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6 ways to cut expenses and save hundreds of dollars a month

Mali Sandler Beker — Fri, 21 Oct 2022 08:23:26 +0000

Our salaries have remained the same, but everything around us is getting more expensive and inflation is rising: from the rent and gas to the coffee, the hairdresser and the children’s classes – our money only buys less and less. Is it still possible to save a few hundred dollars a month?

Do you also feel that everything is getting really expensive? You’re not alone. A lot of people are starting to use budgeting techniques for cutting down on their expenses. Some principles you can use are: annual, monthly, weekly and daily budget planning; paying attention to even the smallest details; and using cash or credit cards instead of loans where possible.

Our goal in this article is to offer you concrete tips that you can start using today, which are likely to save you a lot of money.

1. Switch to a hybrid car

Electric cars were supposed to be the big news that would significantly reduce the emission of pollutants into the Earth’s atmosphere, with a smooth and quiet ride. But at the moment they are still quite limited in travel range, and require frequent charging at designated stations or by setting up a charging station at home, which many cannot do.

A hybrid car offers a combination of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine – so that part of the time the car does not burn fuel at all. This way you can achieve huge savings of between 30% and 80% of the monthly fuel cost, depending on the travel distances and the nature of your trips.

2. Reduce bank fees

For every action you perform at the bank, it charges a fee, even if you did it completely alone on the website or in the application, without the involvement of one of the bank’s employees. These fees are among the banks’ biggest sources of profit, and it’s helped by the fact that most of us treat them as fate.

But the truth is that the commissions can be negotiated, and even canceled completely. Go to your bank account’s website or app and check how much the fees you pay are. Contact the bank (also possible via chat) to request a discount or even cancel them.

3. Make coffee at home

One of the little indulgences that almost all of us allow ourselves here and there is a cup of coffee, and maybe a pastry too, in a cafe near the house, near the office or on the way between both. A stimulating and optimistic start to the working day.

But when everything becomes more expensive, even this small habit already costs us a lot of money – and adds up to at least a few dozen shekels a week. You can prepare a cup of coffee on the go in the home espresso machine, alongside a cookie or two instead of an expensive pastry. To save much more, try switching from the luxury espresso capsules to regular coffee, just like before.

4. Self-training

Classes are important, but it is also one of the most expensive items in the family budget. Playing the piano, learning another language, painting, yoga, basketball or group cycling – any such class costs a lot of money, and when it comes to 1:1 sessions with a coach or guide, the price is more expensive for a single session.

Today there is an abundance of available apps, YouTube videos and online courses (Such as Udemy) for anything you want to learn: playing the ukulele through any possible programming language, handicrafts such as sewing and carpentry, strength training, yoga and pilates. Instead of a basketball class for a child, organize a group for a weekly game with friends on the court, and if you prefer bicycles – go for family rides on the weekends.

5. Save on cosmetics

Hair coloring at the salon every few weeks, regular manicure and pedicure treatments – all these are expenses that can add up to hundreds of dollars a month or more. All of these treatments can be performed alone at home, without looking for parking and without waiting in line while flipping through magazines from 1995.

6. Home cinema

One of the most favorite family (or couple) experiences is going to the cinema – without, of course, skipping a huge bucket of popcorn. But this experience comes with a high price tag, and with the popcorn and drinks, it is a very expensive pastime for a family with 3 children.

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, almost every new movie currently shown in cinemas is also available on one of the streaming platforms, such as Apple or Disney Plus – where you can rent it for a few dollars for 48 hours, or buy it for a few tens of shekels. This is the time to inform the family that tonight we are staying at home, put the popcorn in the microwave and watch the movie without interruptions, without being stepped on and without commercials that will brainwash you so that you spend more and more money.

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Grow your own vegetables with this Australian garden patent

Mali Sandler Beker — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:40:21 +0000

The vegepod has reached almost every country in the world: the patented planter provides optimal conditions for growing vegetables on the balcony or in the garden through a built-in irrigation system and a unique cover made of knitted mesh

Matt Harris tried for years to grow vegetables in his private garden in one of the towns near Sydney, Australia – without much success.

He may occasionally have managed to pick a green and ripe lettuce leaf or a tomato that the insects accidentally skipped over, but in most cases he encountered substantial difficulties that damaged the vegetables he grew: uncontrolled watering, insects that gnawed the leaves and vegetables, drying out from too strong a sun or the plants were destroyed due to a stormy day with strong winds .

Harris did not give up on the dream of eating organic vegetables straight from the garden, and thought of solutions that would make the work possible. One of the ideas he thought of was the Vegepod – a smart planter with a bed of water at the bottom, a mesh cover knitted from high-quality and strong yarns and automatic watering connected to the home pipe.

He applied his patent to the Australian show “The Sharks”, in which he presented himself as a “frustrated gardener” and managed to conquer one of the sharks in the show, who invested in his idea and turned Vegepod into a thriving company.

A private vegetable garden

Since then, the Vegepod has managed to spread throughout the world and capture the hearts of everyone who dreamed of growing vegetables independently and completely organically. During the Covid-19 period, the project gained even more momentum when more and more people realized the satisfaction of self-growing and developed their own private vegetable garden.

But beyond that, it seems that eating vegetables directly from the private garden also has an important nutritional value. Studies that have been done have found that a large part of the vitamin values in vegetables disappears by the time they reach the supermarket or supermarket shelves, so even those who make sure to buy organic vegetables and fruits are actually giving up the nutritional values, if they do not grow them themselves and consume them close to harvest.

“Optimal conditions for growing vegetables”

“Vegepod is very successful in the United States and Australia,” the company says. “Growing vegetables on the ground in a garden or in a regular planter opens the door to a great many things that can damage the produce.

“There can be problems with watering, especially if you go on vacation for a few days or don’t check the required amount of water correctly, insects and pests will always appear and this is something that cannot be prevented without Pest control, the soil can be infected with chemicals or lead, days of extreme weather can damage the crop and more.

“The Vegepod provides a perfect microclimate that has all the optimal conditions for growing vegetables thanks to its patented lid. Moreover, the special lid accelerates the growth of vegetables completely naturally so that they also grow much faster and all this without special attention.

“You can even leave it for weeks after the plants are established and they will still develop and grow thanks to the water bed that is installed at the bottom. The upper net protects the plants from too strong radiation of the sun, from extreme weather, heavy rain and of course from the intrusion of insects or birds that eat the plants.”

“A delicious and organic experience”

If desired, the Vegepod can be installed on legs that place the planter at waist level and make it very easy for older people, for example, who want to monitor the growth or for children, who can learn for the first time that tomatoes don’t come from the supermarket shelves.

“The Vegepod is successful in schools and among parents who want to educate their children to be patient and live close to nature. They can see how the plant develops every day starting from the seeding stage, the bulbs and then the fruits or vegetables that become ripe for eating right from the garden. It teaches them a lot of values and they suddenly Appreciate the fruits and vegetables they eat.”

The Vegepod comes in three sizes and can fit anyone who has one, from a small balcony to a spacious garden.

This is how it works >>

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Shopping online, The safe way

Mali Sandler Beker — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:09:53 +0000

All your friends shop online, but you’re still concerned? Here are five ways for safe and efficient shopping online, so you can begin ordering the products you’ve always wanted

Buying online allows us not only to get items that are impossible to find in our area of residence, or to rare and interesting objects, but also many times cheaper and much more profitable than buying in a store across the road.

So for the benefit of those who are still reluctant to shop on the various websites – here are some tips that can help and make the online purchase safer and easier.

1. Buy only on well-known websites

At least for a start, you should not be too adventurous, and buy only on sites that everyone knows and can testify to their reliability. Ebay or Amazon, Asos and others are names you have surely already heard, for the simple reason that they are extremely popular, and are known to be reliable and have a high level of security. If you find a site you’re not sure about, ask people you know if they have experience buying from it.

A short search of opinions on Google or in the various Facebook groups can also help. When purchasing from sites like Ebay, where there are many sellers, you should check the rating of the person selling the item you wanted, and what feedback he received from other people who bought from him.

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