#best app for renting apartments canada | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

strange-lamp-stranger · 29 days ago

Text

OKOK this is just pasted in from my notes app so apologies if the formatting is weird! it's very much so just the way i spat it all out of my brain and onto the page, lol. i also started actually planning out plot beats n stuff in case i was gonna write a whole fic but i don't think that's gonna happen anytime soon, so i'll throw those in too! it's all under the cut because. long.

Modern AU Kyana-centric. Takes place in Canada because i said so.

She's studying business administration in uni and feeling really stuck in life. She rents a tiny basement apartment, and while she gets along with most of her classmates, she's not close with any of them (but she is closest with Ione, who has a crush on Kyana). Not to mention, the department head, Dr. Rose Sephrum, who is incidentally Kyana's great-aunt and closest living relative, is bitter and overly strict. While Kyana is actually pretty good at most of the stuff in her classes, she's struggling to keep up because she isn't receiving any supports for her (undiscovered & undiagnosed) ADHD.

Kyana's backstory: grew up in foster care after her parents died when she was a toddler. She never got adopted and bounced around a lot of different homes. Dr. Sephrum could have adopted her, but refused. When Kyana turned 18, she entered into a government program supporting young adults coming out of the foster care/child welfare system. She basically gets a government stipend every month. It pays her rent and groceries and not much else, but between those payments and gov't student loans/grants, she's able to comfortably support herself. She volunteers at a local animal shelter every other weekend WITH IONE!!

Dani's backstory: She grew up with her cousins Roy (4 years older than her) and Egan (1 year older than her, but 100% the baby of the family) under the care of her Uncle Oto. (The three of them nicknamed their backyard and make-do play area "the Heap" because it was. well. a big heap of junk that Oto could never be bothered to clean up). Oto was one of those father figures that is definitely shitty, but also definitely cares and is always doing what he thinks is best for the kids, even if it's incredibly misguided. In highschool, Dani's only good grades were in math and tech/construction classes, but she had a reputation for doing dangerous and impulsive things in her tech classes without her teachers' permission. She got an apprenticeship as a mechanic at a local appliance repair shop right out of highschool. DANI IS AUTISTIC. IT SHOWS. KYANA'S TOO POLITE TO ASK ABOUT IT SO FOR A GOOD WHILE SHE JUST THINKS DANI'S WEIRD FOR NO REASON. (Dani got diagnosed in middle school because social differences were really starting to show and she was getting kind of bullied, and the school psychologist saw her and was like "hmmm i have a suspicion".)

Fic begins when Kyana's roommate moves out mid-semester (they were apparently on academic probation and got their last strike), leaving Kyana stranded and needing a last-minute roommate. She put out an ad and the first person to respond was Dani. Dani the appliance technician apprentice. Dani with her wild blue hair and adorably annoying cat, Plug. Dani's passion for life rubs off on Kyana, who begins to feel inspired again.

Eventually, Ione moves in with Kyana and Dani [she DOESN'T get together with Kyana, who is Very Aroace. Actually, when she learned that her feelings weren't and never would be reciprocated, Ione decided, in her self-destructive ways, that the best way to deal with it would be to completely break off her friendship with Kyana so that Ione's feelings might fade. After a year or so, her romantic feelings DO fade, but she still feels a gaping, Kyana-shaped hole in her life. Ione's convinced it's because she's not actually over her feelings for Kyana yet, but really it's because—regardless of the type of attraction she feels—she's in love with Kyana and has developed a similarly strong "squish" (platonic crush). Kyana, after some prodding from Dani, decides to try to reconnect with Ione, and that's when they become friends again, and move in together and eventually become platonic life partners.]

Plot beats (UNFINISHED):

- Dani moves in. Background exposition on why Kyana needed a new roommate. Kyana instantly falls in love with Plug. Kyana is clearly burnt out from school.

- Kyana goes to class. We meet Professor Sephrum and Ione. Kyana and Ione study together. Kyana laments how much she dislikes the program they're in, and Ione agrees but says that she herself feels like she just needs to suck it up until she graduates. she thinks it'd be a waste of her athletic scholarship otherwise (Ione is a lightweight wrestler. Kyana was on the highschool wrestling team with her but dropped it after highschool). Kyana thinks that is a really sad outlook to have.

- Kyana fails one of her courses because she couldn't keep up with the courseload. She desolately contemplates dropping out. Dani learns about Kyana having failed that class and gets Kyana her favourite flavour of gum (she'd seen Kyana chewing it while doing chores around the house) and gives Kyana an awkward pep talk. Plug is a cute little asshole. Dani tries to steer Kyana in a positive direction and asks what course(s) she did best in. Kyana says she got a 78 in her kinesiology elective. [warblingly like, yknow, someone who was just crying really hard a few minutes ago] "I wish I'd done better, honestly. It's the one class I actually looked forward to."

- Semester 2 reading week—Kyana and Ione finally catch a break and Dani invites them to come with her on the roadtrip she's been planning on taking to go visit Roy and Egan. (Incidentally, Kyana has been taking another kinesiology elective and really enjoying it also. She's considering declaring it as her minor.) The three of them (and Plug. he has a cat backpack) pile into Dani's old little 2008 Volkswagen (golf?). on the way down, Dani and Ione learn that Kyana's never been to an amusement park. There's a big one in the city that Roy and Egan live in, and so the five of them (plus Roy's fwb, Cressida) spend a day at the amusement park. Kyana turns out to be a total adrenaline junkie and goes on all the huge rides with Dani. They convince Ione to go on the biggest rollercoaster with them. She's scared out of her mind the whole time but Kyana is happy so it's worth it, Ione thinks. when they get back to Roy and Egan's place, Plug is smugly napping in a pile of upturned potted plants.

- [SOMEHOW, THEY RETURN HOME.]

- Dani's been helping Kyana with her homework whenever she can. Kyana has to take a statistics class and Dani is like "fuck yeah, math, something i actually understand!" Because of this, Kyana managed to do pretty well on her midterms. Kyana mentions she's considering declaring a kinesiology minor. Dani's straight up like "why just a minor? don't you like it way more than business or whatever-the-fuck? you can still change your major, yeah?" Kyana's like "huh, i think i can? i don't know yet though. Business is more... there's more job opportunities, i guess?" Dani says Kyana could keep business as a minor then, since she's probably already got like half the required courses for it. Kyana thinks about it.

- Kyana is walking to her one evening class from the animal shelter. Her and Ione were helping out with a vaccination clinic the shelter was holding. she couldn't help with the vaccinations, obviously, but she helped with, like, client intake and stuff. Ione was really good with the nervous animals. anyways, before class she stops in to see the kinesiology department head, Dr. Enoch. She wants to know what switching majors would be like. Enoch notes that her grades are pretty lackluster and that she'd probably need to bring her grades up a bit before the administration would let her declare a new major. Enoch offers his help, pointing Kyana to resources around campus, etc. He asks about what Kyana feels like she struggles with the most, and when she explains, he's like "oooohhh, okokok i've heard that one before. go to the uni's medical centre, tell them exactly what you told me, and say that your advisor(s) have recommended you get an educational psych assessment focusing on adhd. your uni health insurance plus provincial student funding should cover any costs. alright?"

- Kyana's working part-time (25ish hours a week) over the summer at a local café (Wild Springs Café & Bistro) to save for when her funding cuts off. Her bosses are Finbar and Elyse, who were Dani's neighbors growing up. Dani frequently stops at the café for coffee runs for her work, even though it's a 10 minute drive. She says that it's cause the coffee's better here than any Tim's or McD's and also the longer drive gives her more of a break, but really it's mostly because she likes annoying Finbar. Kyana learns the absolutely wild lore behind Finbar and Elyse's relationship. Ione picks Kyana up after her shift and confesses her romantic feelings. Kyana has a hard time reacting and tries her best to turn Ione down ("you're my best friend, and i love you. i love you so much. but—i don't really think i love you in the same way you love me? i don't think i can love anybody that way. i... never have. i can't really imagine it, if that makes sense? i'm sorry.") Ione cries, Kyana offers a hug, Ione refuses and says goodnight.

- Kyana is leaving the doctor's office, adhd diagnosis in hand (figuratively speaking). [NOTE THAT THE DIAGNOSTIC CLINIC HAD TO CONTACT DR. SEPHRUM SINCE SHE'S THE ONLY PERSON WHO KNEW KYANA AS A CHILD. DR. SEPHRUM WAS NOT EXACTLY THRILLED.] She's in a mix of shock and relief and happiness and when she gets home she collapses on the floor to pet Plug. Dani asks how it went and when Kyana tells her, Dani fist bumps her like "hell yeah, brain buddies!" this is how Kyana learns that Dani is autistic. Kyana has barely heard from Ione in a month and a half, now, (Ione's even been volunteering at the shelter on opposite weekends from Kyana) and asks if Dani knows what she's up to. Dani says she doesn't, but she'll reach out. Meanwhile, Kyana needs to contact her school's accessibility office in order to get the accomodations she needs, which is a whole other hurdle. She wishes she had Ione to support her.

- Dani contacts Ione. As soon as she brings up Kyana, Ione gets very weird about it. She tries to change the subject and is generally very cagey. Dani gives up and tells Kyana about it. Dani asks about what even happened between the two of them. Kyana explains and is generally very distraught, says she thinks it's her fault but she doesn't know what else she could've done. Dani is very matter-of-fact and is like "you did exactly what you thought was best and let her down easy, the rest of this is Ione's shit to figure out". Kyana sees her point but doesn't feel much better.

- Kyana and Ione start their second year of uni. Kyana's grades go up significantly and she is able to switch majors. she keeps business as a minor because she basically already has all the credits she needs for it. However, this means that Kyana and Ione don't have nearly as many classes together. In their one business class together, Ione acts very standoffish and avoids Kyana. Until one day, they end up in a group/partner project together (Kyana was away sick the day it was assigned, and Ione hadn't found a group, so they end up having to partner up) for their final assignment in that class. Incidentally, Ione's been performing very well in her wrestling matches, but she looks run ragged and frequently complains about being really sore.

- After a very awkward evening of working on the assignment together at the school library, Ione needs to get home. However, it's completely dark out and Kyana knows she's not keen on walking home alone when it's dark out. Also Ione generally looks like shit and Kyana wants to try and do something nice for her. So Kyana asks if Ione wants her to walk her home, and Ione's like "I... yeah. I'd appreciate that." At the end of the walk, before Ione goes inside, Kyana says something along the lines of "You know I don't resent you or anything, right? I still wanna be friends. I really, really want to." Ione is like "not right now you don't. i'm sure. not until i stop... wanting you. you can pretend it doesn't make things weird but i know it does." Kyana tries to impress upon the fact that it really doesn't but Ione doesn't really believe her. they agree on a time and date to finish the assignment and then say bye.

and uhhhhhh that's the last beat i'd written down. which is not the best place to leave off, huh. but!! i also wrote down what i called "the killscreen/end conditions" for the story, which are as follows:

- Kyana and Ione in QPR, Dani is their best friend (if Ione was a middle aged man she'd call Dani "wife #2")

- Kyana has her kinesiology degree and becomes a certified physiotherapy assistant

- Ione drops out of university and goes to college to get her veterinary technician diploma

- Dani starts her own appliance repair business (?)

OUAUGH i forgot how much i like this AU... i really wanna actually figure out how it ends one of these days,,

hello I have recently been made aware that a bad situation I am in is much worse than I thought, and I really could use some fluffy (or honestly angsty too) rwd thoughts or headcanons

#long post #lamp speaks #rwd #rwd c1

81 notes · View notes

anuknowha · 6 years ago

Text

Till Death Do We Part// Chapter 6, You Never Pay Respect

Serious disclaimer: This chapter is angsty, very angsty so please turn away if it offends you. There's also a trigger warning of suicide in this chapter. I do not endorse suicidal actions or thoughts. I do not support Kim Jonghyun's death, this is not about poking fun at it. This is a chapter of a story I wrote in order to portray the inner demons he had inside of him that he had to battle with. I loved him as an artist and he was a talented person who doesn't get enough appreciation. And with that I dedicated a chapter to him to show that one, he was human, and two, that he is still relevant even if his label doesn't believe it. R.I.P Kim Jonghyun 1990-2017. !!Suicidal Mention Warning. This one is strong so please turn away if you can’t handle it. One morning...

'It all started about 9 years ago when SM Entertainment pulled me and 4 others boys to form the Korean boy band, Shinee. We were an amazing band, a group of five misfits doing what they do best. Singing, dancing, wrapping, and so on. I, Kim Jonghyun, was the leader, and I was accompanied by Lee Jin-ki, Kee Ki-bum, Choi Min-Ho, and Lee Tae-min and together we made a band that stood out to others. We weren't no EXO, and we definitely weren't no BTS, but we were us, and we were happy being us. Because we knew we were talented, special, different, each with our own uniqueness that we could contribute to the group. And that's what made Shinee. Sometimes we were sad, upset that we never had been able to truly get our names out there but other times we knew that was just a thought. It was our doubts, it was, just what it was, a lie. We were very successful in our careers, and we still are. I honestly wouldn't have asked for a better team. Year after year we would go on stage and present ourselves to our fans as we engaged with them, as they screamed for us. It was music to our ears. They would chant for us, and scream every time we did something funny or just stepped out on stage. And, when all of them sung together; even if they didn't know the words, we sung with them. If we were energetic than so were they, if we were tired they would feel bad, and if we needed comfort they would always send us tweets even if we don't respond to them it didn't mean we didn't read them. No matter where we went to put on a show there was always a positive environment and that's all we needed to get going. Actually come to think of it my favorite tour was Shinee World Tour V. We got to come to the United States for the first time in 2017 and I must say I enjoyed my time there. I was never aware of how many fans we had overseas because SM seemed like they were saving us for something special, or maybe they were just trying to hold us back. The latter is something I don't want to believe but I wouldn't be surprised about, like I said, we were no EXO. We didn't get to get many places, outside of Asia, most of our tours consisted of Japan and South Korea... Which was nice until you realized that there's so much more out there. When we finally got to go to North America in the beginning of 2017 we were thrilled! We all jumped out of bed in excitement and we laughed while on our airplane ride. And when we got there it was almost as if those past 9 years was leading up to this; it felt as if this is what we were waiting for. And I have to say it did feel like a big victory for us. While in America walking through the streets made me think of Onew and how much he would enjoy the taste of fried chicken back home. It was his favorite dish, and even though it was available back at home, especially at our KFCs, that didn't stop him. Even if he wasn't hungry he'd joke about seeing a place that sells such a delicious meal, and how he'd want to try it. Place after place he would name, and we tried to get to a few but we weren't in North America for too long. Three shows, one in Canada and two in the United States. It felt degrading to be so high in SMs rankings and still be forgotten. I was thinking maybe it was a mistake, but nonetheless, our fans made up for it every time we saw their smiling faces. I was happy to be successful. I was happy to perform. I was happy to be part of something bigger than I ever thought was possible -- so I thought. I felt my happiness declining for a while now, maybe about two to three years. And I wasn't quite sure why. I had everything I wanted, a loving family, kind friends, and a job that could go on until who knows how long if we kept enjoying it and if they found purpose in us. I was content with the lifestyle, although the company kept us on a leash. Maybe that's actually what I hated... I didn't like being held back, and even with what seemed to be my "true potential" it always was as if I had no power, no say in my life until they dropped our contract. Even if they did I'd still have to give two years in the military, at the least, as either entertainment or a soldier in a war. It's not like I had the luxury of that being a choice. I had picked my passion, I had reached my "goal" but even so, I still felt empty. I tried helping other people and still nothing, it was as if something deep inside me was missing and I couldn't find it. Everyday of 2017 had gotten worse for me, it seemed as if my life was heading completely downhill in a troubling spiral and that I could not stop it. I had been thinking -- suicide had been on my mind a lot recently and it wasn't something I could avoid. It's something I needed to talk about but I didn't want to worry the others and I didn't want the entertainment company mad at me. So I kept myself quiet. And by keeping quiet I ended up dead. A few weeks before I took that final step, I wrote a suicide note to a close friend in which I admitting that the fame was getting to me, that it was too much and that I was on the brink of collapse, that I was about to give up. And, although she did try to stop me it only I remember it as if it just happened. In late December I decided it was time; I rented out an apartment for two days just so that my demise wouldn't be disturbed. I remember going on an app and texting my sister things like, "I love you." , "I'm sorry." , and "Goodbye". I know it broke her heart, and I saw that she read them but I couldn't dare bring myself to read anything she texted back. I couldn't bare to even pick up the phone after those messages were sent. I listened to my phone go off, chime after chime and also a sudden vibration, which startled me. I remember looking over and tears started to swell in my eyes but I continued on anyway. I dug around in my pocket where I had little pieces of coal, they were as dark as my thoughts at the moment and it was as if I could see myself in them -- in this reflectionless mineral. I walked over to the stove and turned it on slowly. There was a pan I left on top if it from breakfast, and I watched as I almost instinctively placed those little black pebbles into the pan. And soon enough they started to burn. I looked at my hands, black with the dust of coals. I tried to rub it off onto my pants but to no avail, they were stained, and at this point, so were my thoughts. I walked back to the couch as the fumes from the burning material started poking at my nose. It felt poisonous and gross. It felt as if the air was being sucked from my lungs as carbon monoxide filled the room. I felt myself going numb, my whole body losing a battle against the lack of oxygen. I started coughing, and the smoke from the air was inhaled into my lungs. But I dare not move. I probably wouldn't have made it to the stove anyway, it seemed so much further from where I was standing. Maybe this was a bad way to go, maybe this was a bad idea in general. I didn't like it, it was hurting a lot more than I expected. And by this time I could barely keep my eyes open. My eyes glanced down, the last thing I saw was my phone lighting up and shaking vigorously on my lap. I blacked out, lost consciousness but still breathing. Just clinging on to life. I felt the cells in my brain fade. I was forgetting, I wasn't thinking, I almost forgot who I was as my time on this earth was coming to a close. It was such a small window left for me to live by the time the ambulance arrived to take me in. I couldn't think, I couldn't move, I lost all feeling in my body and I was losing all thoughts in my mind. At this point I could only remember watching her call, my sister, and trying to stop me from taking a drastic step into the afterlife. I think if I was able to give one more thought right before I took my last breath, it would've been "I'm sorry." Jonghyun woke up, sitting up quickly. his heart racing what felt like over a mile a minute. He coughed and gripped his chest as tears formed in his eyes. He couldn't breathe and he felt himself having a "heart attack." He tried to hold back a scream as best he could. With his blue pajama shirt clenched in his fist he let out a blood curdling scream that was loud enough for the whole house to hear. He quickly covered his mouth afterwards, completely embarrassed and in shock at the situation. He gripped his hair tightly and pulled on it in anger almost pulling it out in the process. He curled up in a ball, tears rolling down his cheeks and staining his pajamas, time after time as he let out loud whimpers and noises of complete distress as he felt himself slowly growing accustomed to reality. He was dead, he had killed himself because he couldn't take that life anymore, but at the same time he knows he can't take this one either. He didn't want to be here either, he wanted it all to be over. He let out another scream, this time choking on his tears as he scrambled to get out the bed falling onto his stomach. Jonghyun coughed hard at the impact and started to crawl towards the dresser in his room. With each passing movement he felt his chest growing tighter, and with the little bit of strength he had he pulled himself to his feet he grabbed onto the dresser and looked into the mirror in front of him. He pressed his hands down on the top of the furniture for support and took deep breathes, as deep as he possibly could. His eyes were red and puffy underneath as tears continued to flow like a waterfall. Drop after drop landed on the top of the dresser forming a puddle of sadness directly underneath his face. His cheeks were swollen, and moist with his sadness and depression. And with that he took his arms and knocked everything off the dresser. They all landed to the floor with different sorts of sounds. His head was throbbing and he yelled out in pain. He ran over to his bed throwing off the pillows, the sheets, watching them hit the floor almost gracefully even after all the force he used. He continued to cough and toss everything that was once neat into a chaotic mess. He picked up the tv remote and threw it at the mirror which caused it to shatter. He collapsed to his knees taking long deep breathes. His head was down and his eyes were covered by his hair. He gathered himself and picked himself up from the now messy floor before marching towards the dresser once more and he used his hand to brush his hair from his face. He looked directly into the mirror in front of him and his eyes would flicker black. It did not at all phase him. Slowly a man in the mirror started to form, but he didn't say a word. "Poor Jonghyun, you're such a mess, you're crying over your own suicide. Do you know how pathetic you sound? You did this to yourself, you caused it, you made this happen. Don't you think they all miss you? Don't you think your sister misses you? Your parents miss you, and so do your band mates. But you know who doesn't care about you? Your company. They just wanted you for money, so they can strive and be more recognizable because of your group. And you helped them, you led them. You brought them the funds they needed to stay alive. You were their number one slave. You always were, you know how it is. And in the back of your mind you knew you'd never be as popular as EXO. You knew this and yet they kept pushing you in greed. They can't help themselves. And you know you couldn't either when you decided it was time to end it." The voice seemed to move further away from him, as the figure appeared on his bed with its legs crossed. "Very unholy of you to take your life like that. And I must say it was thought well outside the box, usually carbon monoxide is put into a car to kill you, but burning coals, coals! I wouldn't have ever thought of that as an idea but you are very creative in your ideas you humans are. But I think you did the right thing regardless of the matter. And the fact that you rented out an apartment for two days was simply priceless! You had this completely planned out didn't you?" Jonghyun took deep long breathes in front of the mirror, his fingernails digging deep into the wooden top causing scratch marks to be created and blood to seep from his finger tips. He mumbled something in Korean. And the human figure turned towards him. "Hmm?" It grinned. "Fuck off!!" Jonghyun screamed. In the back of his mind he knew two things, he would usually never get this angry and he wouldn't have felt so pent up so easily, but at the moment, none of that mattered. "That's no way to talk to me, it's very rude of you to be like that towards me. Very rude of you but brave nonetheless. Jonghyun, you were so smart to pull a stunt and all alone, killing yourself slowly. Tell me how did it feel to take in that smoke? Did it make you choke? Did you cough up any blood? Did you ever worry about burning the place down? Because seemingly you didn't, thank goodness they arrived in time to stop a building from being destroyed, too bad they couldn't stop you from being destroyed." He picks up and object and throws it at the creature on the bed, it goes right through them. It walked back behind him and smiled at him bearing its human teeth. "I remember that day of your life very vividly, realizing your mistake after it was too late, after you completely lost consciousness. Your mind was slowly dying consuming all of those toxins. Brain dead right? You couldn't help it though." His body trembled at the thought, his lips turning black and leaking a black ooze. The creature looked at him shocked. "Let me help you forget everything." It ran its fingers over his lips and stared at the sticky substance that now was on its hand. Touching its fingers together, it watched the substance coat its fingers forming sticky strands to connect them. "Leaking already? What a shame. You're going to make a mess." It watched the thick goo drop onto the desk. Jonghyun turned around to swipe at the creature who vanished before he could even touch him. It reappeared in front of him and once again he tried swiping at it only to knock off some of the glass from the mirror. This continued to go on for some time and it left his room in shambles and once he was done, was his finger tips were all damaged and a deep shade of red; once his walls had scratch marks running down them; once the walls had red streaks mixed in with the blue paint, he was left painting on the bed. Anger and rage coursing through his veins. "Done yet? You threw quite the tantrum there. You destroyed your room pretty well, but no fear, I can fix it for you. The creature covered his mouth with a hand and Jonghyun blacked out. Jonghyun awoke in his room with a gasp. He clenched his chest as he sat up, the sheets stopping at his stomach. He coughed and the tears started to form. He felt himself choking, remembering his own death was the "death" of him. He looked around, everything in his room was the same as before. It was clean, tidy and everything was in place. He cupped his face in his hands and let the tears run down them. He curled up, holding his legs to his chest as he thought to himself quietly. He surely did regret his suicide. 'I came to the conclusion, we all have our demons, but not all of us can fight against them. I lost my battle and I'm regretting it for the rest of "my existence." But, sometimes I'm glad I'm gone because, back on earth, "they" really didn't care anyway. But regardless of where I am, I'll never forget my friends, family, or any of the wonderful Shawol. I thank you for giving my life meaning and for listening when I needed you the most. It made every minute back on earth something I could endure a little bit longer.'

Taglist: @lennonwhipped @rogers-flowered-blazer @caviarandqueen @celestialmay @sweet-mother-love @peacelennon @caminc91

4 notes · View notes

newwebsites709 · 2 years ago

Text

Dating bloom in camberwell vic

EmpLive - Employee Self Service.

Brunswick, Australia Hobbies Events | Eventbrite.

Your Blog - The best dating sites.

Your Blog - Dating Free.

Substancial | PDF | United Kingdom | Spain - Scribd.

Hampton East, Australia Hobbies Events - Eventbrite.

The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Victoria, Australia · Page 25.

Village Cinemas | Book Tickets Now | Where Movies Mean More.

Camberwell Grammar Grammarian 2017 by Camberwell Grammar School - Issuu.

Daily Express - 2021-12-14 - YUMPU.

The Fall of Public Man - SILO.PUB - Donuts.

Dating a man from in camberwell vic.

Simona Anghel - Thermal Engineer, Cooling System - LinkedIn.

Circa Vintage Clothing.

EmpLive - Employee Self Service.

Hervey Bay Dating Site, 100% Free Online Dating in Hervey Bay, QL.... Phone: (07) 4194 6781 (07) 4194 6782. Interatial dating in camberwell nsw. Marsfield Dating Club. Male dating near northcote vic. Asian. Dating bloom in hervey bay. Hookup App Near Glenroy Nsw - If you are looking for someone you can have fun with then our service is the best place for you.... Hookup App Near Glenroy Nsw, Dating For Seniors Bacchus Marsh Vic, Over 50s Dating Mosman Nsw, Dating Apps 2021 Hampton Park Vic, Free Dating Dandenong North Vic, Hookup Sites Near South Grafton Nsw, Over 50 Dating.

Brunswick, Australia Hobbies Events | Eventbrite.

Marangaroo Bi Dating. Expat Dating Marangaroo Wa. Casual Dating Sites Marangaroo. Asian Dating In Marangaroo - Bengal Brewing and Supply. Tamworth dating agencies man - INTERNET DATING BLOG powered by Doodlekit. 50 Dating Marangaroo Wa. Dating Site Near Marangaroo. Best Christian Dating Sites Marangaroo. Marangaroo Onlinedating - Laden Sie kostenlose PDF-Bücher. Popular Dating Apps Near. Substancial - Free ebook download as Text File (), PDF File () or read book online for free. contains some random words for machine learning natural language processing.

Your Blog - The best dating sites.

Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for. Camberwell offers pre-owned but very loved and meticulously taken care-of items that will make your jaw drop.... Camberwell Marketplace Car Park, Station St, Camberwell VIC 3103 Opening Hours: Sundays 7am to 12.30pm Website: here. 8.... (Every 4th Saturday of the month, 8am to 1pm) and Twig & Bloom Boutique Market (for children and babies. Camberwell. Victoria 3124. Australia Penguin Boob Canada Ltd, 10 Alcorn Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4V 3B2 Penguin Books India ;P> Ltd, 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi - 110 017. Ind Penguin Books JNZ) Ltd. Cnr Rosedale and Airborne Roads. Albany. Auckland, New Zealand Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pry) Ltd. 24 Sturdee Avenue.

Your Blog - Dating Free.

Online dating might also be unfamiliar to you. Well, finding our over 50s dating site is a great first step to starting your new dating adventures. 101 Miracle Dr , Saint Albans, WV 25177-1522 is an apartment unit listed for rent at /mo. The 480 sq. ft. apartment is a 0 bed, 1.0 bath unit.

Substancial | PDF | United Kingdom | Spain - Scribd.

Dating bloom in hervey bay queensland. Use of corpora in translation studies. Toorak Girls Dating - DUCKCONTACT.NETLIFY.APP.... Dating Site For Free In Au, Totally Free Online Dating Sites Near Yarraville Vic, New Dating In Kirwan Qld, Dating Sign Camberwell Vic, Bentleigh Speed Dating 2021, Port Melbourne Singles Groups. Singles Kirwan Qld. Shop online for Electronics, Computers, Clothing, Shoes, Toys, Books, DVDs, Sporting Goods, Beauty & more. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.

Hampton East, Australia Hobbies Events - Eventbrite.

Speed dating meetup camberwell nsw. Elite Dating Agency Sydney. Nsw African American Dating - BUMBLETALENT.NETLIFY.APP. Abiodun Adegoke basketball news, NBA 2021, teenage freak's 2.... Dating Bloom In Hawthorn East Vic. New Dating In Hornsby Nsw. Speed Dating Meetup Carlton Tasmania. The Prussian education system was a system of mandatory education dating to the early 19th century. Parts of the Prussian education system have served as models for the education systems in a number of other countries, including Japan and the United States. The Prussian model required classroom management skills to be incorporated into the.

The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Victoria, Australia · Page 25.

Boroondara Sustainability Festival Saturday18 Feb 2012. Time: 08:00 am to 1:00 pm. Location: Boroondara Farmers Market, Patterson Reserve, Auburn Road, Hawthorn East. Contact: Environment and Sustainable Living department - 9278 4011. Price $2 (entry to Farmers Market). Monday, July 26, 1982 holds second spot foburg consolidated second place on the VFA First division ladder with a comfortable win over Prahran in a drab game at Toorak Park yesterday. The Lions. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.

Village Cinemas | Book Tickets Now | Where Movies Mean More.

Best Dating Apps 2021 Near Neutral Bay Nsw, Black Dating Apps Templestowe Lower Vic, Lgbt Dating Eastwood Vic, Wyndham Vale Mature Dating, New Dating Sites Toowoomba, Christian Singles Mildura Vic, Gay Matchmaker Near Griffith. Singles party near maple ridge bc. Onlinedating in sandy bay tasmania. Over 50s dating sites in newport pembrokeshire. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Model, singer and reality star Courtney Stodden is letting body hair grow naturally for the first time - and says it feels "bad ass.". The 27-year-old, who came out as non-binary in April.

Camberwell Grammar Grammarian 2017 by Camberwell Grammar School - Issuu.

Password requirements: 6 to 30 characters long; ASCII characters only (characters found on a standard US keyboard); must contain at least 4 different symbols. The information that we have about photographers includes Names Addresses Dates of operation Biographical notes Examples of their work Unique ways of dating their photographs This will be of particular interest to: Family historians Local historians Authors, publishers and the media Universities and museums Continue reading →. (Talk) From Victoria to Beatrice: royal wedding gowns. 16 September, 2021 16 September, 2021 Nicole (Talk) Ladies 1960s fashions.... (Exhibition) Textiles in Bloom. 29 March, 2021 29 March, 2021 Nicole (Exhibition) The Women of Woorayl Shire. 17 March, 2021 17 March, 2021 Nicole.

Daily Express - 2021-12-14 - YUMPU.

Designed by Matt Hayward from software agency PipeLabs, Find a RAT is an online website that provides up to date rapid antigen test availability for local retailers. The website acts as testing kit locater, helping residents across Australia find testing kits in their area. The website displays a map that allows users to view red and green dots.

The Fall of Public Man - SILO.PUB - Donuts.

J D Robb has done it again, gives you many characters to figure out who killed the Cop Morris was dating. And also give one hell of a Bachelorette Party for Dr Louise DeMotto. Read more. Helpful. Report abuse. See all reviews. Top reviews from other countries Marianne O'Rourke. 5.0 out of 5 stars. Dating Website In Wangaratta, Date Night In Hurstville Nsw, Speed Dating Near Kingston Vic, Real Dating Sites Melton West, Online Hookup Sites Kingston Tasmania, Bisexual Dating Apps Near Gladesville Nsw, Online Dating Apps In Mayfield South Australia. Apr 22, 2022 · Location: Online Event Wangaratta, VIC.

Dating a man from in camberwell vic.

Knight Dating Camberwell - RELATIONSHIPGP.NETLIFY.APP. Home of Victoria#x27;s first Auditor-General seeks eight-figure price. Access Denied - LiveJournal. Operation Yao Ming: The Chinese Sports Empire, American Big Business. Sussex Family Historian FamilySearch. Palmerston Matchmaking Service. Free Online Dating Near Kew Vic. Camberwell Books at. Village Cinemas | Book Tickets Now | Where Movies Mean More. Start meeting singles in Bondi today with our free online personals and free Bondi chat!. 100% Free Online Dating in Bondi Junction, NS Your are a Man Seeking a Woman View Singles TONS OF SINGLES 639,302 new members per month IT'S FREE! Message anyone, anytime, always free.

Simona Anghel - Thermal Engineer, Cooling System - LinkedIn.

Melbourne Speed Dating Over 50-59s CBD Singles Events at Melbourne Meetups.... Camberwell • Camberwell, VIC. Save Urban backyard food forest tour - #1 to your collection. View 6 similar results.... Fluid Art Experience - BLOOM SPINNING on Canvas or Place-mats and Coasters. About Us. Beautifully Rapt is an Australian company, based in Melbourne, selling luxury silk scarves, wool silk wraps and fashion accessories at an affordable price.

Circa Vintage Clothing.

Fig & Bloom specializes in delivering fresh flowers to Camberwell North. Our team of creative floral designers are the best in the business. Every floral arrangement that leaves our studio is handmade with love and the utmost attention to detail. We accept orders for same day flower delivery until 3 pm each day. Jacarandas in Bloom. If you visit Singleton during the jacaranda flowering season, around October, you are greeted by a sea of purple..... The Singleton Train Station dating from 1863 is a nice old building on the edge of town.... Camberwell. Located in the small village of Camberwell 15-minute drive north of Singleton is St Clements Anglican. The latest fashion news, trends, beauty, celebrity style, fashion week, and culture on V.

Other links:

For Dating Near Deception Bay Qld

Caloundra Matchmaking

Dating Sites City In Brighton Tasmania

0 notes

treetalent209 · 3 years ago

Text

Best Mac Apps For Travel

The Best Travel Apps for 2019

Best Free Apps For Mac

Best Mac App For Travel

Top 10 Mac Apps

Best Apps For New Macbook

Best Apps For Mac 2020

Best Free Apps For Mac

Airbnb

Jan 04, 2020 So, here’s our pick of the best offline GPS apps for your Android or iOS phone. OsmAnd Offline Travel Maps & Navigation. A product of collaboration between two open-source platforms – OpenStreetMap and Wikipedia – OsmAnd allows you to download seven map files for free for offline navigation. Depending on your usage and device memory.

Jan 03, 2020 The Best Calorie Counter Apps of 2020 Counting calories with a smartphone or tablet app is the smartest way to do it. Brad Stephenson. Freelance Contributor. Brad Stephenson is a freelance tech and geek culture writer with 12+ years' experience. He writes about Windows 10, Xbox One, and cryptocurrency. Our editorial process.

Jan 06, 2020 The 100 Best Android Apps for 2020. Not all of the Google Play store's 2.9 million apps are worth downloading. Our picks of the best Android apps in 14 categories deserve a place on your phone.

Jan 19, 2017 The 50 Best New Travel Apps for 2017 The 50 Best New Travel Apps for 2017. So we’ve combed through dozens of the latest travel apps (and a.

Feb 09, 2019 One of the questions I regularly get asked by coworkers is about my favorite Mac apps. I’ve been using a Mac since 2004, and I’ve downloaded, purchased, and demoed hundreds of apps.

Explore your world by finding deals, booking flights, knowing when to pull off the road, and getting out of town with the best travel apps.

Oct 17, 2019 The best way to navigate is to use the app to search for ideas. As of October, TripIt users can now even download the app to their Mac desktop. You don’t want to land in a foreign city for the first time without these travel apps. XE Currency Converter.

We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use.

How do you decide where to travel? Where do you research destinations? How do you find good deals on flights and accommodations? How do you find your way around a place once you arrive? The best travel apps answer all these questions.

From the time you start thinking about your next destination to the moment your feet hit the welcome mat back home, having the right Android and iPhone apps on hand can make the whole experience smoother and less stressful.

How Can Apps Make Your Trips Better?

Pack light, set a budget, make an itinerary, and make backup plans. What else is there to say about travel? Plenty. Some of the best travel apps inform you about your destination, with advice, insights, tips, and warnings for how to spend your time. Apps for driving and road trips let you know what to expect along your route, where to buy gas, and which exit to take to find a reliable ATM. Other apps keep your itinerary organized, alert you when you can get a deal on flights, or give you a way to explore your options for where to go next.

What's Not Here?

https://treetalent209.tumblr.com/post/657547245000982529/pool-maintenance-software-for-mac. We didn't see the need to include all the big-name search aggregator sites such as Expedia, Hotwire, Orbitz, and Priceline, seeing as most people are already familiar with them. They help you search for and book (usually by prepaying) flights, hotels, car rentals, and sometimes packaged vacations and cruises. The same goes for hotel search aggregators, like Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Trivago. I've only included here the ones that serve a specific niche or those that are excellent but not well known.

Listed in alphabetical order, here are the best travel apps to keep on hand.

Airbnb

Airbnb started by connecting travelers with people who have rooms, apartments, homes, and other accommodations to rent. The site now offers much more for travelers, including tours, classes, workshops, and restaurant reservations. Whether you use Airbnb to find a place to sleep or for inspiration about what to do on your next trip, you're guaranteed to see big, beautiful photographs of it all.

AllTrails

AllTrails is a mobile app and website that helps you get outdoors. It has lists of trails for hiking and walking around the world with pictures, maps, and directions to trailheads. You can download trail maps offline if you sign up for the Pro version of the service for $29.99 per year. It's a great resource for quickly finding the best places to be outside when you're in an unfamiliar area.

Culture Trip

A friend of who's an avid traveler recently tipped me off to Culture Trip. It's a cross between a travel magazine and an SEO-driven website that runs articles with headlines that start The Top 10… or The Best Places to… The content is supposedly written by locals, and the real hook is that the Culture Trip app lets you save articles to Wishlists that you create. Make a Wishlist for each destination you want to visit or some theme that drives your travel (Snorkeling Spots, perhaps), and you can save Culture Trip articles there for your reference.

GasBuddy

On driving road trips, you'll be happy to have GasBuddy at hand. It helps you find gas by location and price either in real time on your phone or via its website, if you like to plan ahead. If you can save a couple of bucks by cruising a little farther down the road, GasBuddy will let you know. It's available in the US, Canada, and Australia.

Google Flights

Never turn down a second opinion. Despite all the excellent travel search sites available these days, Google Flights is one to add to your list. Use it when you need a quick check on airfare for round-trip, one-way, or multicity flights. It also lets you explore destinations based on price and dates.

Google Maps

My number one go-to travel app is Google Maps. I use it to explore destinations before I arrive and make a note of places that look interesting by adding a star or flagging them on the map. As my travel plans shape up, I use the map to put together a plan for the day by visiting places that are grouped together. You can also save your maps offline so that you won't get lost even if you don't have data on your phone.

Hopper

The mobile-only app Hopper tracks flight prices and gives you periodic updates on whether you should buy now or wait. What makes this travel app valuable is its level of detail. It doesn't just tell you to wait to buy your ticket, but gives you a date when the price will likely rise. You can book through Hopper, too, with a commission fee of a few dollars.

In areas like corporate finance, investment banking, and accounting, people are always looking for new ways to make different financial models that are easy to understand and very informative. A software used for financial modeling can be used for this purpose as it helps the users to make multi-dimensional models very easily and quickly. The most financial modeling software are very easy to. About Financial Modeling on a Mac. Financial modeling What is Financial Modeling Financial modeling is performed in Excel to forecast a company's financial performance. Overview of what is financial modeling, how & why to build a model. On a Mac is becoming more and more common, and while the PC is still recommended, it is possible to get by on an Apple device. What is financial modeling? When asked to define financial model, many people come up with long-winded descriptions using terms like forecast and cash flow and hypothetical outcomes. But the definition needs to be that complicated. A financial model is a tool (typically built in Excel) that displays possible solutions to a real-world financial problem. And financial modeling is the task of. Financial modeling software for mac.

Here's what you need to know. Voice memom app for mac. It was announced at that the beloved Voice Memos app would be making its way to Mac with the macOS Mojave update, and a few neat features are coming along with it.

Hotel Tonight

Best Mac App For Travel

Some people, myself included, panic at the notion of having to book a hotel room at the last minute. For travelers ready to fly by the seat of their pants, there's Hotel Tonight. This travel app specializing in selling off same-day hotel reservations, often at steep discounts. It has options to book in advance, too, but the best deals are same-day bookings.

iExit

Here's another travel app for driving trips. iExit tells you exactly what's near every highway exit, from gas stations to ATMs. If there's a particular restaurant chain or other service you love, you can mark it as a favorite and the app tells you if it's coming up on your route. You'll never kick yourself again for settling for a greasy spoon when better food was just around the bend.

LoungeBuddy

There's no need to be jealous of frequent travelers who have airport lounge access through their membership status or a high-flying credit card. With the LoungeBuddy app, you can find lounges in airports that let anyone in for a fee. LoungeBuddy tells you not only the fee, but also what you can expect inside, from the food and drink to whether there are showers. And if you happen to have lounge membership through other means, the app can often tell you that, too.

Rick Steves Audio Europe

Travel writer Rick Steves has an app for European travels with dozens of audio files. Some give you background information on a particular city or region while others are audio guides for navigating popular sites. I listened to some of his Rome content while viewing the Sistine Chapel and again when walking around the Roman Colosseum. If you're traveling to any of the top destinations in Europe, download this free app and consider listening to some of the segments while planning what to see and do.

Roadtrippers

Find interesting places to stop during a road trip using Roadtrippers. With this app and website, you can explore a map of the US and Canada (with some coverage for Mexico, too) that has unusual roadside attractions, museums, amusement parks, campsites, restaurants, and more. When you find a site you like, just add it to your trip, and Roadtrippers draws your route accordingly. A Roadtrippers Plus account for $29.99 per year or $6.99 per month lets you download maps offline and add unlimited stops along your route, whereas you only get five with a free account.

Roomer Travel

What should you do when you've prepaid for a hotel and your trip suddenly gets canceled? Download Roomer or go to roomertravel.com/sell. This app and website helps people sell prepaid reservations to others who can use them, usually at a lower cost. It can help you recoup money that might otherwise be lost to the travel gods. It can also save you money if you buy a reservation from someone who can't use it at a discounted rate.

TripAdvisor

Sometimes people have to go to unexpected places that they didn't choose, like for a wedding or a business trip. When I don't know anything about my destination, I turn to TripAdvisor. It's one of the most comprehensive online sources for travelers, with background information about different cities and regions, plus highlights of what to see and do. It has reviews of hotels, restaurants, and activities, written by members of the TripAdvisor community, as well as photos from their travels so you know what to expect before you arrive. TripAdvisor has relationships with various booking sites, too, which means once you finish researching hotels or restaurants, you can easily reserve them.

TripCase

TripCase is a free app that helps you organize your trip by making an itinerary for you. The itinerary can include flights, accommodations, rental cars, restaurant reservations, and more. To make an itinerary, you forward travel confirmation emails to TripCase, and the app does the rest. The next time you launch the app or log into the website, a complete chronological lineup of your trip is waiting for you. You can manually add details, too. The result is similar to what you get from TripIt (see below), but the method of collecting the information is different.

TripIt

Top 10 Mac Apps

TripIt is similar to TripCase in creating an organized itinerary for you, but TripIt builds your travel plans by sniffing out confirmation emails in your inbox and pulling out the most important information. If you don't want to give TripIt access to your email, you can use the app by forwarding emails to it instead or manually entering details, but that's not the point of the app. If you are disorganized and haphazard with your travel details, TripIt might do you a lot of good.

Uber

Uber operates around the world, and while the in-app options vary from place to place, the general concept is the same everywhere. There are a few reasons that ride-on-demand apps work so well for travelers. First, it eliminates the need to carry local currency. Second, you don't have to speak the same language as your driver to get to where you need to go. Third, there's no haggling. If you don't want to give Uber your business for one reason or another, do a little research on what other riding hailing apps operate in your destination.

Viator

When you travel to a destination that might require a little hand-holding, Viator is a great website and app to keep in mind. It specializes in tours and packages, from daily excursions to week-long adventures with transfers included. Note that the quantity and quality of the deals varies dramatically by destination.

VRBO

VRBO, which is HomeAway.com with new branding, helps you find vacation homes, apartment rentals, and other accommodations for your travels. Unlike Airbnb, where you can still find a room to let in someone's private home, VRBO focuses on private homes, including beach houses, ski cabins, private apartments, and villas. The next time you're traveling with a large group or planning a destination reunion, keep VRBO in mind.

Wanderu

Best Apps For New Macbook

Do you want to search for buses and trains with the same ease you search and compared flights? Wanderu is the app you need. This aggregator and comparison app includes methods of transportation that other sites skip, namely trains and buses. You can also use it for flights, car rentals, and hotels, but it got its start with buses and trains, and that's still what sets it apart from competitors. For journeys serviced by Amtrak, Megabus, BoltBus, and other ground services, use Wanderu for quick and reliable results.

Waze

Best Apps For Mac 2020

While Google Maps tells you about officially reported problems on the road and whether there's traffic, Waze knows the nitty-gritty details, like the location of police traps and potholes. This free community-driven app for traffic and road conditions is popular among taxi and car service drivers, although it's equally useful for everyday drivers. Beware that Waze demands your GPS information at all times, which takes a toll on your battery.

Zomato

If you live in the US, there's a good chance you've never heard of Zomato. In some countries, however, it's more popular than Yelp, and it covers the same ground as Yelp. Zomato is a crowd-sourced review site for restaurants. One reason it's better than Yelp is that its contributors regularly snap photos of menus and upload them to the restaurant review, so you get more than just flippant remarks and blurry pictures of french fries. In some regions, Zomato partners with local restaurant delivery services, so you can get take-out at your hotel or Airbnb.

More Travel Tips

The travel apps in this list will get you far, but there are additional ways to ensure a successful trip. For instance, a VPN app can help protect your network traffic on public Wi-Fi networks away from home. You may want to pack some specialty devices too; you never know what you'll want to capture or what gear you will need in the field. Be sure to read our guides below for more travel advice.

Financial software for mac small business. It's a plus when accounting software can also serve as an invoice generator.Recurring InvoicesWith this feature, you can schedule the system to automatically generate and send invoices for recurring charges, such as subscriptions. Some accounting software programs integrate with third-party payment processors; others require you to use their in-house processing services. Very few of the accounting applications we evaluated include recurring invoice functionality.Automatic Payment RemindersThis feature helps you remind customers about upcoming and past-due payments. You can choose how frequently invoices are sent – daily, weekly, monthly or annually – and indicate whether there's an end date to the billing.

7 Tips for Finding the Best Hotel Discounts

0 notes

lalka-laski · 3 years ago

Text

Choose: The ability to speak any language or play any instrument? As much as I'd love to play an instrument, language fascinates me far more. Are you planning to spend a large sum of money any time soon? Well I'm planning a wedding so uhh... yeah. Do you prefer listening to music through speakers or headphones? Headphones feel more intimate and allow me to daydream more vividly along to the music I'm listening to The last time you injured yourself: How did it happen? I'm a walking disaster so it's anyone's guess If you met yourself, would you befriend them? I think so. I'm very friendly and make a good first impression.

In your opinion, what’s the best cure for the hiccups? A spoonful of peanut butter. Or sipping water upside down is a good backup when peanut butter isn't handy. The shoes you wore today: What do they look like? They're metallic rose gold flip flops If you have a garage, do you tend to just fill it with junk? I don't have a garage but I do have a storage unit in the basement of my building that's filled with lots of junk I hardly ever touch Would you prefer to live in an apartment, house or other? I love the convenience of apartments/condos or other rented spaces. Having free, built-in maintenance is just so handy and perfect for someone like me who is well... not. The room you’re in currently: Does it have carpet, tiles or other? Tiles How cold are you currently? The room I'm in is for some reason, several degrees chillier than the rest of the office. So I'm shivering. Do you ever feel that people don’t actually know The Real You? I'm a Type Four so that's really my whole mindset. What’s your current occupation? Would you change it, if you could? I'm just an admin assistant. It's not my dream job and I know I'm capable of and qualified for something more challenging and lucrative. But I'm so mentally exhausted by life that I don't WANT that. At least not right now. Are you wearing perfume today? What does it smell of? Not today. I hardly ever wear scented stuff. The last time you cried: Why were you upset? (Or happy, as the case may be) I was just frustrated. By life in general (see my response 2 questions ago). When did you last have toothache? Uhhh it's been awhile. I did recently have a HELL of a canker sore that left me in excruciating pain though. What are you planning to have for dinner tonight? (Or what did you have) I really have no idea. Glenn's working late and I just haven't had the energy to cook proper meals lately so it looks like Grubhub's probably on the menu What’s your favorite hot drink? I'm a coffee and tea fiend. I keep it simple with my coffee- just black, but I love experimenting and exploring with all different flavors of tea. When was the last time you sneezed? This morning I think If you had the day off tomorrow, what would you do with your time? Well I have the day off from my full-time job but I'm nannnying Do you prefer laptops or computers? Laptops are certainly more convenient but I like using a mouse. I've been meaning to buy myself a wireless one for my Chromebook Does your mobile phone have a touch screen? Mhm Name one food item you eat fairly often: Popcorn Do you prefer talking on a mobile or landline? Mobile I suppose but really neither The last thing you took a photo of: What was it? My dad, uncle and Glenn all posing with my grandpa Do you prefer writing with pens or pencils? Pens by a landslide Name one place you’d like to visit as soon as possible: My family cottage in Canada Name one song you could listen to over and over: Lately it's been La Llamada by Selena Has anyone ever used a pick up line on you? What did they say? I don't think so. If someone has it obviously wasn't memorable to me... What’s one good thing that happened today? I just got chatting with a former patient who is 19 weeks along in her pregnancy and that was lovely to see! Name the last good movie you watched: The Joker Are you any good at cooking? What’s your speciality? I am pretty good and I'm also learning, experimenting, and improving. My specialties are cozy, comfort foods like soups and casseroles. Oh and appetizers! I've been call the "app queen."

Do you prefer plain, coloured or patterned socks? I don't like socks at all so to incentivize myself to wear them, I buy ones with cute designs and cartoon characters. Yes, I'm 5. When you wake, what is it that you think of most? How much I don't want to wake up and leave my bed. No matter what I have planned for the day ahead, that's almost always my thought. Are you home alone currently? Nope, work When was the last time you gave up on something/someone? I'm not sure. I have a defeatist attitude so I tend to do that often.

0 notes

furryalligator · 7 years ago

Link

Source: http://twitter.com/CNBC/status/992393923426422784

These 5 travel apps will save you money https://t.co/GtoUPhoyy6

— CNBC (@CNBC) May 4, 2018

1. Service

When you sync your email with Service, the app monitors all your booked flight and hotel reservations. Any time your flight is delayed or canceled, Service will contact the airline on your behalf to file claims for compensation. On average, according to the app, Service can save you up to $300 a year.

"Nearly one out of five planes are delayed or canceled in the US every year," says founder Michael Schneider. "In 2017, there were 860,534 flights in the US, 19 percent delayed and 2 percent canceled. That's about 165 million passengers. Less than 5 percent of these passengers currently complain to the airlines and try to get compensation."

The amount of compensation varies by airline but in general you can receive anywhere from $50 to $700, according to Schneider. "Our average of averages is about $110 per successful claim." Compensation depends on the airline, frequent flier status, the class of service you're flying and the severity of the delay/cancellation along with the reason for the disruption (if it's a weather delay, you're less likely to get compensated). Schneider says that in the US, because there is no law mandating compensation for delayed passengers, they aren't "due" anything. It's the good will of the airline to give compensation, and this is when Service claims on your behalf as experts. Michael states that Service has gotten or saved over $2 million dollars for 30,000 people so far.

As for hotels, if your room rate drops, Service will automatically re-book you at the lower rate before check in.

"Based on our own internal research, hotel rates drop 33 percent of the time between booking and check in," says Schneider. "They do publish "guaranteed low room rates" on their website but that's a low price guarantee at booking, not after the fact."

The app is free to download. If Service successfully gets you compensation for a booking, they take 30 percent. Another option, best for frequent travelers, is the membership at $49/year, with no percentage taken out of any claim.

2. Trail Wallet

Popular with budget travelers, Trail Wallet allows users to track all their travel expenses in more than 200 currencies. You set a daily budget, input every purchase and the app tells you how much you have left to spend. It's especially helpful for those little purchases that sneak up on you (like a bottle of water, metro pass, WIFI or museum fee) and bust your budget. Trail Wallet works off line and has a new Adjusted Budget feature that shows you a new budget you'll need to stay under for the rest of the trip to remain on budget.

Trail Wallet is currently only available for iOS and free to download.

3. GasBuddy

Road warriors are big fans of GasBuddy, an app that tells you the cheapest fuel prices in your vicinity (whether mapped out in advance or in real time). Like drivers adding real-time traffic details on Waze, 30 million GasBuddy users update fuel prices throughout the US and Canada, and on-staff experts collate the analysis daily.

Additionally, when travelers use the app to pay for gas at stations nationwide, they get a discount of 10 cents per gallon for the first fill up and 5 cents on every gallon pumped after.

Another cool feature is the Gas Price Chart, which you can customize by destination to see the fluctuation of gas prices in the past 18 months, as well as the Trip Cost Calculator, which shows you how much you will spend on gas by entering in specific details, like your car/year, fuel type, tank and more.

GasBuddy is free.

4. Getaround

Similar to Turo and Car2Go, Getaround is like Airbnb for cars. With rates 30 percent cheaper than car rental companies, the app allows users to rent a car on demand by the hour or day with 24/7 roadside assistance, rental insurance already built into the cost and no paperwork. You can search for available cars in your area, like AirBnb, based on your preferences (from SUVs to Mercedes) and budget (from $30 and up). You can unlock the car right from your phone with the app's key-less software. Drivers must be minimum 19 years old.

If you travel frequently and will not be using your car, you can rent it out on the app. Getaround claims owners can make up to $10,000 a year (about $800) a month depending on factors like how often your car is rented and the type of car you own.

Getaround is available in 23 US cities, including Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington DC.

The app is free to download. There is a 30-day free trial for first-time users. After that, if you plan on listing your car, there's a $20 monthly subscription fee, and one-time $99 installation fee. If you're renting a car, there is a booking fee of 3 percent of the trip price.

5. Kayak

You've probably heard of Kayak, a top travel site for finding the cheapest airfare, which is set apart from competitors like Google Flights by offering a mobile app that allows you to seamlessly book flights.

Now, a recent upgrade to the app features Watchlist, which travelers can use to create price alerts sent via text or email. Once you select the route you want to book, Kayak will notify you if there's a drop (or increase) in fare.

#entrepreneurs #@CNBC #travel tips #travel #tech tips #Kayak #Getaround #gasbuddy #Trail Wallet #get service

1 note · View note

katesloan · 7 years ago

Text

2017: the Year of Devastated Bravery

Time for my annual year-end survey! Been doing this one for well over a decade. Previously: 2012, the year of sex-positivity. 2013, the year of self-care. 2014, the year of turning over a new leaf, 2015, the year of foxy femme power, 2016, the year of the staunch heart.

1. What did you do in 2017 that you’d never done before? Rang in the New Year at the home of a local sex-positive community leader with some of my closest pals, and was sent home with Alka-Seltzer tablets for the morning. Interviewed a bunch of matchmakers for a news feature (which sadly has yet to be published, boo). Started writing for Glamour, after their sex & relationships editor reached out to me via Twitter DM. Hired some rad babes to overhaul my blog design for me. Was hired by, and later fired from, two different sex shops (lolol). Had a sex-date in a creepy hotel room in Queens. Got spanked with a hanger rail from said hotel room’s closet. Performed in the Bed Post variety show a couple times. Started inviting guests onto our podcast (Cooper S. Beckett was the first one!). Missed my flight from New York to Toronto and had an anxiety breakdown in the airport. Got published on Teen Vogue. Had our first podcast sponsor. Started banging one of my coworkers (whoops). Did a photoshoot in a dungeon with a beautiful babe. Made out in a heated outdoor swimming pool at a sex club (uh, many times). Got intensely spanked over an acquaintance’s kitchen counter by three people working in tandem. Hooked up with a cute older British man who was visiting on business; he invited me to return to his hotel the following night and bought me sushi and wine on his company card (so fancy). Attended the launch party for a party game I was a staff writer on. Tried having sex with a penis extender. Had a surprisingly fantastic one-night stand with a guy who remembered me from when he was my waiter at a restaurant once. Went on a date with a polyamorous guy whose girlfriend listened to my podcast and told him to ask me out. Got paid to ghostwrite spanking erotica. Celebrated my five-year blogiversary. Went on a couple dates with a cute civil litigation lawyer who was an exceptionally good kisser. Got high with my best friend and did a livestreamed podcast. Was a bridesmaid in the wedding of two of my best friends. Topped my previous monthly income goals, again and again. Turned 25. Attended (and subsequently roasted) the Toronto International Porn Awards. Dated someone (for ~4 months!) who initially knew me from listening to my podcast. Had sex for like 5 hours on a first date. Learned to like some kink acts I’d previously found scary, like choking, face-slapping, and face-fucking. Was in a Daddy Dom/little girl relationship for a while. Attempted non-hierarchical polyamory. Reviewed a vibrating teddy bear. Started a part-time social media job at an adult-industry marketing firm. Took Reid Mihalko’s jealousy workshop. Took a freelance writing class from Alana Massey. Pegged someone. Got my wrists tattooed. Did a live podcast recording at a sex conference in front of friends and fans. Spanked a friend with a bible in a hotel room in Virginia. Got fucked in the ass with a glass dildo by a blogger friend while other blogger friends casually watched. Got a 4-handed erotic massage. Performed blowjob sonnets at a sex club. Went on a date with someone who turned out to be the best friend and roommate of someone I’d gone on a date with the previous month. Unexpectedly made out with/got slapped around by/got fingerbanged by a friend I’d known for over 10 years in an alley behind a restaurant. Moved out of my parents’ place and into an apartment! Had coffee with my editor at the Condé Nast building. Saw the McElroy brothers speak (and Lin-Manuel Miranda open for them) at a live podcast recording. Attended my high school reunion. Did tequila shots with my boss on my first day at a new job. Had an actual goddamn “sugar daddy,” briefly. Sold a sweaty T-shirt and socks to a fetishist. Went to a sex tradeshow with my fuckbuddy. Got spanked with a lightsaber. Slow-danced to a song about impregnation. Got accepted to speak at the Playground Conference. Received a strap-on blowjob from a pretty lady. Had two dates with two Twitter crushes in New York in one day (and then started dating both of them). Made out in a Breather. Did a knifeplay scene. Explored my domme side in earnest. Sexted from a TSA line. Went through NRE with two different people at once (a lot of crying ensued). Got hypnotized. FaceTimed with someone for 8 hours straight.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Last year I resolved to “make self-development and career development my top priorities, to make romantic/sexual decisions based on the maxim ‘quality over quantity,’ and to make more money.” I think doing the first two things is what enabled me to do the third thing (I earned twice as much money in 2017 as in 2016!) – focusing on love and sex only when it actually served me, and delighted me, freed up a lot of time and passionate energy for businessy pursuits. Next year I resolve to pitch more stories, travel more, further foster my friendships with femmes, write more helpful content, and save more money.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not that I can recall.

4. Did anyone close to you die? My grandfather, Rex Loring.

5. What countries did you visit? Just the USA (New York in January, September, and December; Alexandria in August). Within Canada, I spent a fair bit of time in Hamilton but was otherwise in Toronto the whole year.

6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you lacked in 2017? A specific goal for my savings. Some steps taken toward larger-scale writerly ambitions (like, perhaps, writing a book proposal and/or self-publishing an ebook). Maybe a long-term relationship of some description; I dunno, man.

7. What dates from 2017 will remain etched upon your memory? January 25th – missed my flight back from New York February 10th – met my current FWB (and then, February 13th, banged him for the first time) April 22nd – Eric and Ashley’s wedding April 25th – first date with G, at Tell Me Something Good May 9th/10th – some disastrous poly stuff happened with G June 1st – started at my current dayjob August 3rd-6th – Woodhull August 11th – the hardest breakup I’ve been through in many years September 1st – moving day (and Brent’s show at the Horseshoe) September 8th – live MBMBaM show + coffee with Cady at Condé Nast September 11th – BirthdayBruises November 14th – got fired + talked to Dick a bunch November 29th – Vagic Tricks workshop December 13th – first dates with Dick + my Sir

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Professionally: Made twice as much money as I made last year. My dayjob remained under 25% of my income, with the other 75% coming from my more creative and self-directed income streams. Had clips in two prominent Condé Nast publications (Teen Vogue online, and Glamour online and in print). Sold 27+ sponsored blog posts. Personally: Made it through a horrendous breakup without dying. Got better at setting boundaries within my friendships and relationships. Successfully prioritized relationships and friendships with people who treat me well and actually deserve to be in my life.

9. What was your biggest failure? Putting up with men who walked all over me. (I feel like this is a recurring motif in my life, and in the lives of most women and femmes, honestly…) I also got fired from two different jobs this year. In both cases, they were minimum-wage jobs I didn’t really care about, wasn't well-suited for, and didn’t actually need, but still...

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Not really. I had the flu in September and struggled with mental health stuff all year, particularly in January and August, but was mostly fine.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Several things: My bright turquoise Coach tote, which I carried with me on numerous trips, sex-dates, photoshoots, etc. An app called Piezo which I use all the time for Skype interviews/podcast thingz. My knee-high Frye engineer boots (swoon) and rainbow glitter Doc Martens (swooooon). The V10 brush from BH Cosmetics (sooo useful for my brows on a daily basis!). Two Tarina Tarantino heart necklaces. A new mirror for my new apartment. Several adorable H&M dresses. My turquoise Seven-Year Pen. Lots of knitwear. A new Kindle. Weed. A microwave.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? My best friend Bex, and my family. (Hell, Bex is family at this point.) My close and supportive buddies Sarah, Suz, Dan, Tynan, Taylor, and Steph. The 4 boys with whom I am romantically/sexually entangled right now (gems, all of ‘em!).

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? The boy who broke my heart, and lots of Men On The Internet. Same old.

14. Where did most of your money go? Other than boring answers like rent and transit? Food and drinks, probably. I was more gluttonous than materialistic this year. I also spent a good chunk o’ change on tickets to things: theatre, airfare, classes, concerts, comedy, live podcast recordings...

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Working with Glamour and Teen Vogue. The Adventure Zone and other McElroy content. Hitting income goals (seriously, I’m talking about money more often than boys in my journals recently, which is a FEAT). Hippo Campus and Nathan Stocker. Working on ye olde blog and podcast, as ever. Negotiating/exploring new kink stuff.

16. What song/album will always remind you of 2017? First and foremost, Hippo Campus’ album Landmark, which I thrashed for almost the entire year. Related: their Warm Glow EP, and anything from their guitarist Nathan Stocker’s solo project Brother Kenzie. Beyond that: Coin’s How Will You Know If You Never Try?, Pinegrove’s Cardinal (which I listened to pretty much on loop while recovering from my brutal breakup in August), Grouplove’s “Do You Love Someone?”, Vampire Weekend’s “Horchata,” Panama Wedding’s “Uma,” Bombay Bicycle Club’s “Cancel On Me,” Betti’s “Ordinary,” Saint Motel’s “Puzzle Pieces.”

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: happier or sadder? Happier. My heart got thoroughly broken this year but I feel stronger and more self-sufficient for it. thinner or fatter? A bit thinner. Who cares. richer or poorer? Soooo much richer. Your girl made some goooood biz decisions this year.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Last year I wrote that I wished I’d gone on dates with more people, and woof, I sure met that goal in 2017. I went on 12 first dates, which is more than enough, thank you very much. I wish I’d spent more time chasing my creative impulses than my romantic or sexual ones. Although the latter kind of fueled the former for me, this year and every year.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Thinking “I can and will put up with this [bad behavior/uncomfortable circumstance/shitty job]” when I couldn’t and shouldn’t have. Being depressed, but hey, what can ya do.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? Spent it exchanging presents and eating delicious meals with my family.

21. Who did you spend the most time talking to? Bex, Max, Brent, Sarah, my FWB, my two current long-distance beaux, and the dude who was my boyfriend for a bit.

22. Did you fall in love in 2017? Yeah, and I’m still pissed about it. Love is pain!! [tosses hair in the manner of a tortured goth]

23. How many one night stands in this last year? Two true one-night stands (defined as: we had sex the night we met, and never saw each other again), plus one additional person I had sex with only once but went on a second date with afterward.

24. What was your favourite TV programme? American Horror Story, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Bold Type.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I’m not thrilled with the guy who broke my heart, but I wouldn’t say that I hate him; that would involve more energy than I am willing or able to give to his memory at this juncture...

26. What was the best book you read? Fiction: I loved The Killer Wore Leather (Laura Antoniou’s murder-mystery set at a kink convention), Perfume: the Story of a Murderer (a truly haunting and viscerally olfactory novel by Patrick Suskind), and Sleeping Beauties (the creepy “what if every woman on earth fell asleep and wouldn’t wake up?” novel co-written by Stephen King and his son). Nonfiction: Laurie Mintz’s Becoming Cliterate was eye-opening, inspirational and fresh. Lisa A. Phillips’ Unrequited blew my fucking mind. I recently devoured Rachel Hills’ The Sex Myth and it’s wonderful.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I listened to a bit of Pinegrove last year because Sean recommended them on his blog, but it wasn’t until this year that I really got into them. I started inexplicably craving their music after I got my heart broken and it made me feel weirdly better for weeks afterward.

28. What did you want and get? A boyfriend/partner/daddy dom (though it didn’t last very long). More money than I have ever made before. Career expansion. Closer friendships. An invitation to do a live podcast recording at a conference. An apartment, with a rad roommate. More confidence and self-sufficiency. Interesting kink adventures.

29. What did you want and not get? A romantic relationship that was actually and enduringly satisfying to me in the ways that most matter to me. I feel like I write some variation on this here every year. It’s okay. It’ll happen when it happens. Also, I wanted to do a writing retreat and that didn’t happen, though I’m blessed enough that I take little mini writing retreats of sorts all the time anyway.

30. What was your favourite film of this year? I think the only new ones I saw were Wonder Woman, The Big Sick, and It, none of which I really loved that much. It wasn’t a big film year for me.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25. At midnight I was in bed in a hotel in Hamilton, having been in the wedding of two of my best friends the day previous. I had invited a gentleman friend to come romance me in my hotel that night but he was sick and had to cancel, so I just spent the night in a hot bath and then cozy in bed. The morning of my birthday, I checked out of the hotel and took a bus back to Toronto. That evening, Bex and I got dressed up fancy, went for dinner at the Black Bull Tavern, and attended the Toronto International Porn Festival awards gala, which was a hot mess.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I can’t even think of anything. It was a satisfying year for me in many ways.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2017? Low-effort femme. Lots of cozy colorful sweaters, denim shorts, stompy boots, crop tops, big hair, and kneesocks.

34. What kept you sane? My friends, my family, therapy, journaling, sex/kink/masturbation, my work, quiet introvert self-dates at bars/diners/cafés, hot baths,

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Nathan Stocker, Andy Samberg, Mark Andrada, Dan McCoy...

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Civil rights stuff, same as always. Gender equality and sexual equality and racial equality and all the equalities, basically.

37. Who did you miss? The two New York boys I’m currently romancin’, and Bex, pretty much always. And my ex, for a time.

38. Who was the best new person you met? Jordan, Adam, Thane, Cady, Logan (and several other babely bloggers at Woodhull), Todd, Dick, Matt, Eva...

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017. Even people who claim they will never hurt you can hurt you. That’s depressing, but it’s also somewhat Zen, because if you deeply, truly know that anyone can hurt you at any time, you come to enjoy the non-hurting parts so much more while they’re happening. Again, this sounds super tragic but I actually find it so liberating and uplifting when I think about it.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. “Menfolk, they need their women, but women don’t need their men.” -Nellie McKay, “Just a Pose” “Maybe I would’ve been something you’d be good at. Maybe you would’ve been something I’d be good at.” -Tegan and Sara, “Call It Off” “It’s cold outside this evening, but warm between your sheets. We both wanted something we’re not likely to repeat.” -Paul Cook & the Chronicles, “Ships Pass” “Someone to talk to late at night. Someone who fits you right… Someone who makes your heart go boom boom boom. Someone you see across a crowded room. Someone who makes your heart jolt. Not some okay girl. A real thunderbolt.” -Paul Cook & the Chronicles, “A Real Thunderbolt” (I could’ve quoted this entire song here, honestly)

3 notes · View notes

riding-alpacas · 5 years ago

Text

Why Canada was a fail for me

This doesn't have much to do with my trip through South America but I needed a place where I can put it and it is at least a little bit related. One thing people asked me a lot is why I didn't want to stay in Canada and decided to go back to Australia. As always there isn't one specific reason I could pinpoint it to, it rather is a combination of things.

Generally speaking, pretty much everything felt like a step back and not many things felt like an improvement. And don't get me wrong, Canada is a beautiful place and nothing was terrible. But to me Australia is simply that little bit ahead.

I should also mention that my experiences are heavily skewed by how life is in British Columbia and specifically in Vancouver. Similar to Australia you have huge differences between states and cities. Laws, regulations and even culture between them vary a fair bit. And whilst some things might potentially be better in other regions, they are not an option for me simply due to the climate. Vancouver is the only place in Canada with mild winters which is one of my most important criteria when it comes to choosing where I want to live.

So here are all these little reasons why I didn't like Canada, roughly ordered by priority. And the first one is actually related to climate.

1) Summers are too short and winters are too wet I'm a summer person and if I could choose, I would be happy to live in a place where it's 30 degrees and sunny all year around. The variety of seasons is something I don’t need and I definitely also don't need rain. In Vancouver you have between 4 or 5 months a year with beautiful sunny days and 7 or 8 months with absolutely miserable shit weather. The summer bit is great, in fact it hardly rains during that time at all. But the winter - oh my god. I expected that it would rain a lot but there is still a huge difference between reading that stuff from a climate chart and actually experiencing it. There were weeks when it just wouldn't stop raining. During my last days in Vancouver I definitely felt getting depressed from the constant grey skies. And whilst winters in Melbourne can also be rainy and cold, it's at least easy to escape from it by travelling just a little bit up North (which I usually try to do). But in Canada there is just no escape. It would just get worse.

2) Not enough time to play Due to the summer/winter ratio described above, there is actually just a very small window that can be used to enjoy the magnificent outdoors surrounding Vancouver. There are heaps of great hiking trails, lots of beautiful lakes and hundreds of mountain peaks to climb - but it always takes a while for all the snow to melt and then you have only about three months to explore. And obviously you are not the only one who wants to do that. In Australia however, you practically have the whole year to explore something if you just time it right (and if there is no pandemic disrupting everything). But even in Melbourne you can usually still do lots of hikes close to the city in the colder months because a sunny winter day there feels like a normal spring day in Germany or Canada.

3) The ocean sucks I was hoping that Vancouver would be a good compromise where you can have wonderful mountains and the beautiful ocean right at your doorstep. And whilst you technically have both, the ocean unfortunately just sucks. It sucks so much, the mountains can't make up for it. The water temperature doesn't get any higher than 20 degrees in summer and as low as 5 degrees in winter. And for the vast majority of time it's in the colder range. But it doesn't stop there: Water visibility is super low all year around which means that you don't see any wildlife when you go for a swim. Also you have plenty of logs floating in the water which you often only notice seconds before colliding with it. To top it all off the beaches leave a lot to be desired. The sand feels more like dirt, it's very brownish in colour and gets extremely crowded in summer. Melbourne surely doesn't have the most beautiful beaches in Australia but they are at least a million times better than what I've found in Vancouver.

4) Design as a job discipline is 10 years behind For people who don't work in tech, it's probably sufficient to know that I felt like I was back in 2010 (or back in Germany) when I started looking for a job. In the vast majority of design roles, organisations were looking for the infamous UI/UX designer. And those jobs were usually very UI heavy. It was an exception to find pure UX roles and specialised roles like UX researchers were nowhere to be found. Design as a discipline was generally years behind and didn't play an important role in product strategy. At work I had to fight battles that I thought I'd never have to fight again and was able to impress people with things that are just standard in Australia by now. I learned a lot of other job related things during my time in Canada, but I definitely didn't learn a single new thing about design.

5) The people Disclaimer: You find all sorts of people everywhere. Nice people. Stupid people. Assholes. But there are still trends and behavioural tendencies. The people in Canada were broadly speaking not as friendly, not as relaxed, not as open and definitely not as quirky as people in Australia. They were actually very... German! No Hello, how are you in the elevator, no smile when you approached a stranger to ask for something, not even a Have a nice day when you paid at the supermarket. It's a bit hard to explain, but I missed the warmth and openness of the Australian people.

6) Digitisation my ass Closely related to the point about design, digitisation in Canada is simply not as advanced as in Australia. Most apps were cumbersome to use, booking tickets for the movies required a ridiculous amount of effort and forget about quickly doing your tax return online. It actually felt like in Germany which is also years behind when it comes to being smart with digital technology to make our lives easier.

7) It's expensive Melbourne and Vancouver are probably on the same level when it comes to cost of living. Rents are similar, cost of grocery is similar, movie tickets are similar, everything is very similar. But there was this little 30% wage cut I had to take when I started looking for jobs in Vancouver. How exactly do people save money in this city?

8) Bureaucracy A lot of times it felt like I was back in Germany when I tried to do things in Canada. They had a little form for everything. I lost track how many forms I had to fill in when I moved into our apartment and how many more when I left. And don't get me started about opening a bank account (see point 9). Of course all of that stuff also had to be signed and then sent back via post (see point 6).

9) Banking is a joke - and not a good one One thing I only started noticing during my first few months in Canada is how advanced the whole financial services system in Australia is. Cards that can be used for debit and credit purchases have been the norm for years, bank transfers are processed in seconds, the ability to do these transfers with just a phone number or an email address is baked into the system and the apps - how useful and convenient are the banking apps! I noticed this stuff because in Canada they try to make each of your experience that is related to money as awful as possible. I had to juggle with multiple cards, for each direct debit instruction I had to walk into a branch, my credit card was limited to a ridiculous small amount, I had to deal with fucking cheques for the first time in my life (multiple times!) and believe it or not: A simple bank transfer is actually not possible! You can't just log in to your online banking and instruct your bank to transfer money to another account from another bank. I think there were at least a million moments when I just couldn't believe how hard it was to deal with money in Canada. I could go on about this point for much longer but I guess everybody is getting the point. Hell, even the banking system in Germany is actually advanced compared to that shit in Canada.

10) The health system is weird As a diabetic it is quite important for me to make sure I get the care I need. And fortunately I ended up getting it, but the system is a bit... strange. The best healthcare system can probably be found in Germany. As far as I know, everybody has insurance, everybody gets a card from their insurer and when they get sick they go to a doctor, show their card and everything is being sorted and paid for in the background. Same is true for your medication. Reality can be a bit more complicated than this, but in its core this is how it works. Things are a little different in Australia but the main difference is that you can't just go everywhere with your Medicare card. You need to look for specific doctors and also when you need medication you might have to pay for some of it out of your own pocket - but it's usually only a small amount. Canada is just plain weird though: Whilst most of your doctor visits are paid for when you are enrolled in public healthcare, your medication isn't. 0%. You need to get private insurance for that. But very often your employer gives you some sort of insurance that covers it. Generally speaking it was just weird and the complicated way it was set up didn't really make much sense to me.

11) Sick leave and personal leave I'll just leave these (simplified) numbers here:

Personal leave in Canada: 10 days Sick leave in Canada: 5 days

Personal leave in Australia: 20 days Sick leave in Australia: 10 days

Personal leave in Germany: 28 days Sick leave in Germany: Unlimited

In my first job interview, they were actually bragging about the high number of leave days they have in Canada. I guess they made the mistake of comparing themselves to the US and A.

12) The number of druggies was insane I used to live close to the main station in Düsseldorf and I used to live in St Kilda. They’re probably not the big drug hubs of the world but surely have a fair amount of dubious characters wandering around. And it was nothing compared to what I saw every day in Vancouver. The first day I left my job through the side entrance, I was welcomed by a couple of used needles on the ground. It happened numerous times that I cycled to the parking lot of my apartment and saw people injecting drugs publicly without a care in the world. People who were clearly high on drugs yelled at other people in the streets and it seemed to be just normal to live with it and ignore them. You also had a high amount of homeless people in the streets and it was just heartbreaking to see these severe social problems and that the government clearly seems to be overwhelmed dealing with the situation and finding a good way to solve it.

13) Little, little things This is just a random list of other little inconveniences I encountered in the land of maple syrup:

You have to hand in all your physical driver licenses to get a Canadian one... and the one I got was only temporarily and had to be renewed every 3 months... by walking into a fucking branch every time (see point 6)

Mobile plans in Canada are ridiculously expensive and don't include much data

The bacon in Canada is super greasy and thin and has a weird consistency

The coffee is bad

The iced coffee is even worse

So these are all the main reasons why I decided to come back. There were also lots of things that were better (cycling infrastructure, the mountains, less racism, building insulation, broadband internet, Poutine) but for this article I just wanted to focus on the things that pushed me into the direction of leaving.

#canada

0 notes

tamboradventure · 5 years ago

Text

How to Travel on a Budget in 2020

Posted: 1/30/2020 | January 30th, 2020

A new year brings a new sense of possibility as we create new goals to help us get closer to that ideal self we have in our mind.

And one of those goals usually involves trying to travel more.

But when you are starved for time and money, travel can seem like a pipe dream. A wish that might never be fulfilled.

Luckily, there’s a wave of positive developments for those who want to travel more: cheaper airfare, more deal-finding websites (and other information) online, free walking tours in more cities, and more opportunities to bypass the traditional travel infrastructure and connect directly into the local way of life via the sharing economy.

So, as we get deeper into 2020, I want to share some suggestions on how to travel on a budget this year so you can check off that New Year’s resolution! Here are some of my top tips to help you:

1. Change Your Mindset

Changing your mindset might not be a traditional budget tip, but it’s important nonetheless. Action begets action and, as you think of ways to travel cheaper, it becomes a game where you try to keep finding ways to save money. The first step makes all the other steps easier.

Start with a “yes, I can” mindset. Don’t think “I can’t travel” — think “What’s one thing I can do today to make my trip closer to reality?”

Life is a mental game. Do one thing every day that gets you closer to your trip and you’ll find yourself building an unstoppable momentum.

2. Come Up with a Savings Plans

Unless you’re Bill Gates, we all need to save more money. But how do you do that? While life is expensive, I do believe there are always ways to save a little more. There’s always something you can cut. A little bit of savings adds up a lot over time.

Get into the habit of putting money into your travel fund regularly — even if it’s just a few dollars a week. Every little penny will help. The more you save, the more you want to save. It sort of becomes a game. It’s no longer a chore.

Here are some posts on how to save money:

22 Ways to Cut Your Expenses and Have Money for Travel

The Ultimate Guide to Traveling Cheap

How Michael Saved $14k in 6 Months Making $9 Per Hour

How I Find the Money to Travel

3. Score a Flight Deal

One of the things that people always tell me holds them back from traveling more is the cost of flights. But, let me tell you, we live in an age of cheap airfare.

If you can be flexible with your plans, there are always deals. Sure, maybe you can’t take advantage of that sale to Europe next week, but you can still find a date and a destination that work for you at a great price if you’re flexible about one or both factors.

I like to use Google Flights. I type in my home city and then “everywhere” and see what the cheapest results are. I then base my plans around where I can fly to for the least amount of money.

However, if you don’t want to do that (I think it’s a perfect Friday night activity), you can check out some of the following websites that search for deals and email them to you:

Scott’s Cheap Flights – The best website for finding flight deals from the US

The Flight Deal – Incredible deals for flights all around the world

Secret Flying – Another site with amazing flight deals from around the globe (they find a lot of Asia/Africa/South America deals not found elsewhere)

4. Get Points!

Travel hacking, the art of collecting points and miles, is a great way to save money. By getting point-yielding credit cards and using a few ninja techniques, you can get hundreds of thousands of miles without spending any extra money, thus getting you free flights, free accommodation, and added cash back. It’s what all serious travelers do. There’s no excuse not to do it! I mean you’re spending the money anyway, so you might as well get some treats for it. Here are some resources to help you begin:

How I Earn 1 Million Frequent Flier Miles Every Year

The Ultimate Guide to Picking the Best Travel Credit Card

The Ultimate Guide to Travel Hacking

Even if you aren’t American, you still have options, as points and miles have gone global:

Points Hack (Australia/New Zealand)

Head for Points (UK)

Canadian Kilometers (Canada)

5. Use the Sharing Economy

The sharing economy has led to a plethora of new money-saving and community-building platforms that have made travel even more affordable, personal, and accessible. It’s never been easier to get off the tourist trail, connect with locals, and experience their pace of life. I live by these websites when I travel! You should too. My favorites include:

Airbnb – The best platform for finding rooms, apartments, and homes for rent by locals.

Couchsurfing – Great for finding free accommodation (often on people’s couches) and meeting travelers/locals. The hangout feature on the app is my favorite, as you can see who is around to meet up.

Trusted Housesitters – The most comprehensive website to find house-sitting gigs. You watch a place on vacation while the homeowner is on vacation.

EatWith – Allows you to eat home-cooked meals with locals (it’s the Airbnb of food). It always leads to interesting encounters, so it’s one of my favorite things to do.

BlaBlaCar – A ridesharing app that pairs riders with verified locals who have a spare seat in their car.

6. Find the Free!

The world is awash with amazing free travel resources (like this website) that can help you travel on a budget. No matter where you are going, there’s probably a blog post on what to do and see there for free or cheaply. Someone has been there and they’ve written about it! Make the best use of all them to help you plan your trip.

My favorite search term is “free things to do in X.” You’ll always get a result!

Additionally, don’t be afraid to walk into a hostel — even if you aren’t staying there — and ask them what to do for cheap. Their clientele is budget sensitive, so they always know what to do and where to go for little money.

7. Stick to Public Transportation

If you’re on a budget, skip the taxis and rideshares like Lyft or Uber. Unless you can lower your cost by sharing a ride with other passengers, public transportation is going to be the most cost-effective way to get around. Not only will it save you money but you’ll get to see how the locals travel too.

Google Maps usually can give you a basic overview of the public transportation options and prices available. You can find information about day passes and/or multiday passes local tourism offices which will save you even more money. (See the next tip for more about that).

8. Use Local Tourism Offices

Local tourist offices are a wealth of knowledge. They exist solely to provide you with information on what to see and do. They often have tons of discounts not found anywhere else and can also keep you updated on local events, free tours, and the best spots to eat. They can help you find public transportation discounts and/or multiday passes too.

Don’t skip the local tourist office! They are serverly underutilizted resource.

9. Get Cheap Accommodation

Accommodation is one of the biggest fixed costs travelers have, so reducing that cost can lead to big savings on the road. I’m sure many backpackers would sleep in a barn if it were the cheapest accommodation they could find! Heck, I’ve slept in hammocks in national parks to save a buck!

Since you have to stay somewhere every night, reducing this expense can save you a lot of money off the total cost of your trip. Stay in hostels, use Couchsurfing, get last minute hotesl on Hotels Tonight, stay at universities (yes, you can do that), or try an Airbnb. Since there’s a lot of ways to cut your accommodation costs, here are my posts on how to get accommodation deals:

How to Find the Perfect Apartment Rental

How to Find Cheap and Free Accommodation

How to Crush it on Couchsurfing

And here are the websites I use to book cheap places to stay:

Booking.com – For finding budget hotels and guesthouses.

Hostelworld – The best site for finding hostels.

Agoda – Another great hotel website, specifically for Asia.

Hotel Tonight – Offers discounted last-minute hotel stays.

Airbnb – For finding private rooms, entire apartments, and homes for rent by locals.

10. Eat Cheap

Other than accommodation, food is one of the biggest travel costs. After all, everyone needs to eat. But there are lots of ways to eat on the cheap:

Go grocery shopping and prepare your own meals

Shop at local markets

Use apps to find deals (Yelp, Seamless, LaForchette, TasteCard, RiceBowl)

Also, use the five-block rule. There seems to be this magical wall that surrounds tourist areas. Most people don’t go past it. It’s been my experience that if you walk five blocks in any direction from a major tourist area, you end up losing the crowds and finding the local restaurants. Tourist restaurants don’t care about quality since tourists aren’t coming back. Residents do care so places catering to them need to be better — and more affordable – or they go out of business. Those are the places you want to eat at. Use the above resources to find where the locals eat and avoid crappy food! Moreover, check out these articles for tips on eating cheap around the world:

How to Eat Cheap Around the World

How to Eat Around the World on a Plant-Based Diet

11. Travel Like You Live

The majority of people in your destinations don’t spend lots of money per day, like tourists do. Neither do you in your day-to-day life. So take that mentality with you. Walk, take public transportation, grocery shop, spend a day in a park, and look for deals. Do the things you do at home every day to keep your costs down.

Too many people get into this mindset that when they go on the road, they just have to spend, spend, spend, spend. That’s not true at all. There’s no law that says you have to spend more. Be smart with your budget — just like you are at home. That will help you save money and prevent you from going home early broke.

***

The world is full of different ways to travel on a budget once you know where to look. This year, make travel happen. It doesn’t matter if you save only a dollar a week. What matters is that you take the first step! Action begets action. Once you take the first step, all the other steps will be easier.

Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld as they have the largest inventory. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and that will save you time and money too!

The post How to Travel on a Budget in 2020 appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

from Nomadic Matt's Travel Site https://ift.tt/2OdRayu via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Nomadic Matt's Travel Site

0 notes

indigo-peace · 5 years ago

Text

Motorhome rentals New Zealand Campervan Rental

Various apps that I have listed below are also very helpful. There are several toll roads on the North Island, which are advertised accordingly. The fee is paid online. As Germans, we also often have a very high security requirement, which can be a hindrance when buying used cars. If you are not a mechanic yourself or have a workshop you trust on site, you simply have to take the risk that you will catch a “scrap car”. Well-developed road networks and a dense network of excellently equipped campsites ensure a carefree holiday with the camper in New Zealand. The additional costs remain low thanks to self-catering, and everywhere you will meet nice and open-minded people like many other motorhome travelers in front of you. At CU

In the center of the North Island, the monotony takes a break, because here you can deal with the volcanoes. A successful change from green nature. The cities on the North Island (apart from New Plymouth and the larger cities of Auckland and Wellington) offer little variety. They are purchased as new vehicles and only remain in the fleet for a few years. Mercedes Sprinter or Volkswagen Crafter are used as models.

We were lucky that we had both dry weather here and also looked for an overnight stay that lay here.

refueled to return.

New Zealand is the perfect travel destination for road trip fans!

B do not drive through the Everglades (Florida).

This is where owner Earl expands his campsite, reveals where you will find the most Mighty campervan beautiful New Zealand's beach finds and serenades with you in the sunset.

Campervan providers

You also have to stop when the traffic light is yellow. The only exception is if the sudden braking endangers other road users. This is the best way to experience the closeness to nature and at the same time travel flexibly and independently. Jucy Camper has small campers in the Cairns, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne rental locations - but also in New Zealand. You will recognize the vehicles everywhere by the color alone and are enjoying increasing international popularity! The rental is inexpensive. Then the impressions and experiences are definitely completely clear. Even if it is difficult for me, but you should simply look at each country individually and preferably not make any comparisons - because actually every country is beautiful in itself. I'm curious to see what opinion I get in Norway. Maybe it will be a bit New Zealand and a bit Canada;) Thanks for the hint, I will take a look at your new reports. The guaranteed buyback price is usually around 50% of the purchase value. However, if you can only get half of the price anyway, you should consider renting again. Most used campervans are rather small and spartan; Shower and toilet are rarely Britz campervan on board, which often excludes the vehicle from being approved for freedom camping. Camping furniture etc. must be brought from home or bought on site. a) The time of purchase and sale, because the supply and demand situation on the car markets fluctuates very seasonally.

How long does it take from Germany to New Zealand?

Flight time (flight duration) to Auckland - New Zealand. The flight time (flight duration) from Frankfurt / Main to Auckland in New Zealand is just under 24 hours with a stopover. During this period, over 18,000 kilometers are covered!

Every year in February you can visit the Art Deco Festival in Napier on the third weekend and experience a colorful street festival with music and costumes. The Buskers Festival is held in Christchurch for ten days in January. There jugglers from all over the world gather and you can experience a free street theater. Regardless of whether you choose your destinations spontaneously on site or want to plan your own route before the trip, the itravelNZ travel app offers a wide range of information about the top sights in the country, including travel descriptions and reviews. All distances are given in kilometers and the speeds in kilometers per hour. We have numerous motorhome rental companies on offer, a large selection of vehicles and many rental stations. Simply enter your travel dates in the search mask on the left. Find your suitable vehicle model and simply book your motorhome holiday online. Our team of experts will be happy to advise you. Are you looking for adventure, nature and tranquility far from tourism and noise?

#Motorhome nz

0 notes

airbnbfestivals · 5 years ago

Text

Whoaaa! Guest left an awful review, geez, long time. Justified posting this response?

A guest of mine rather unexpectedly left kind of an awful review. 2 stars. I even have a note in the room explaining how the rating system actually works so he either didn't read it, or felt so strongly that he felt like this was appropriate. I'm a value oriented listing, but I provide a queen bed, lots of extras, and frankly am a really good value based on the market. You couldn't rent an apartment here for the prices I charge per night for the room.

This is their review:

"Spadesheart was a good host. When he was present, we had good conversation, liked the coffee he made and tasted his excellent homemade jam.

But unfortunately, the place was not at all as we expected from the reviews. The apartment unit and the corridors were very smelly, bed was really uncomfortable and bedsheets were dirty.

Sorry SpadesHeart, our stay was very unpleasant and I am surprised by other reviews."

His feedback was also honestly moronic. Saying that the listing wasn't worth half of what I have it for, and blaming me for difficulty checking in when I did have instructions on the app, and he didn't actually have any correspondence. Not to mention he came from out of country without any valid way to contact him. It was also really nitpicky? Like he took issue that the keys weren't on a ring when I gave them to him.

I want to post this response, don't know if it's too much:

" It's unfortunate that you had a poor stay, but I think your understanding of value in Canada is perhaps skewed. for the price that you paid per night, it is difficult to even find an apartment here currently, let alone a fully furnished apartment with internet, a mini-fridge, and various other extras that i endeavour to provide my guests. If you wanted a more luxurious stay, you should expect to pay more. Even so, I strongly believe I provide the best possible value at the price point, as can be seen by all of the other reviews over the past 2 years.

Furthermore, all sheets are washed and properly laundered between every guest. If you had issues with this, I would have appreciated correspondence. There is a station literally in the middle of the apartment which guests are allowed to help themselves. There are fresh towels, bedding and washed blankets all there, right in view. There is even a sign advising you to do so. Your sheets were clean, I would never allow a guest to sleep with dirty sheets, and it is quite insulting to suggest that I have. You did not read my instructions to your own detriment.

When rating places in the future understand how the rating system actually works in the modern sharing economy. I provided notation on this in the room and on the listing as well, but you obviously didn't read the instructions. If you need further reading, which based on your response, you do:

https://callercallsback.com/tech-etiquette-the-only-correct-way-to-rate-uber-drivers-and-airbnbs-9308fcefe4e9

I wish you well on your endeavours, but perhaps value listings on Airbnb are not for you. You would perhaps be more comfortable in a hotel rather than someones home. "

I'm guessing I wouldn't be able to post that link regardless, but honestly, what a moron.

Clearly I'm still annoyed. I'm a superhost, and have been for the last year and a half. This brings me down to be just on the cusp again. That being said, is it fair to post this or am I just being hot headed right now?

Original post here =+-+= Get $20 off your first AirBnB stay.

#Whoaaa! Guest left an awful review #geez #long time. Justified posting this response?#vacation #fam

0 notes

flyingaroundinabusinesssuit · 5 years ago

Photo

What One Should Consider For Business Travel

Nowadays the choice of business travel is not just confined to one parameter; one has to consider the other aspects too, apart from the price, the factors like convenience, loyalty programs and their rewards, elite status benefits.

Every airline offers a business class or premium travel class. Since there are so many airlines on the runway, so what makes a business section of each airline is different from the others. The cabins of United Airlines are different from those of Delta, Singapore or Air Canada Airlines.

The analysis aids us to stick our nose in the right direction, going through the premium facilities of the airlines, indeed which then firms our ultimate decision to choose a particular airline to travel.

Seeing these gradings, one can easily decide the ups and downs of each airline’s business travel.

Let’s see a few factors which can help us.

Few Considerations to make a Business Travel

The quest that arises is, which airline is best suited for business travel? The answer depends from person to person according to his or her preferences and situations which direct us in different directions while selecting a premium class product.

Look for these aspects while making a choice of airline for your business travel:-

Cost

Elite Status Benefits

Convenience

Loyalty program and rewards

Let’s see the importance of each one by one.

1. Cost of the class

Most travelers think that when it comes to buying airfare, the cheapest ones will save them. This may hold true for the ones who belong to the mediocre group, but at the same time, they have to face some issues like discomfort, tiredness, and etc.

Now, you have to raise the stakes of expenditure and pay a bit more than the regular airfare to enjoy some extra services and facilities. Spend those piles of money if and only if you are some easy earning dollars professional, in no catch.

Opt for the business class if you work for Fortune 500, or if you are some known singer celeb, or a minister.

While buying a ticket, make sure you use the travel credit card or some business credit card. Moreover, do see the applications of airlines like American Airlines, United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, or Aeromexico App where they offer not only upgrade options but also one can get the access to see more deals on car rents, hotels, travel conveniences.

2. Elite Status Benefits

American Airlines is the airline which provides the best elite status. The flying experiments don’t establish some basis for spending the needs; the benefits of elite status are one gets easy upgrades in less money when one attains a certain position in the hierarchy of tiers, plus systemwide upgrades, and some miles all beginning at the middle tier.

Don’t hesitate to switch the airlines in the fear that you may lose your status, guess what, you will not lose the status instead you will be upgraded. A firm example is of JetBlue airlines who made a policy that a person can earn Mosaic status by spending 1250 dollars in a period of quartile with the airline.

3. Convenience

Whichsoever airline you choose business travel must ease the journey of your team and yours. FareMart fulfills this condition without any hassle. The experience while booking a premium cabin for oneself is made a lot smoother, and interaction with the platform is a child’s play. The FareMart makes it a lot more robust than even one can think.

The business travel to the destination place must have an abundance of routes so that there is no wait time for the next catch. The business class travel thrives this much at least. If overseas travel is needy, then what’s the fun if he can not have a single flight or direct flight to the destination for a premium user.

The product quality of the business cabin of the airline plays a key role in one’s 14 hours or longer long-haul flights. The fully flat Japan Airlines Sky suite versus the angled flat berths of legit American plane can make a big difference when it comes to comfort and the money that you have paid for the quality. Compromise of any product, whether it is a meal, beverages, blankets, or rest, is not acceptable.

Make sure that you get all the above at the best worth with all other amenities.

Some other things to take into consideration are like customer service, airport location, and on-time performance must be part of the convenience. The thought of considering is that if one is traveling in business cuisine then whatsoever be the fault in the airline, lost baggage, traditional delays or any ‘xyz’ reason be, the shifting of the premium traveler must be done with a wink of an eye, wasting no time of traveler as well as of the system.

4. Loyalty Programs

One’s mileage points can get him the business travel if he is a regular flier with revenue-based frequent flyer programs. Various kinds of miles are a good suit for different amounts, so there’s a firm equation to create trustworthy airline reward points.

The business rewards programs are offered by almost every airline nowadays. One pivotal account is opened for every registered business. Now every time the flier books a business or premium class for the flight, his points will be added to his account.

Business travel or premium cabin for traveling is not a choice of some ordinary person in the population. This is only made possible by some big companies or if you are fortunate enough to travel in the premium class.

To smooth this process over even more - use experienced corporate travel agencies for all your business travel management requirements, like TravelManor, who has connections and expertise in various fields of the travel industry.

Article source: https://ceoworld.biz/2019/05/30/what-one-should-consider-for-business-travel/

0 notes

langblr-o-kebek · 6 years ago

Text

Behavioral economist here, the reason accounts like this (401k or employer sponsored Roth IRA) work (apart from the magic of compounding interest) is because we have found that people save more when they don't know they're saving. That means, if you're not the one actively and physically putting money away for savings, that you don't even get to touch the money that will be saved, you will save more.

We also know that people are unwilling to change things already in place, the status quo has the most inertia. That means that it's very important to pay attention to your new hire paperwork when you get a new job. Is the default on employer retirement plans an opt-in? Meaning you're not automatically enrolled and in order to enroll you must request so? Did you change the default option for retirement savings percentage withholding? Could you afford to put away 12% of your paycheck instead of the default 10%? Did you max out your 401k, meaning that you have instructed your company to match as much of your savings as they can? Too many people are not saving enough for retirement because they didn't think to change the default options. It's important to know that the defaults are nearly always selected arbitrarily or in the best interests of the company. You have a right and a need to save as much as you can and you have to be proactive in order to ensure it.

For those of you either without jobs or the salaries to begin retirement savings, it's okay. There are tools and tricks that you can use to put away something until you're able to put away more.

First is a fantastic app called Acorns (in Canada you can use Mylo, and there are others for other countries, I'm just not sure what they're called). They work also on the principle that you save the most when you don't realize it. You attach your bank cards to the app and it rounds up the spare change from purchases and invests these "micro-investments" into an investment portfolio of your desired risk.

Jars. Money is fungible which means that the same dollar bills that can buy you groceries can pay your rent. There are no rules as to which dollars can pay for what. That being said, we found that people like to pretend that money isn't fungible. This is where jars come into play. Stick to your budget and save by using jars or pots or bowls or whatever container to separate your money into different "accounts." Money in the rent jar may only be used for rent, money in the eating out jar is the only money you have for eating out, money in the savings jar is savings and can not be used in any other way, etc.

Finally, a complicated way to treat spare change. We accumulate money in our change jars but pretty slowly. Depending on your currency, you can give yourself a rule where you are not allowed to spend a certain denomination and whenever you have it, it goes in the change jar with the 5 and 10 cent coins. For example, I'm in Canada and I have a rule where I'm not allowed to spend 2$ coins so everytime I get one, it goes into the change bucket and I can't dig it out and spend it. It's an easy way to save and by doing it with small denominations like 1$, 2$, 5$, you don't really notice it's gone.

The point is, formal accounts are great if you use them right and if you're not in a position to do so, there are still great ways to begin saving until you can afford to do more.

No joke if youre a young American with a job go open up a Roth IRA and start saving money

21K notes · View notes

charllieeldridge · 4 years ago

Text

15 Simple Money Saving Tips Anyone Can Use

Do you want to travel more? Save money to move abroad? Pay down your debt? Have a nest egg so you can start your own business?

Finding the extra cash to do so isn’t always easy. In this article, I’ll share 15 simple money-saving tips to help you keep more cash in your pocket.

We utilized all of the tips in this article when we were saving money to go traveling. In the end, we were able to save enough to set off on our year-long backpacking adventure sooner than we thought.

Here are my top picks for ways to save money this year.

First, Create a Spreadsheet

Before you can put any money away, it’s important to figure out your finances and how much money is available for you to save.

Write down your take-home earnings, and from there, subtract all of your necessary expenses — just the payments you need to make in order to get by.

This is a simple visual way to see all of your payments in one place, and realize how much extra money you have to spend on entertainment, miscellaneous, and of course, savings.

Here’s an example:

Total Monthly Income: $_________.

Monthly Payments:

Rent / Mortgage

Groceries

Cell Phone

Electricity

Water

Car Insurance

Gas

Loans

Credit Card Bill

Cable and Wi-Fi

Total Monthly Payments: $_______.

Monthly Income minus Monthly Payments = $______.

If your balance each month is in the negative, you’ll need to start making some changes, including making more money on the side, picking up an online job, consolidating your payments, and tweaking your lifestyle.

Have a look at budgeting apps such as Mint (free) and Wally (free) to help you realize your money-saving goals.

Here are 15 easy money-saving tips for you to utilize this year!

1. Say “No” To Dining Out

When it comes to money-saving tips for food, this is by far the easiest one. Have you ever added up the amount of money you spend in a day, week, or month on meals out or coffees?

If you have a Starbucks coffee each morning, that’s roughly $4 every morning.

Going out for lunch during the week will cost around $8 each time for a salad or sandwich.

Do co-workers want to grab some drinks with you after work? That’s about $6 each drink and you’ll probably be hungry after work (and after that beer), so add some finger food for about $10. Don’t forget to add tax and tip!

*One major bonus of working remotely is that you won’t have to feel guilty for saying “no” to co-workers when they ask you to go out for lunch or drinks.

Theoretically, depending on how often you grab drinks or have coffee, you could spend around $28 + tax and tip in just one day.

During the weekends, going out for dinner is what many people enjoy doing. Let’s use Earls Restaurants as an example. I’m going to showcase costs based on their menu as the chain has locations in both the USA and Canada.

For dinner, the cheapest appetizer on the menu (apart from bread and fries) is $9.50. The least expensive main dish on the menu is a margarita pizza for $10.50, followed by chicken tacos for $14. Dessert is $5.

On top of that, you’ll want a drink, which is around $5 for a beer. Cocktails are $10+.

A 3-course dinner out at Earls with a beer will cost you $30 minimum (plus tax and tip).

If you spent an evening out during the week, and one on the weekend, you’re going to spend $60+ in one week. In one month, that’s $240 total. That $240 would go much further at the grocery store.

2. Enjoy Dinner Parties

Obviously you’ll still want to have a social life, so I’m not saying give up on seeing your friends and forgo any fun. But, rather than meeting for drinks at a trendy bar, or going out for dinner, why not host a dinner party?

Between all of your friends, you could rotate who hosts each weekend.

Make the dinner party pot-luck style where everyone brings a dish to contribute to the meal. You can find some awesome recipes on Allrecipes.com.

Or, rather than everyone bringing a dish, each week it could be the host’s turn to make the meal.

Opt for an affordable one-pot style dinner (spaghetti bolognese, chicken stew, minestrone soup, beef and bean chili, etc.) or a baked dish such as lasagna, casseroles, grilled chicken with roasted potatoes…get creative!

Buying booze from the shop rather than a bar is much cheaper. Look for sales at your local liquor store and stock up on beer, wine and spirits.

Enjoying dinner and game night with friends, or drinks and appetizers is a great way to catch up and save money while doing so.

3. Save On Accommodation Costs

Accommodation eats up a massive chunk of the budget each month. But, it doesn’t have to. If you’re looking to save money on having a roof over your head, you have a few options.

If you are currently renting, consider downsizing and moving into somewhere smaller and/or more economical.

If you’re in a townhouse, move to a basement suite or a studio apartment. If you’re in a 2-bedroom, switch to a 1-bedroom. Maybe search for a cheaper neighbourhood. There are many ways to downsize your accommodation.

Rather than renting a 1 bedroom home, can you save money by joining up with someone and having a roommate in a 2-bedroom place?

If you’re comfortable living in someone’s home, consider looking for house sitting jobs. This is my best money-saving tip for accommodation.

You can house sit/pet sit all around the world, including your home city (in many cases). If you live in one of the popular housesitting destinations (England, Australia, Canada, USA) there are a lot of house sits available). You could move from place to place every couple of weeks, all within the same city.

A Luxury House Sit in Grenada

By becoming a house sitter, you’ll receive free accommodation and (in our experience) a vehicle for your use. You’ll get to live like a local for free and enjoy the company of a furry friend.

While you’re trying to save money, this is an especially good way to keep cash in the bank. For more about the house sitting company we use and highly recommend, click here.

4. Use Rewards Credit Cards

If you’re going to spend money, you may as well earn some points while you’re at it. Americans have some great credit cards that offer cash-back and rewards when you purchase groceries. But surprisingly, there are actually some pretty good credit cards for us Canadians as well.

The Blue Cash Everyday card from American Express offers 3% cash-back on grocery store purchases up to $6,000 / year.

After that, they offer 1% cash-back on groceries at supermarkets in the USA. There are other bonuses such as 2% cash-back at the gas station, 1% on other purchases and no annual fee. Click here to learn more.

Another great card is the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card. You’ll receive unlimited 4% cash-back on dining and entertainment, 2% when shopping at supermarkets, and 1% on other purchases.

You’ll also get a $500 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months, and there’s no annual fee for the first month. Click here to learn more.

There are many more cards that offer savings on groceries at supermarkets in the United States. Click here to compare.

For Canadians, even though we don’t typically have the best travel credit cards available, there are a few great credit cards for food and grocery purchases.

The American Express Cobalt gives you 5 points for every dollar at grocery stores, cafes, bars, food delivery and restaurants. The points you earn can then be redeemed for travel on any airline. When it comes to food, this is a great credit card.

You’ll also get 2 points for every dollar spent on gas, travel, rideshare (Uber), taxis, but just 1 point for all other purchases.

The only downside to the card is that there’s a $10 monthly fee, and American Express isn’t accepted everywhere (but, you can use it at Safeway, Sobey’s, Whole Foods, Co-op, Metro, FoodBasics and more).

If you prefer Visa, a great card is the Scotia Momentum Visa Infinite which offers 4% back on groceries and gas. 2% cashback at drugstores and recurring bill payments and 1% on other items. The $99 annual fee is waived for the first year.

Make this the year that your plastic cards start working for you.

5. Do Some Meal Prep

One of the main reasons that people opt for pricy fast food, or frozen meals is because preparing a healthy meal can take a bit of time. Consider preparing food ahead of time and have it ready to go for the whole week.

Do you drink smoothies in the morning? Pre-cut all of the fruits and vegetables and have them portioned out into containers for each day, then toss them in the freezer.

Each morning, grab out the container, add the liquid of your choice, and blend it up. Cutting up the produce is the time-consuming part. Have it ready to go and you’ll be able to eat healthier and save money by not opting to buy breakfast on the fly.

On Sundays, create meals for the whole week. When we lived in Canada, I used to do this and it saved us buying meals out when there was “nothing to eat” in the fridge.

Frozen fruit ready for the blender

The best idea is to make a large batch of food – stews, soups, chilis, and sauces freeze well – and make a variety of them so you’re never bored with eating the same food.

Or, portion out meals into containers for the week. Make a large pot of rice, add cooked chicken and a side of vegetables to each container and you’re ready to go. Change them up with various types of vegetables, and maybe mix between couscous, quinoa, pasta and rice.

Things like casseroles and lasagna also freeze well.

Having ready-made meals in the fridge and freezer will stop you from ordering in pizza, or grabbing some fast food on the way home. Making food at home is much more economical and is one of the best money-saving tips.

6. Share Your Clothes

If you have a friend who is the same size as you, this is an excellent way to enjoy two wardrobes for the price of one! It’ll save you going out and shopping for the latest items — and most likely, purchasing things you don’t actually need.

When you “have nothing to wear”, you can call up your friend and do some weekend shopping in their closet. Clothes are expensive and most of us own way too many. Rather than buying something new, consider borrowing.

But, if you must purchase an item and your friend doesn’t have something you can borrow, buy clothing at the second-hand store, opt for outlets, or check out the sales rack.

7. Ditch The Car

Depending on where you live and your lifestyle, you could quite easily sell your car and get around by foot, bike, or public transport.

For couples who own two cars, sell one of them and share the second. Cars are the biggest money guzzlers – petrol, insurance, parking and maintenance, it’s never-ending!

Sell your car and put that money towards your next trip or paying down some debt. Walking and cycling are great ways to get exercise, while public transport options are also very affordable and practical.

When it comes to the best money-saving tips, selling your car and opting for a transit pass is always at the top.

Not only will you be able to put the money from the sale of your vehicle in your bank account, but your monthly transportation budget will be very minimal going forward.

8. Cut Back On Beauty

This one applies to both women and men. While women tend to spend more money, men are starting to put an emphasis on grooming as well.

Go into your bathroom and have a look at all the products you own. Make-up, lotions, perfumes, body wash, hair styling products, beard oils, etc.

Depending on which brands you’ve purchased, if you tallied up the cost, you’ll probably find it’s quite high.

Do you actually need all of those items? Could you get by with a cheaper brand? Could you do without 5 different types of hair products and just use 1?

Cut back on your spending on body and beauty products this year and keep more cash in your pocket.

Although those items are pricey, when it comes to money-saving tips on beauty, my biggest suggestion is to limit your time at the hair salon and spa. Or better yet, don’t go at all.

For women, a simple cut is often around $50+, while colouring or highlighting your hair will easily add another $85+ to the bill. But, you also need to tip on top of that.

Each time you visit the hair salon, you’ll spend around $125 (if you have your hair coloured). Most women do this every 2 months or so, meaning you’ll spend $750 in a year on your hair.

$750 is a round trip flight from New York to Bangkok.

$750 is 15 nights of accommodation (at $50/night).

$750 is a 5-day cruise.

$750 is a lot of groceries!

If you simply must colour your hair, purchase dye from the drugstore. If you need to cut your hair, you can learn to do it yourself, have a friend come by to cut it for you or opt for a cheaper salon to get it cut — less frequently.

Cancel all pedicures, manicures, facials, and spa treatments if you want to save money this year. It’s amazing how much money you can save just by changing your beauty regime.

9. Automate Your Savings

One of the hardest things about saving money is physically transferring the money to a savings account.

A top money-saving tip is to set up automated savings. Simply contact your bank and have them set your account to transfer $X to your savings account each month (or week, or bi-weekly). Or, you can request a certain percentage be transferred into savings.

At the start of this money-saving tips blog post, I mentioned going through your finances to see how much money you have left over after paying the necessities.

Let’s say you have $300 left. You’ll probably want $100 for entertainment in the month (meals out, movies, booze, etc.) and $100 for miscellaneous (toiletries, gifts, medicine, etc.), which leaves you $100 each month that you can transfer to your savings account.

At the end of the year, you’ll have $1,200 in savings! But, if you had to manually transfer that money, odds are you would probably end up spending it instead. Automate your savings, it’s one of my best money-saving tips.

10. Use Cash (for entertainment)

Using your credit card to pay your bills, buy groceries and all other items is what I recommend. But, if you’re budgeting yourself $100 / month for entertainment, then I suggest using cash.

We personally did this when we were trying to come up with $40,000 for a year of travel, and it’s amazing how well it works.

Basically, you have $100 in your wallet (we did $50), and that’s all. No other cash in your wallet. When that $100 is gone, so is the paid entertainment for the month.

You’ll have to get creative and enjoy free entertainment such as watching movies at home, going outdoors, hiking, or having friends over for dinner and games.

Being able to actually see the cash leave your wallet (rather than just swiping your debit card) really makes you decide whether or not you truly need that item you’re about to buy. And if you only have a set amount for the month, you may decide to save it for a special night out.

Consider using cash for your entertainment budget

11. Cancel & Consolidate

Take all of your utility bills and lay them out on the table. Evaluate each of them and decide if you can cancel any of your accounts, or at least, cut back.

Do you have the best cable package? Maybe consider purchasing a Netflix subscription (or something similar) instead for $8 / month.

When it comes to your cell phone bill, do you need that much data, talk-time, texts? For Wi-Fi, can you downgrade your plan to a slower speed (but one that will still stream shows)?

Can you cancel your landline at home?

Is there a better car/life/health insurance plan you can be on?

Could you switch to a gas water heater, rather than electric?

This is one of the top money-saving tips for those of you at home who are trying to save money. Bills seem to stack up and unless you contact your provider to either get a discount or cut back on the plan you’re currently on, you’ll continue to overspend on utilities each month.

12. Cancel Your Gym Membership

This one is huge! So many people make “going to the gym” one of their New Year’s Resolutions, but, most people stop going after a couple of months.

Depending on which gym you go to, you’ll probably spend around $50 / month. And, when you sign up, oftentimes you’re locked into a year’s worth of payments.

Rather than shell out $600+ each year, start working out at home.

There are endless FREE yoga and workout classes on YouTube and Skillshare. All you need is a mat and maybe a few weights.

Rather than joining the gym so you can run on a treadmill, go for an actual run, outside. Go hiking, walking, or cycling —mall of which are free ways to get exercise.

Doing yoga at home rather than in a studio is a great way to save money

Another option is to join the local recreation center. They’re usually very affordable and you can utilize all of the amenities (swimming pool, squash courts, running tracks, etc.). Plus, many cities have parks with climbing walls, skateboard bowls, ice-skating rinks and running tracks that you can use for free.

Get fit for free this year.

13. Quit Your Habits

I’m not here to give any lectures, but if you are a smoker, vaper, gambler, or heavy drinker, it’s time to quit — or at the very least, cut back…way back. The cost of cigarettes varies depending on which state or province you live in, but on average, they are around $8 a pack.

If you smoke a pack every 2 days, that’s $1,460 that you’re literally burning away each year.

The cost of alcohol is also very high. Either quit drinking, cut back, or purchase a cheaper brand of booze. You’ll be amazed at the amount of money you will save each month. Money that can be put towards a trip, or creating a better lifestyle for yourself.

14. Give DIY Gifts

When you think about money saving tips, cutting back on gift-giving probably isn’t at the top. But, if you consider how many birthday, wedding, baby, anniversary, Christmas, or travel gifts you’ve purchased this year (and did the math), you’ll probably be surprised at how much you spent.

Rather than purchasing presents for friends and family who are celebrating, make them something. A handmade gift is much more thoughtful anyway.

Check out Pinterest for some excellent DIY gift ideas. Or, better yet, give the gift of time. Spend time together doing an activity and create memories that will last much longer than that handbag you bought.

15. Forgo Fees

This is a good one. When you’re out and need to hit up the ATM to get some cash, only go to the ATM at your bank. Each time you utilize another bank’s machine, you’ll pay a fee. Usually, it’s about $5 per withdrawal.

When you use your credit card, make sure you pay off the balance, or at the very least, the minimum amount due, or interest (at a high rate) will start accruing.

If you pay your bills late, there will be a penalty added.

If you have a chequing account with a monthly fee that’s waived if you keep “x” amount of dollars in the account, make sure you don’t go below that amount.

All of these little fees, penalties, and interest costs can really add up over a month. If you do miss a payment, or you accidentally dip below the required amount of cash in your account, contact your bank or service provider and ask them to (please) remove the fee. They usually will.

16. Bonus! Order Groceries Online

Going into the grocery store can be a pain. Not to mention, once you’re there, there are tempting items to buy — especially near the check-out counter.

These days, it’s definitely becoming more mainstream to simply purchase your groceries online and have them delivered to your door.

Not only will you save money due to impulse purchases, and on gas for your car, but ordering online is usually much cheaper than buying in-store — especially for health foods. Compare prices of items like almond butter, coconut oil, hemp hearts, nuts, beans, canned fish, etc. on websites like Amazon before going into the grocery store.

Save even more money by signing up for Thrive Market. This platform is the Whole Foods for people who aren’t rich! Organic, non-GMO, healthy foods are available at a fraction of the cost, delivered right to your house. You can even order frozen meats and seafood, and as a bonus, shipping on items over $49 is free. Click here for details.

Finally, another company which is located in both the United States and Canada is Instacart. Basically, you log-in to an app and order your groceries from the local supermarket. Personal shoppers will then collect the items on your list and you either pick them up at the store or have them delivered to you.

Same day delivery is possible, even within 1 hour. You can purchase 1 month or 1-year memberships and enjoy unlimited deliveries. Exclusive discounts are available for Instacart members. Click here for details.

Your time is valuable. Save time and money and consider ordering online. This is one of the best ways to save money on groceries.

Did These Money-Saving Tips Help?

I hope that the above 16 money-saving ideas gave you some new and useful ways to keep more money in your pocket this year. When you’re saving for a trip, wanting to work for yourself, or simply need to pay down some debt, every penny counts.

My final tip is to make a realistic goal for yourself, one that will allow you to still enjoy your life while putting money away.

If you have a whiteboard, write down how much money you want in your savings account at the end of the year. Focus on that amount, and utilize the above steps to help you realize your money-saving goal.

As always, please feel free to comment down below with your best money-saving tips, or email us with comments and suggestions.

Like This Article? Pin it!

The post 15 Simple Money Saving Tips Anyone Can Use appeared first on Goats On The Road.

15 Simple Money Saving Tips Anyone Can Use published first on https://travelaspire.weebly.com/

0 notes