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What you need to know about the curb-painting scam

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Police are reminding people in communities all across the country not to fall for a common scam happening at the end of the driveway.

The curb-painting scam involves people you didn’t hire showing up, painting your house number on the curb and then demanding payment.

Sometimes, the painters say they were hired by the city, pressuring the homeowner to pay up.

People have reported finding a bill in a mailbox, or being asked for payment in person, sometimes without being given a specific cost.

curb numbers photo
Flickr | Marcin Wichary

No Obligation To Pay

One police chief in Ohio went on his local news station to explain the curb-painting scam, which he said becomes a problem when the service isn’t requested and when the painter doesn’t have a permit or a prior agreement with the homeowner to begin painting.

curb photo
Flickr | firelizard5

“We are here to make sure people know they have no obligation to pay for this,” Chief John Gielin told News 5 Cleveland.

In Michigan, the East Lansing Police Department shared a similar warning on WLNS.

They told homeowners the Department of Public Works didn’t hire anyone to paint curbs, so if yours gets painted you don’t have to pay anyone demanding money.

And the curb-painting issue has been going on for years.

“I wasn’t putting anything outside with my money, my check, nothing,” Georgia resident Judith Shriner told the Gwinnett Daily Post in 2012 when her neighborhood got canvassed with pushy curb-painting flyers.

In that neighborhood, residents were pressured into putting money on the front door, which is obviously not safe anyway.

curb painting photo
Flickr | DHPersonal

‘That’s your sales pitch’

But curb painting isn’t always a scam. Like Chief Gielin said, the problem around curb painting is when it’s a service that wasn’t requested. Steve Gillman at The Penny Hoarder blogged about this as a profitable side gig.

And by the way, there are dozens of reputable curb-painting businesses already out there doing good, honest work!

#UTA #Arlington #Texas #MAVERICKS #fortworth #college #school #and1onecurbsidecustoms #student #curbpainting

A post shared by And1One Curb Painting (@and1onecurbpainting) on

“Everyone with a curb should have a house number on it so firefighters and ambulance drivers can find the right home easily. And any pizza delivery driver will tell you that people regularly get their pizza late because the driver can’t see their address. That’s your sales pitch,” he says.

Just make sure you get any needed permits before you open for business—and that you talk to the homeowner or landlord first, before you start painting.

#curbpainting #curbappeal #dallas #texas #flag #home #smallbusiness #follow

A post shared by Park Cities Curb Painting (@parkcitiescurbpainting) on

So remember: If someone approaches you and ask for money because they already painted your house numbers on the curb, politely close the door. If they ask you first and you reach an agreement on a fair price, that’s a different story.

The post What you need to know about the curb-painting scam appeared first on Don't Waste Your Money.


These 20 companies are looking to fill part-time, work-from-home jobs

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Interested in bringing home some extra cash without dragging yourself into a stuffy office? Popular job search site FlexJobs made a cheat sheet you might want to consult, in which they share the 20 companies that posted the most part-time, work-from-home jobs on their site between August 1 and October 1 of this year.

Whether you want to work a few extra hours each week to get ahead of holiday shopping costs, you’re unable to commute into an office, or you love the idea of a 1-minute commute, there’s probably an opportunity that fits your skills and interests.

In order to narrow down their list, FlexJobs defined a part-time job as one that was fewer than 35 hours per week, in accordance with the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And they counted a job as remote if a worker could work from home “at least some of the time.”

Did they find that there’s more opportunity in one career sector versus another? It seems that if you’re dedicated to education, opportunities come up often at organizations that teach everything from foreign languages to nursing to test preparation. At Kaplan, for example, recent postings include ESL teachers, adjunct nursing faculty, academic consultants and financial planning instructors.

But beyond education, you can snatch up a part-time gig doing just about anything, from sales to recruiting to data entry to bookkeeping. Robert Half International, for example, a well-known staffing and consulting firm, ranked in the top 10 for recent part-time, remote job postings. They post a wide variety of positions for their clients,  including front desk coordinators, social media specialists, accountants and web developers.

Where will you apply?

20. Profit Factory

19. TruPlace

18. Rasmussen College

17. Rosetta Stone

16. Appen

15. Sutherland

14. Lionbridge

13. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

12. Walden University

11. Supporting Strategies

10. Robert Half International

9. FlexProfessionals

8. Grand Canyon University

7. GreatAuPair

6. Chamberlain College of Nursing

5. Connections Education

4. Russell Stover

3. K12

2. Edmentum

1. Kaplan

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How this man lowered his cell phone bill to $12 per month

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What would you do with an extra $50 or $100 each month? A man named Mike Timmermann has the pleasure of figuring that out, now that he’s only paying $12 per month for cell phone service.

Considering that the average household paid around $90 each month for service last year, Timmermann’s savings are huge, even including taxes and fees! Lucky for us, he recently shared just how he did it. Timmermann didn’t have to pull any crazy hacks, either; he just signed up for a new plan that worked for his needs.

For Comcast internet customers, Xfinity Mobile is basically an “add-on” cell phone plan. Because they expect you to use wifi most of the time, you can keep your data usage super low—which can bring down the cost of your cell phone service.

In a blog for Clark Howard, Timmermann wrote, “My cell phone bill is now the cheapest it has been since I got my first mobile device more than 15 years ago.”

He said, although he’s paying $12, “…there’s even a way for light data users to pay $0!”

Timmermann says he chose the “By the Gig” plan. According to Xfinity, that currently costs $12 per GB of data that you use.

The plan also includes unlimited talk and text, with the understanding that you can rely on wifi most of the time. Timmermann even spoke with Xfinity and found out that if you use less than 100 MB of data, your bill could be $0.

Comcast hasn’t erected a bunch of cellular towers. Instead, it’s become a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (or MVNO), which means they piggyback off the existing network of other major carriers, according to Tom’s Guide. Other MVNOs that use major carriers’ networks include Cricket Wireless and Consumer Cellular.

xfinity photo
Flickr | JeepersMedia

So is it worth it?

Timmermann seems to love his new plan. If you’re not already an Xfinity customer, though, you have to decide if it’s worth the hassle to switch over. What if you rely on data when you’re not connected to your own wifi or via an Xfinity hotspot, such as to get directions while driving? You may want to add up just how much you typically use to see if you’ll still see savings.

In Forbes, Ryan Whitwam argues this kind of plan isn’t actually your best deal. He wrote, “you only get the good pricing if you also pay Xfinity lots of money already. The service is only available to Comcast customers.”

Whitwam says people who already have a smartphone they like might not want to try this service, either.

“You have to purchase a phone from Comcast—no bringing your own unlocked device,” he says.

The post How this man lowered his cell phone bill to $12 per month appeared first on Don't Waste Your Money.

Walmart Is Putting Shelf-Scanning Robots in More Than 50 U.S. Stores

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Is your local Walmart shelf empty where your favorite shampoo should be? In some Walmart locations, workers can now simply deploy a robot to figure out what’s missing and where it is. The robots make it easier to find the products you want, and save employees the hassle of doing boring inventory.

Walmart says in a video (which you can watch to see the robots in action below) that the use of shelf-scanning robots “simplifies routine work by using data and vision technology to find items that are out of stock, missed price changes and missing labels. It also helps locate items and checks inventory levels on the shelf, broadening the assortment available to online grocery pickup customers.”

walmart photo
Getty Images | Joe Raedle

The robots are about two feet tall and equipped with cameras. And they can check the Walmart store shelves three times quicker than humans, who dislike this chore. That’s according to Jeremy King, chief technology officer for Walmart U.S. and e-commerce, in an interview with Reuters. The robots show the employees which areas to focus on as they re-stock and price check.

“If you think about trying to go through a facility with all these different [items] and figure out if your prices are accurate, it can be very time-consuming,” John Crecelius, Walmart’s vice president of central operations, told The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

He added: “From our perspective, when you’re doing things like this you’re trying to improve your service to your customers and trying to make things simpler and easier for your associates at the same time.”

This technology test is happening at 50 U.S. Walmart stores, including in Arkansas, Pennsylvania and California, according to Reuters.

Walmart said it won’t reduce the number of workers at any of the stores. In fact, we bet Walmart employees may love their new co-workers because the robots do the monotonous tasks.

“When it comes to retail technology, we’re pushing the boundaries of what is possible through robotics and AI [artificial intelligence],” the company states in the YouTube video.

According to Fortune, Amazon also uses robots in its operations. Amazon’s robots move around product to make the packing process easier.

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Dream Job: Cancun Will Pay You $10,000 A Month To Take A Vacation

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Traveling is expensive. So, why not get paid to explore instead?

If you love visiting Mexico, you could bring home $10,000 per month to vacation just for telling everyone how much fun you’re having.

That’s right, Cancun.com is on the hunt for a CEO.

Don’t worry if you’ve never run a company before.

This time, CEO stands for “Cancun experience officer.” Yep, that’s right.

The chosen candidate will live the good life for six months in 2018.

Gig Of A Lifetime

The job description is every adventure-lover’s dream:

“We’re looking for brand ambassador who can showcase the warmth, wonder, and essence of Cancun as one of the world’s premier vacation destinations. As CEO, you will get the chance to swim with whale sharks, explore the jungle, investigate ancient ruins, and much more.”

cancun beach photo
Flickr | Tristan Higbee

The CEO will head home each night to a luxury hotel or resort, and all excursions are covered, too.

The job includes documenting your adventures in videos, photos and in writing, and attending some events.

Adobe

“The ideal applicant will have a unique eye for capturing stories, a warmth in interacting with others, a self-motivated work ethic, and a dedication to producing high-quality work,” according to the job description.

This six-month gig of a lifetime starts in March, but Cancun.com says there’s even a possibility of a second contract afterward.

If you’re crazy and you think six months is too long to spend in paradise, you can also apply as a team to split up the time, the fun and the cash.

How To Apply

If you’re interested in heading south of the border, submit your minute-long video by Dec. 17. You can get the process started here.

Then, people will vote on the submissions, and Cancun.com will eventually pick five finalists to spend a week on vacation, er, we mean, interviewing, on-site in Mexico.

chichen itza photo
Flickr | Gervasio Varela

The panel will name the CEO at the end of January. There are a couple of rules to keep in mind: you must be 18 or older by Jan. 1 and you must speak and write fluently in English.

You don’t even need to speak Spanish, although it would help you while you’re there.

¿Por qué no? If you’re chosen, you may want to learn this phrase when you get the opportunity to kitesurf or taste delicious meals at the luxury resorts you’re visiting: Why not?

The post Dream Job: Cancun Will Pay You $10,000 A Month To Take A Vacation appeared first on Don't Waste Your Money.

8 standing mixers you can score for under $100

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KitchenAid stand mixers are classic, beautiful, functional—and super expensive.

As much as many of us would love to style our kitchen counters with a classic red or trendy copper mixer, paying between $199 and $300 for one may not be a reality this holiday season.

Amazon

But if you’re still interested in making cookies, bread and more in a stand mixer, there are plenty of options at a lower price point.

Consider these stand mixers, all priced below $100:

Less Than $50

1. Brentwood Stand Mixer: $34.99

It’s the most affordable of the bunch. This five-speed mixer by Brentwood has good ratings on Best Buy’s website, though only a handful of people have reviewed it. Best Buy also has a price match guarantee.

Best Buy

2. Hamilton Beach 64650 Classic Stand Mixer: $35.85

Named “Best bang for the buck” by BestReviews, this four-quart mixer is also a top-seller on Amazon. It actually doubles as a hand mixer, and comes with traditional beaters, whisk and dough hooks.

Hamilton Beach

3. Dash Everyday Stand Mixer: $39.99

Another affordable option, this Dash mixer is smaller at 2.5 quarts but also has a cool vintage vibe. Bed Bath & Beyond sells this model in black, copper, pastel blue, red and pink. It comes with dough hooks and beaters.

Bed Bath & Beyond

Less Than $75

4. “Mixa” Powerful Patented Twin Motor Stand and Hand Mixer: $59.95

At 3.5 quarts, this stand mixer sold on Amazon comes in 10 speeds and with a slew of accessories: a snap-on lid for the bowl, a spatula, dough hooks and two kinds of beaters.

Amazon.com

5. Sunbeam 2594 350-Watt MixMaster: $66.99

This four-quart stand mixer has 12 speeds, and comes with dough hooks and beaters. Amazon reviewers give it 3.8 out of 5 stars, on average.

Amazon

 

Less Than $100

6. Hamilton Beach 63325 Stand Mixer: $79.99

This Hamilton Beach model is a little pricier, but reviewers on Amazon compare the performance to a KitchenAid.

One reviewer wrote, “I am NOT a baker but a novice baking student and I can honestly tell you that I have been beating the heck out of this thing and I cannot kill it!”

Your order will come with a flat beater, dough hook, and whisk.

Hamilton Beach

7. Sunbeam Heritage Series Stand Mixer: $95.99

Best Buy is currently selling this seafoam green stand mixer for just less than $100. The 4.6-quart mixer has all the typical bells and whistles, including beaters and dough hooks, plus a pop of color for the kitchen.

Best Buy

8. Farberware Stand Mixer: $99

Barely squeaking in under $100 before tax, this 4.7-quart Farberware stand mixer could almost make you forget you don’t have one of those trendy red KitchenAids. Walmart sells it in red, grey, teal, pink and blue, along with a whisk, paddle, dough hook and splashguard.

Walmart.com

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How an Airbnb Host Made $15 Million in One Year

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A handful of Airbnb hosts are turning the vacation rental site into a super lucrative gig. At least two landlords brought in more than $15 million each last year, Airbnb analysts AirDNA told the Telegraph. And no, these aren’t crazy castles with moats pulling in monstrous rental rates.

Rather, these landlords represent a growing trend of management companies and groups making regular home rentals into big business. The highest-earning landlord rents 881 different properties, and the second-highest earner rents 504 properties. AirDNA says 35 percent of landlords are now management companies rather than individual people renting out extra bedrooms or apartments.

“Airbnb is no longer a community just for individuals renting out their space or properties on their own,” AirDNA CEO Scott Shatford told the Telegraph. Those two highest earners manage hundreds of properties in London and in Bali, two popular vacation destinations.

Shatford said regular people wanting to stay in an Airbnb rather than a hotel might be confused about who they’re really renting from.

“It’s not a good trend for people who use Airbnb for unique accommodation as an alternative for a traditional hotel. These people want to meet people, and for them it’s getting harder and harder to decipher what is a corporate rental hotel against the one where Jane is going to meet you at the door and tell you all about the cool things to do in town.”

bali photo
Getty Images | Ulet Ifansasti

Airbnb, though, has pushed back against analyses like this.

“The vast majority of Airbnb hosts are regular people who share their homes—typically their greatest expense—to boost their income and support their families,” the company told the Telegraph. “The Airbnb model is unique and empowers regular people, boosts local communities and is subject to local tax.”

Want to try your hand at running more lucrative vacation rentals? AirDNA told Forbes landlords make the most money in Barcelona, Prague, Montreal, Osaka and Los Angeles. Daily rental fees in those cities range from $67 to $144, on average. Unfortunately, though, three-quarters of all Airbnb listings bring in less than $10,000

The post How an Airbnb Host Made $15 Million in One Year appeared first on Don't Waste Your Money.

Two women in the same state each won the lottery twice in one day

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What would you do if you won $10,000 from a lottery ticket? Buy a new car? Pay off some debt? Finally redo that bathroom? Well, one woman decided to push her luck and buy more lotto tickets at another store, where she went on to win another cool $1 million—all in the same day!

“We don’t normally play the lottery,” Michelle Shuffler from North Carolina told the North Carolina Education Lottery blog. “My husband just happened to have some cash in his pocket. At the last second, he decided to buy a ticket.”

That last-second ticket became $10,000. But $10,000 wasn’t enough for the Shufflers, who were feeling the adrenaline rush after their surprise win.

North Carolina Education Lottery

“We saw that the game had a million dollar prize. So we decided, ‘Why not try to beat the odds again?’” Shuffler said in the blog.

They stopped at another North Carolina store 22 miles away and won the million-dollar prize! Shuffler decided to take the annuity option for the larger prize, so she’ll receive 20 annual payments of $50,000. She told the lotto she plans on saving for retirement and sending her children to college.

lottery photo
Getty Images | Scott Olson

Shuffler’s amazing win comes on the heels of another amazing double win. Kimberly Morris, also of North Carolina, hit the jackpot twice in one day at the end of October. Morris bought a Diamond Dazzler lottery ticket in Wake Forest, North Carolina, and won $10,000. Not bad. But, like Shuffler, she decided to press her luck.

“I was shocked,” Morris told ABC News. “It felt really great to win, but I really have always dreamed I would win $1 million.”

Well, lo and behold, Morris did win $1 million before the day was over. She stopped at another store on her way home, and bought a winning ticket worth $1 million! Unlike Shuffler, Morris decided to take her winnings in a lump-sum payout of $417,012 after taxes.

Annuity vs. Lump Sum

So now that we’re all dreaming of the day when we hit the jackpot twice in one day, the question is: Should we take an annuity payment like Shuffler or a lump sum like Morris?

It depends on who you ask. Many people, even Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, recommend the annuity, which means monthly checks for many years to come.

“If you get a huge lump sum, it’s easier to make a mistake, whereas if you choose the annuity, then at least if you mess up and blow the first year’s worth, you have another chance,” Nick Holeman, certified financial planner at Betterment, told CNBC.

On the other hand, a lump-sum payment could allow a lottery winner with a lot of self control to come out ahead in the long run. Business Insider calculated that even if you pay yourself $1 million each year, you could still end up ahead by investing the full lump sum of a large lottery payout.

lottery photo
Getty Images | Justin Sullivan

Slim Chances

Hope you’re as lucky as Shuffler and Morris? Don’t bet on it—because they’re amazing winning days were incredibly rare. Statistician Ronald Wasserstein of the American Statistical Association told Newsweek he estimates the odds of one person winning $10,000 and $1 million on scratch-offs in one day, in the same state, are around 1 in 44 million.

“Since millions of people play the lottery every day, we can actually expect things like this to happen a few times a year somewhere in the U.S.,” Wasserstein told Newsweek after Morris’ double win.

And as luck would have it–the same thing did happen again just a few weeks later in the very same state. What an amazing story and congrats to these lucky ladies!

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These are the 6 most common majors of the world’s 100 richest people

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There are billionaires, and then there are the rest of us.

Have you ever wondered what sets some people apart? What sends them straight to the top? What decisions they made along the way to become billionaires? You’re not alone.

The folks over at Aaron Wallis Sales Recruitment in the U.K. were curious, too, so they decided to investigate what kinds of decisions have led people to join the billionaire club, including what subjects the billionaires studied in college.

Check out the six most popular degree types for the world’s 100 richest people, according to their analysis:

6. Art/History of Art

Just three of the 100 richest billionaires majored in art or history of art.

5. Computer Science

Google co-founder Sergey Brin is one of four people to graduate with a computer science degree and become one of the 100 richest people.

4. Law

The numbers drop down to six for law majors who became part of the elite group of the world’s richest 100 people.

3. Finance & Economics

Another important area for a successful person to understand is money, and 11 of the billionaires majored in finance and economics.

2. Business

Many of the 100 richest people started their own companies, so it makes sense that 16 of them studied business.

1. Engineering

Engineering is the most popular major for the world’s richest people, as 22 of the 100 billionaires studied the subject.

Bonus: No Degree

And among the 100 billionaires analyzed, 25 don’t have a degree. So if college isn’t in your wheelhouse, you may not have to worry.

The rest of the billionaires in the study also picked subjects such as philosophy, politics, English, history, mathematics, medicine, physics and psychology. Each major had just one or two billionaires study it.

Flickr | Solent Creatives

Billionaires’ First Jobs

The report also compared the 100 richest people’s first jobs. Out of 100 billionaires, salesperson was the most popular path to billions, with 10 people starting their careers that way. That is, if you didn’t join your family business or start your own company right away.

The report concludes:

It could be that people who are familiar with business deals at an early point in their career will take this forward to be successful in the million and billion-pound deals that come later on in their life. Certainly, this is true of the story of George Soros, the 29th richest person in the world, who started his career as a travelling salesman for a toy and gift wholesaler before making his fortune as a trader and broker.

Other popular first jobs for today’s billionaires include stock trader (nine people), software developer (five people) and engineer (five people).

[h/t Business Insider UK]

These 5 class-action settlements may owe you money

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If you’ve dealt with some annoyances over the years from one of a few companies, a payday could be in order. Right now you can get in on a class-action lawsuit if you experienced an issue with an app’s privacy settings, genetic testing, water damage to your smartphone, unwanted text messages or a less-than-natural soap product.

Joining a class-action suit gives you power in numbers against a big company. However, keep in mind that when the settlement gets split among all the people involved, it doesn’t usually add up to a ton of money. But hey, every dollar counts!

Here are some current class-action lawsuits that could net you some cash or a different perk. All you have to do is file a claim if the suit applies to you. Click the links provided in each section to be taken to the official lawsuit website. We’ve also included the deadline for filing a claim for each case.

1. If you used the ‘Find Friends’ feature on an app

This settlement is all about apps for Apple devices that didn’t follow the terms and conditions. The claim says that “certain versions of the Foodspotting, Foursquare, Gowalla, Instagram, Kik, Path, Twitter, and Yelp apps obtained contact data from users’ iDevices in violation of user’s privacy rights, and that Apple aided and abetted that conduct.”

Check it out if you downloaded any of these apps before February 23, 2012. There are specific applicable date ranges for each app.

Deadline to file a claim: November 10
Potential payout: Amazon.com credit with your share of $5.3 million after lawyer, administration and other fees

Getty Images | Sean Gallup

2. If you cleaned your home with Honest Company products

Jessica Alba’s company settled a lawsuit that alleged it mislabeled multi-surface cleaner, dish soap and laundry detergent when it said the products didn’t contain sodium lauryl sulfate. If you purchased any of those Honest products between January 17, 2012 and August 2, 2017, you can file a claim.

Deadline to file a claim: November 15
Potential payout: Your share of $1.55 million in cash or an Honest.com credit, after lawyer, administration and other fees

Getty Images | Dimitrios Kambouris

3. If your waterproof smartphone wasn’t really waterproof

This class action suit accused Sony of deceptive advertising when it said the Xperia phones and tablets were waterproof. If you bought one before Aug. 3 of this year and it has water damage, check out the settlement page to file a claim.

Deadline to file a claim: January 30, 2018
Potential payout: Half the cost of the device if Sony previously denied your water damage claim

Flickr | Janitors

4. If Caribou Coffee texted you

This settlement addresses annoying text messages from Caribou Coffee that plaintiffs say they never gave the company permission to send. If Caribou slid into your DMs between between May 5, 2012, and July 28, 2017, you can file a claim.

Deadline to file a claim: November 13
Potential payout: Your share of $8.5 million after lawyer, administration and other fees

Getty Images | Tim Boyle

5. If you bought a DNA testing kit

Plaintiffs in this class action suit say 23andMe misled customers about what its genetic tests could tell you about your health. If you bought a personal genome service between October 16, 2007 and November 22, 2013, you can file a claim.

Deadline to file a claim: December 6
Potential payout: $12.50 or $40 off a 23andMe kit

Flickr | acme

Remember, most companies don’t admit to any wrongdoing when they agree to a settlement. And if what happened to you was really bad, a class action suit may not be your best choice. That’s because, once you join a class action suit, you won’t be able to sue the company on your own, according to Kiplinger. The site recommends talking to a lawyer before joining a suit if you believe whatever the company did affected you more than other people who would join.





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