and Kids in Need Foundation.
You also can ask businesses and restaurants in your community to donate supplies for your classroom. They may have wholesale and bulk items they can spare, and they may appreciate the tax write-off. “Local businesses, restaurants and even fast-food places have donated to my classroom in the past. Parents are a great resource for locating those friendly businesses and pro-education business owners too.” —Gwen B., via Facebook
That chai latte on the way to work, lunch take-out orders and restaurant visits add up … way up! One of the easiest ways to increase your cash flow is by planning and making all of your meals yourself. “Meal planning changed my life! I meal-plan every Sunday evening, and now I bring my lunch and snacks to school and keep all drinks in my room to stop vending machine spending. Planning like this keeps me out of the store too!” —Sarah I., via Facebook
No, you don’t have to become consumed by coupons or set up a room in your house to store 3,000 bottles of Worcestershire sauce. But there are easy strategies for reducing your grocery bill. Use these tactics to plan your grocery spending with as much care as you plan your lessons.
We all know that negotiation is important when buying a big item such as a car, but did you know that you can negotiate the price of practically anything? Check out these savvy tips for bringing the price down on everyday purchases.
Think beyond the craft-store bonus (besides, we’ve established that you’re cutting back on buying classroom extras, right?) and really pay attention to the discounts and rewards you can get when you shop through NEA Click and Save. NEA members can save big bucks every time you need new shoes, workout gear, toys, cosmetics, eyewear, event tickets and more!
Plus, make sure you check out this ginormous list of educator-only discounts on classroom supplies, books and magazines, electronics, entertainment, travel, and much more. You’ll be surprised by how many places will give you a discount just for being a teacher!
Finding a paid position for those two to three months of summer break can be an ideal way to get ahead of your finances and survive that summer paycheck. If you need a breather from the classroom, look beyond summer school for other places to land your perfect summer job.
After-school and weekend tutoring can be surprisingly profitable, whether through your district’s homebound student program or via private programs. Teachers all over the country report making anywhere between $20 and $100 per hour through various tutoring jobs. Check with your district and local tutoring companies, and post your services within your community.
Turn your passion into profit! If you’re already exercising your creativity, you might as well reap the possible financial rewards of a part-time business. If you’re an education blogger or classroom resource creator, sign up for Teachers Pay Teachers to offer your original lesson plans and craft guides for sale online. If you craft for pleasure, open an Etsy site to sell your art to others.
…(Continue reading 20 Best Money Saving Tips for Teachers via WeAreTeachers.com)
Managing money can feel like a tedious task. And for some, creating a budget could be very intimidating if never taught how to do it. In the age of modern technology, using a bank ledge seems like the ice age. So, since majority of the world lives on their smart phones (thanks to Social Media Apps like Facebook and Twitter), here are four mobile apps that can help you manage your money with ease.
Mint
is an awesome app that links all of your bank/credit union, investment, credit card, loan, etc. account into the app so you can see your entire financial picture. Mint allows you to categorize your transactions so you can see exactly how much you spend and on what; as well as helps you create budget based on your spending trends. Mint also has a bill payment feature to automate paying your bills and great information and tips on ways to save, invest and budget. Click here to learn more and get started.
Acorns
is an investment app that allows people to get started investing with as low as $5. You can manually transfer money or have a recurring amount deposited into your Acorns account towards your personalized stock portfolio. The app can also automatically invest your spare change from debit or credit card purchases called “roundups.” Once the roundups reach $5, it withdraws the money and invests it in your personalized stock portfolio. Click here to learn more and get started.
Ebates
is a free online Cash Back Shopping app with 2,000+ of the world’s top online stores that pays a bonus to attract new, valuable customers through app and website. Ebates sends “Big Fat Checks” to your mailbox, your PayPal account or your favorite charity. Ebates is a great app to get cash back shopping the way your normally do online through the app. Click here to learn more and get started.
Digit
is a cool app that automatically transfers cash from your checking account to a “rain day fund” savings account. This is a great app for people that find it a challenge to save money. Just connect your checking account to allow Digit to analyze your income and spending, and it finds money it can safely set aside for you. Every day, Digit analyzes if it can move some money from your checking account to your Digit savings account, without transferring more than you can afford. It also has a no-overdraft guarantee to ensure that you don’t overdraw your account because of the transfer. If necessary, you can transfer the money from your Digit savings account back to your checking account. Click here for more information and to get started.
UPDATE: Digit announced April 12, 2017 that was going to change to a fee based platform and only charge $2.99 per month. Thousands of people have saved so much cash and they live by this app.
(BONUS) Qapital is another great app that automatically transfers cash from your checking account to a “whatever you want to save for” account, but is a FREE alternative. Qapital also has a “round up” function that rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar and automatically transfers the difference to the savings account. To ensure that transfers do not cause an overdraft to your checking account, Qapital pauses the transfers until you have at least $100 in your linked checking account. This is another app to help you save your spare change for a awesome Savings Goal, like Vacation.
These are just a few apps that I use to manage my money with ease that may help you as well. For more money lessons, click here to check out my free Madam Money Class.
© 2026 Madam Money®. All Rights Reserved. | Designed by SRJWebsites.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.