Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

5 Smart Tips to Staying Fit and Healthy While on Vacation

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Vacation should be a time of sampling local foods, exploring new destinations, and enjoying every moment away from the daily grind of work or responsibilities. With all this merry-making, it can be way too easy to sabotage your health. The last thing you want upon returning home from vacation is to feel like a slug due to overindulgence during your vacay. Here are a few simple tips to staying fit and feeling fine on your vacation while still having fun.

Healthy Flying: Too often, our health is most threatened the minute we step foot in an airport. Fatty fast foods, drying canned air, stressful environments, and a slew of germs crawling all over the place make airports and airplanes a death trap to our health. Luckily, there are steps you can take to thwart the unhealthy effects of airplane travel. For example, pack your own healthy lunch or snacks before heading off to the airport. This will keep you satisfied, save you money and help you resist the grossly unhealthy food often found in airports and on airplanes. Remember to drink plenty of water to keep you hydrated too. Doing this will help your body stay nourished while exposed to the recycled air piped in through airplanes and throughout airports. Also, consider performing deep breathing exercises and/ or meditation to keep your stress levels down while babies are crying and passengers are clanging all around. Breathing deeply and meditating is especially helpful if traveling by air stresses you out. Lastly, keep hand sanitizers and antibacterial wipes at the ready. Wipe down your plane seat before getting situated. Use your hand sanitizer often so you can avoid lingering germs left behind by other travelers.

Save Your Skin: Whether by plane, train, or automobile, travel can take a toll on your healthy glow.  As mentioned, it’s vital to keep hydrated before, during, and after your travel.  Drinking plenty of water while enjoying your vacation will keep your skin hydrated and looking great. If you’re vacationing to sunny destinations, be sure to apply sunscreen to avoid burns (or worse, certain skin cancers). Travel often kicks up a lot of dirt and grime so be sure to continue your clean skincare routine by washing your face well. This will help prevent dirt and oil buildup so you can avoid breakouts or blemishes while showing your best face for selfies on your vacation.

Eat Smart: Sticking to healthy eating choices while traveling is probably the number one challenge everyone faces while on vacation. Local delicacies are so delicious and tempting! Thankfully, you can still sample street foods, nosh on exotic edibles, and nibble on bodacious bites. The trick is moderation. Sample everything, but do so in small portions. Depending upon where you travel, you can healthily experience the best foods any region has to offer. More and more, restaurateurs are offering smarter, healthier choices to diners that boast bold flavors within their culture.  For example, try alternatives like vegetarian soft tacos instead of deep-fried smothered pork chimichangas.  It’s okay to splurge, but it’s also easy to make mindful compromises so your diet (and your waistline) doesn’t suffer from vacation indulgences.

Sleep Well: This is perhaps one of the most overlooked aspects of staying fit and healthy while on vacation. Too often we forget that we are sleeping in foreign beds, not anticipating odd noises in the night, or maybe even partying too much which can keep us from getting enough quality shut-eye.  That’s why certain items such as noise-canceling earbuds or soothing eye masks are travel essentials for decent sleep while traveling. Also, think about drinking a bit less alcohol and more water. This will help you hit the pillow and prepare for a better night’s sleep.  Lastly, avoid eating big meals before bedtime.  This often wreaks havoc on any attempt to sleep soundly.

Move Your Body:  When enjoying vacation, exercise is probably the last thing on your mind. That’s understandable. This should be a time to enjoy and have fun. However, you don’t have to do a three-mile run or drop and do 100 pushups to maintain your health while traveling.  Doing a few simple stretches in the morning or a few yoga moves every day goes a long way to keeping you fit.  Better yet, think about incorporating physical activities that are region-specific. For example, consider going horseback riding if you’re visiting Texas or hiking while visiting the Grand Canyon.  At the very least, work in some walking or biking time while touring your vacation destination. Strolling through expansive marketplaces or cycling on charming bike paths is a brilliant way to soak in the scenery while staying fit and healthy on your vacation.

Wherever your destination for vacation and whatever you find yourself doing, these tips will help you retain your health while still enabling you to enjoy yourself. Happy (and healthy) travels to you!

Who Says Second-Hand Fashion Can’t Be Glamorous?

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Historically speaking, quality clothing has never come cheap. Believe it or not, but when adjusted for inflation, today’s clothing prices are significantly less than what they were in the past.

With that said, few households have the income to justify paying what stores are charging for designer clothes, shoes, and accessories. Unless there’s a good reason to buy new, you’re always better off buying preowned.

But who says second-hand fashion has to look dull and disappointing? The truth is that, with a few tweaks to your approach, it’s possible to look absolutely stunning in nothing but preowned attire.

The following are a few ways you and your family can save money on nice clothes, shoes, and accessories while still looking sharp:

Antique jewelry

Nothing adds a splash of refinement to an outfit like a nice piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, most strip-mall jewelry stores make it difficult for customers to know whether or not they’re getting a deal or getting ripped off. If you want fine jewelry at a relatively fine price, consider going the antique route. An antique necklace or pair of earrings will be expertly crafted from precious gems and metals without unfair markup. While all fine jewelry is inherently expensive, the unique style and elegant flair of antique pieces will justify the cost, especially since older jewelry was made to last centuries with minimal maintenance.

Vintage style

Retro fashion has been paradoxically en vogue for decades. These days it seems like the styles of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s are considered an acceptable part of modern fashion, so use that to your advantage. Thrift stores, online auction sites, and old-fashioned yard sales are goldmines for vintage clothing items. However, as far as looking your best is concerned, it’s a good idea to avoid looking like you just stepped out of a time machine. In other words, incorporate one or two pieces of vintage fashion into your outfit, rather than a head-to-toe throwback ensemble.

Tailored outfits

Gowns, suits, and other formal wear are meant to be custom tailored for an optimum fit. That means you shouldn’t buy nice clothing at thrift stores – or does it? Tailors can make adjustments to preowned clothing the same way they do for new items. With this in mind, consider buying gently used formal wear that’s a little too big for you. Take it to a reputable tailor and nab yourself a gorgeous outfit for hundreds less than what you’d pay otherwise.

Posh resale

Many companies these days make a business out of reselling gently worn designer label clothing items. These businesses operate with reduced overhead by shifting everything online other than the cleaning, storing, and shipping of the clothing itself. They pass the savings onto the customer while still earning enough to make it worth their while.

Hidden treasures

Sometimes you just have to get lucky. It could be a heavily discounted jacket you find at the flea market, or a beautiful brooch you come across at an estate sale. Whatever the source, the only way to uncover hidden treasures is to get out there and start hunting. With that said, it’s crucial to do your research prior to purchase. Just because the sales staff claim it’s a steal doesn’t make it true. Consult online pricing guides to gauge the true value.

Quality clothing should be made to last. Unfortunately, today’s trend of disposable fashion means people pay more for the brand than the clothing itself. In order to look great without spending a fortune, folks ought to opt for preowned clothing, shoes, and accessories. Doing so ensures you aren’t going broke just to stay fashionable.

Handy Financial Resources Every Parent Should Know About

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You need money for virtually everything, and people see this clearly when they have children. At this point, lack of money can put your children’s lives in jeopardy, and no parent wants that. The good thing is there are a few financial resources out there that parents should know about to make their lives easier.

Financial Calculators

One thing you should do is use a financial calculator. There are many online, and most of them are free though there are a few apps you can download that’ll do the same thing for you. When it comes to choosing one, look for good reviews. You also want to pay attention to the way the information is presented. You don’t want something that’s hard to use. What a good financial calculator does for you helps you figure out how much you need to set aside for your kids’ college fund and other similar savings. It’s hard to figure this out on your own, but this tool should help.

Community Lenders

The next thing parents need to be aware of is community money lenders. The reality is raising children can get expensive. This is something all parents know. Ideally, you will always have a steady stream of income and never need anything, but that is not always the case. You can’t predict what’s going to happen in the future. If for some reason you hit money issues, you don’t want to jeopardize your family’s wellbeing. You do have a choice. You can start applying for a personal loan in Chicago and other major metropolitan areas to solve whatever financial hurdler you’re going through.

Debt Consolidation

Debt in various forms, be it credit cards, mortgages, and student loans, are everyday things for most people because they have no other choice in modern times. It is best to use debt during an emergency, as mentioned above. When you’re in debt, you’re accountable to someone. You want to decrease your debt obligation as much you can because you have to think about your kids. The good thing is you can use debt consolidation to try to reduce your debt and gain your freedom back. These professionals will help pull you out of financial stress.

Credit Reports

You can gain access to your free credit report each year, and you should take advantage of that. You need to do this not only because your credit score is essential but also to spot identity theft. Yes, identity theft can put you and your family’s finances in jeopardy, and you don’t want that. If you see something suspicious on the report, you’ll be able to do something about it. All you have to do is report the problem, and the issue should be resolved. Having an excellent report helps your family because you get lower interest rates and other benefits.

Financial Advisor

Financial advisors are a vital resource, yet sometimes, people don’t take advantage of their services. These folks will get to know you and your family’s finances intimately. After doing so, they’ll be able to analyze your finances and cash flow. They’ll factor in some of your goals, like having enough to buy your kids’ first cars and other things. They’ll create a plan so that you can do all of this, and they’ll also suggest a few steps you can take that’ll help put your family in a better financial position than you are in. These folks will teach you how to budget better and may even teach you about creating new income streams if you need them.

There you have it. You’ve got plenty of tools and resources to help you as a parent. All you have to do is take advantage of each one because you’ll be happy you did. Talk to an advisor for more tips.