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Setting a Budget at Christmastime

There are two types of people in the world: Savers and spenders. At Christmas, it is much easier to be a spender than a saver, and it can wreak havoc on your wallet if you are not careful. It is important that you set a reasonable Christmas budget that the whole family can stick to. In this way, you will be able to get gifts for everyone on your list without having to worry about a lasting financial strain from the holidays.

Consider Normal Monthly Expenses

Just because it is the holiday season does not mean that you will not have to pay things like rent, utilities or car notes. It is important to factor in your normal expenses when determining what your Christmas budget will be. Make a list of all the expenses that you incur throughout the month, including your groceries and any extras like vaping supplies from Smokingthings. In this way, you will be able to see what is left over to spend on your gifts.

Make a List of Gift Recipients

Your budget will be stretched a lot more if you buy a gift for every single person that you know. You should make a list of everyone that it is essential for you to buy for. Then, if there is a lot of money left over in the budget, you can add more people to that list. If you are having trouble stretching your budget across several people, you might talk to your family about drawing names for gifts this year. In this way, everyone gets one larger present instead of several small ones.

Do Not Forget About Yourself

During the holidays, it can be easy to get wrapped up in buying for everyone else, and you can easily forget about yourself. However, you should set aside some money to get something special for yourself. It does not have to be anything large; just something to cheer you up and make you feel indulged. It is not selfish to want to get something for yourself at Christmas; after all, you have worked hard to be able to spend your money.

There are plenty of things to get excited about during the holiday season, and gift giving is one of the main ones. Consider how you will budget for your gifts this year while still giving gifts that are thoughtful and meaningful. When you follow these tips, you can have a great Christmas that will not break the bank.

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Can You See the Red Flags in This PayPal Account Phishing Attempt

PayPal Phishing Email Screenshot
Click Image to Enlarge

It still surprises me the number of people that get taken by these types of spam emails, normally leading to malware installs, identity theft or other annoyances of life in the digital age. For me I hardly ever click on links in an email if I'm not expecting the email from someone already in advance. Even then I take a few quick seconds to scan the email and look for anything that seems fishy to me. Or should that be "phishy"?

Can you spot all the issues with this email I recently received:

  1. Misspelled the name of the company in the sender's name "Paypl service"
  2. Spammy looking email address! - this isn't always a reliable tell-tell sign to watch out, but more often than not it should give you a heads up. In this case the account name (prior to the @ symbol) seems odd, and in this case the server the email is coming from is also pretty sketchy looking
  3. Not always a red-flag (sadly) but there's numerous instances of letters being capitalized in the body of the message that shouldn't be if following standard grammatical rules
  4. Although not an alert all by itself, anything I see a link that's formatted as a button, I know there's opportunity for the things to be hidden, in this case we look at where the link is going to go by hovering over the link with our mouse in the browser and our browser telling us where in the bottom-left-hand corner
  5. Look at that link! //cat.jp.as.criteo.com/ now I'm going to stop right there because it's interesting to note that "Criteo" is a legitimate advertising platform, so these spammers appear to be either absolutely tracking their efforts of success or potentially spoofing this further to obscure their ploy. Taking a further look at the remaining part of the URL you'll see another website address being include after the "?r=" query string. That leads me to believe that link is being redirected even further to help cover their tracks

Here's another quick Public Service Announcement for you, don't just go clicking on links in emails even when they look like they're coming from legitimate sources. 

In this case, if you did indeed have a PayPal account and you were worried about it. Go to their website directly by opening your browser and typing in the URL of the company directly and visiting the site that way. Login to your account and see if there are any warnings or alerts posted there. If the company has a chat feature for support, send them a chat and have them verify if there are or are not any issues with your account that need to be addressed.

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6 Ways to Make Your Coffee More Eco-Friendly

Hot Cup of Coffee on Whole Beans

For many people, drinking several cups of coffee a day is a lifestyle choice. So, considering how much java is gulped down on a daily basis, it makes sense to try and make this habit more eco-friendly. The good news is that it is absolutely possible to do this! For the best results, follow these suggestions below:

1. Keep Your K Cups Green

K cups have enjoyed quite a bit of popularity in the past few years. Not only does this product make it easier to brew your money cup, but it has so many different flavor options to choose from as well. Despite all the positive elements associated with K cups, there was one glaring issue. This, of course, was the fact that single-use containers weren’t green at all.

The good news, though, is that manufacturers have listened to these concerns and responded accordingly with the introduction of eco friendly Biodegradable K Cups. There are now several brands that offer containers that naturally break down with time. These fall into two categories – biodegradable and compostable. Thus, you can select a K cup that is especially suitable for your type of eco-friendly techniques. 

Of course, when selecting these containers, try to make it a point to read the labels carefully. While some are fully biodegradable, this isn’t true for all K cups. Others have certain compartments that need to be separated and sent off to specialized recycling centers. Thus, you will need to select one that is easiest for you to dispose of in a responsible manner.

2. Buy Coffee Makers with Reusable Filters

Most people would look at single-use coffee filters and imagine that they would break down rather easily. After all, they are rather flimsy and are sure to decompose in a landfill. Well, what most people aren’t aware of is the fact that these filters are bleached. So, when they do break down, they release harmful chemicals into the soil.

This is why you should buy coffee makers with reusable filters. As the name suggests, these can be rinsed out and used continuously. Thus, you can considerably cut down on just how much waste you create every day. In case you aren’t in the market for a new coffee maker, there is another option for you.

You can purchase a separate reusable filter for your machine. All you need to do is to check that the filter is the right shape and size for your coffee machine model and you will be good to go.

3. Keep it Local

The distance your coffee has to travel to get to you can play a huge role in whether or not it is eco-friendly. Whether your coffee reaches you by ship, plane, or truck, there is quite a bit of pollution involved in the transportation process. This alone is enough for the coffee to leave behind a significant carbon footprint.

To cut down on this, look for local brands that grow and process the beans closer to you. Naturally, these beans will not have to travel nearly as far to get to a store in your town or city. As a result, it will be a great deal safer for the environment.

4. Buy Coffee Grown with Minimal Environment Impact

It is important to keep in mind that going organic isn’t just good for your body. Organic farming is safe for the environment as well. By its very definition, organic farming cuts out the use of pesticides and other harmless toxins. Thus, there is no chance for these chemicals to seep into the surrounding soil and contaminate it.

If you don’t mind taking it one step further, look for other stamps on your coffee such as Rainforest Alliance and bird-friendly. This means that the processing system is eco-friendly and that the beans are grown in a sustainable manner.

5. Have Reusable Mugs on Hand

A number of people take their coffee to go each day. This is why it is so important to take a reusable mug with you each time you leave the house. Such a practice naturally cuts down on how much waste you create. Not to mention, you also get to keep your coffee warmer for longer.

If possible, adopt this practice when getting your brew from a local coffee shop. Rather than pouring the java into a disposable cup, have it poured into a reusable mug. This, too, can make a significant impact in reducing how much waste you produce on a regular basis.

6. Compost Your Beans

Don’t ditch your used coffee grounds into your trash once you are done with them. They still have some uses. In particular, coffee grounds are excellent for both composting as well as fertilizing. So, if you have a garden, these leftovers should be going there instead.

The grounds can add nitrogen to the soil and make it easier for plants to grow in your garden. At the same time, they are a natural solution to ward off snails and slugs. There is even some evidence to suggest that grounds can prevent your cats from using your garden as a litter box. Last but not least, they can help to feed any worms in your worm bin.

If you want a guilt-free cup of java, these are the steps that you need to take. For the best possible impact, make sure to follow all these suggestions. Within no time at all, you will be able to significantly reduce the environmental impact of every cup of coffee you drink.