Posts made in March 2017

 (All posts may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy) 

We all wish for good health and good finances, but we might not know that we’re wishing essentially for the same thing. Our health and our finances are inextricably linked. When our health suffers, our finances tend to take a hit and vice versa. Sometimes, that link can become a vulnerability and a major change in our personal health can send our finances spinning out of control. To stop that, you need to make sure you’re taking the right steps. What can you do to stop your health from impacting your finances too much

(photo credit)

Cut out the unhealthy habits

It might sound like a small enough step, but the truth is that this tip is going to help you better budget for the following tips. Not to mention, it’s going to drastically reduce your risk of actually needing any of the following protections as well. When it comes down to getting your personal health and financial health in good condition, those bad habits of yours are going to make it harder for both. For instance, the yearly cost the average smoker incurs is roughly $2,555.  But vices like smoking also drive up the cost of health insurance at the same time. Just another reason to quell those unhealthy habits.

Prepare for those costs

Of course, we can’t talk about health and finance without talking the most common way to investing in your healthcare, health insurance. The choice of health insurance deal you take has a huge role to play in the relationship between your money and your wellbeing. Most people get their insurance plan through their employer. The employer’s plan usually costs less to you than the other plans out on the marketplace, but if you’re concerned that you’re not getting specific coverage your family needs, then it might very well be a necessity. In those cases, you might be looking at a need for deals like a point-of-service plan.

(photo credit) 

Ensure accountability

Not all cases are about ensuring that you’re able to handle the costs of your own healthcare. Sometimes, you need to know your rights and when you shouldn’t be the person paying for that care in the first place. Especially if someone else’s actions have you losing income because you’re unable to attend work. Teams like SiebenCarey highlight a variety of different situations in which cases you might be liable to see some accountability taken by parties that cause your healthcare issues. We all know about assigning that accountability when it comes to auto collisions or workplace accidents. But you might also have a malpractice case if poor healthcare results in further costs and impacts to your health. Or if you slip outside a commercial property due to poor maintenance, the owner of the property may very well be held responsible.

Protect your income

Getting the law on your side is a great way to ensure that any loss of income is covered by the responsible party. Employers themselves might offer some kind of insurance in their benefits package even if they’re not responsible for time taken off work due to illness or injury. However, that’s not always the case. They must keep your job for you, but not necessarily pay you. If they don’t, it’s important to get your own income protection insurance. The best income protection deals are those that take into account more varied circumstances, such as injuries and illnesses on vacations and children’s injuries that require you to take time from work.

(photo credit) 

Better health means better finance

We’ve already covered how bad habits can have more impact on your finances than you expect, as well as make you more likely to require the use of your health insurance. But on a more abstract note, there’s research that shows that those who keep themselves in better health tend to do a lot better with their finances overall, too. For instance, ensuring your sleep well and managing your stress levels shows evidence that you’re able to make better decisions in your day-to-day, including decisions that impact your finances like choosing deals and avoiding impulse buys. Good eating habits tend to reflect on good financial habits, too. Some believe eating healthily is more expensive, despite the help that meal planning can provide. However, eating unhealthily tends to lead to more food being bought overall and the increase in superfluous expenses every time you need to go to the store. Maintaining personally healthy habits tends to make it easier to maintain financially healthy habits, too.

We never know when our health is going to take a turn for the worse. Anyone can be the victim of an accident or get struck with an illness. It’s when you’re in good health and earning that you should be putting protections in place, rather than hoping you can get through a crisis as it unfolds.

 (All posts may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy) 

Energy bills are always one of the biggest budget allocation in every household. While there is still no tip to drastically cut your energy bills – unless you suddenly decide to move to live in a mountain cave in Nepal and feed yourself from the milk of local goats –, there is plenty that you can do to reduce your bills significantly. Here are the five favorite tips from all around the world. Everywhere people are getting cost-savvy and have discovered ways to ease their energy budget.

#1. Keep A Warm Structure In Winter

There’s no denying that winter is the worst season for your energy bills: Keeping your home warm can be quite expensive, especially when it is snowing. While you can’t change the weather, you can certainly look for a roof heating cable solution to de-ice your roof and gutter thanks to a self-regulating heating system. This is the closest you can get to controlling the climate! What this means is that the overall house temperature is easier to maintain as the external structure doesn’t get as cold anymore. In short, a self-regulating cable can reduce your heating costs for the season.

(photo credit)

#2. Don’t Let Your Phone Charger On

A study in the UK has revealed that every year chargers waste £134 million. While there isn’t any similar study in the USA, you can safely assume that the results will be even more dramatic, as the population is bigger. What this means is that leaving your charger plugged in even after your phone or laptop is fully charged is a costly mistake. Naturally, it would be a lot easier if there were another way to topping up the battery charge for your smartphone. Michael Vaga, a Belarusian teenager, has developed the HandEnergy, a device that should resolve your charging problems easily. But this is not yet a common household product.

#3. Smart Grocery Shopping Only

Your fridge and your freezer consume more energy when they are not fully packed. In short, if you leave empty space in these, you will end up paying more to keep your food fresh. So make sure to come back with full bags of shopping next time you go to the shop. Another good tip is to fill up the space with bottles of tap water in the fridge and screwed up newspaper in the freezer.

(photo credit)

#4. Soft Clothes Washing

Your washing machine consumes most of its energy to heat the water. As a result, washing at a high temperature costs a lot more. If you keep washing your clothes at a low temperature, you can still keep them fresh and soft, and your energy bills will show the difference!

#5. Be An Efficient Cook 

(photo credit)

Why should you cook only one dish into the oven? Heating your oven requires a lot of energy, so it’s best to maximize the time and become a multitasking cook for an evening. As it is your oven’s job to keep its internal temperature, you can happily put more than one dish inside: After all, the oven will heat every shelf, so why should you use only one? As a rule of the thumb, cooking multiple dishes together will require 15% longer than it would for a single dish. But this is a great way of keeping your energy cost down, and saving precious time on cooking for the week!