Whether you use these ideas to decorate your own home (or skin!) or whether you give the finished products away as unique gifts, you’ll have fun getting to grips with these craft projects. You’ll need to find a cheap place to get toner cartridge supplies, though!

A Vintage-style laser transfer

This is an eye-catching way to display a favourite photo and it’s surprisingly easy to make.

You need nail varnish remover, a piece of plywood or a plank of pine, masking tape, rubber gloves, a paper towel or burnishing cloth and your favourite laser print. Then…

Prep

Trim your photo so it fits the piece of wood you’re using, before taping the edges down (the printed side should be facing down).

Burnish

Douse your cloth or paper towel with nail varnish remover and rub the paper vigorously. A smooth burnishing tool would come in handy if you have one. When the paper is transparent, you’re probably ready, but lift up a corner of the paper to check. If the image is too faint, tape it back down and have another go.

Finish and seal

Once you’re happy, give the wood a few minutes to dry out before spraying some clear varnish over the image to seal it.

Create Your Own Temporary Tattoos

This is a fun summer holiday project for the kids, or for a hen night, or just for plain fun. The tattoo should last for a couple of days as long as you don’t scrub too vigorously in the bath.

You’ll need some printable tattoo paper and some adhesive sheets – they’re available in kits from most hobby stores.

Create your image

You need to design your image or wording, then, if necessary, reverse it before printing onto the special sheet. You then need to peel back the adhesive sheet and carefully apply it to the printed side of your paper. Work slowly and carefully to stick the adhesive sheet onto the printed sheet, removing any air bubbles as you go.

Apply your designs

Once you’re happy with the adhesion, cut around the individual tattoos with sharp scissors. To apply the tattoo to skin, remove the glossy backing from the adhesive side and place the tattoo on clean dry skin. Press it down evenly and apply a damp sponge to the surface of the tattoo, wetting the top layer, for 10-20 seconds. The top layer will move away from the skin, leaving the design in place.

Make jam jar labels

This works in the same way as the tattoo, essentially, although you’ll be applying the sticker as well as the design. Print out your design on plain paper before covering it with pressure-sensitive box-tape. Make sure all the air bubbles are worked out before submerging the paper and tape in a bowl of warm water for five minutes.

After five minutes, remove your label from the water and peel away the box-tape, which should have picked up your design. Let it dry for a few minutes before applying it to your jars

There is plenty to be learned at a university in addition to partying, but unfortunately what usually does not sink in is being financially responsible.  While the “making good life choices” may not be a class, that needs to come from the parents.  As your child graduates and now has the knowledge to get a job in their chosen field, how they spend and save money could affect them the rest of not only their young life, but their adult life as well.

I may have been tougher to get through to than the average child, so I typically had to learn from my own mistakes.  It is not that my parents did not try to teach me to make good financial decisions, but of course I knew better than them, so saving money was the least of importance for me.  Spending money was at the top of my list during college while I was not making much money working part-time, but after when I had my first job out of school I was making more, which meant I could spend more.  Credit cards were my biggest vice, as it was something easy to use when I did not have money, and would worry about it later.  Well the credit cards kept coming in the mail and the limits increased, so I was a favorite customer from the credit card companies, while I sunk further into debt.  When I finally came to realization that this could go on is when it was time to buy a house and get married, probably later than I should have.  It took many years to get them paid off, and plenty of discipline on not racking them back up.

Sure this is just my story and I am probably a more extreme case than others, but when you come out of college without a plan and go on a spending spree, it sets you up for disaster, whether you are hundreds or thousands in debt.  Teach your child to have a budget, which monitors the money coming in and going out.  Bills will increase as homes and cars are purchased, so it is important to stress the importance of maximizing spending, while still contributing to savings accounts.  We always strive for our children to do better than we did, as our parents did for us, so make sure your child comes out of the gate ahead.

The rental market is strong, with many residents electing to rent instead of buy in today’s economy. This means great things for property investors, and choosing to rent out a home can be one of the most lucrative business decisions you make. However, with great reward comes great risk, so do what you can to protect your property investment by following these key guidelines.

1. The Right Screening Tactic

There’s nothing scarier to a landlord than a terrible tenant, and this fear is based upon plenty of examples. Stories of awful lawsuits, violent renters, and damaging tenants are aplenty, so finding the right renter is key for all landlords. Instead of leaving it to chance, do your due diligence to find the right fit and rely on tenant reports for landlord use. These checks will help you determine whether a renter candidate has a criminal record and allow you to see their credit score. An even better aspect of using services like these? They will also tell you whether or not said individual has ever been evicted.

2. Hiring a Property Manager

Even if you plan on managing the property yourself, at least consider using professional services. A good property manager already has a handle on the necessary local, state, and federal regulations and ordinances concerning rental properties, and using one greatly decreases your liability. They handle the nitty gritty details of renting out a property; they’ll make sure any repairs are made through reputable companies and handle face-to-face interactions with your tenants. The fees for a property manager start at around 10 percent of your rental income, but can increase depending on your location and the company chosen. If you’re using your rental as an additional income to your full-time job, a property manager may be necessary in terms of availability for your tenant.

3. Upkeep is Key

To ensure you have tenants that don’t break their lease early, and you don’t face legal action, perform upkeep on your rental property whenever necessary. Small investments now mean protection from large fund-depleting repair or legal issues later. It will also help you maintain a solid, respectful relationship with your tenants and avoid periods of non-tenancy—meaning no lapses in your rental income. Less turnover also means fewer times of rental revamping for new tenants. A good general rule of thumb? The maintenance costs for a year should come in around 1.5 times whatever your monthly rental costs are. Of course this varies depending on unforeseen events and the age and condition of your home.

4. The Right Insurance Plan For You

Take the time to find the perfect insurance plan for your property investment. From natural disasters to freak accidents to even burst pipes, the list of things that can cause damage to a property are seemingly unlimited. Speak to an insurance agent well-versed in the details of property rentals to ensure you find the right coverage. Most insurance plans don’t cover conceivable damages, including flooding, terrorist attacks, and sewage issues. Knowing this upfront can save you a small fortune down the road, and the peace of mind you’ll have is worth the investment. Many landlords are also enforcing renter’s insurance requirements. This will provide extra coverage for your tenants and hopefully further reduce your risk of any lawsuits.

5. Becoming a Legal Entity

Many property owners elect to create a legal entity in the interest of protecting their other personal assets. One of the biggest liabilities when renting out your property is the possibility of lawsuits. Even if you end up winning a case brought against you, the legal costs of securing your win can be devastating. Make sure your personal assets are not vulnerable to attack by opportunistic terror tenants by creating your very own LLC. This will help protect your personal home, savings, and more, from any potential lawsuits.

6. Tax Issues

The taxes required for a rental property are different than your normal personal filings, and there are various caveats and technicalities you’ll need to be aware of to ensure you stay on the right side of the IRS. It may be in your best interest to use tax services for the first go-around. Spending the small amount that it takes to have your taxes done is worth avoiding the risk of jail time or legal fees.

If you’re always running low on cash after spending over budget then try PayPal to see what you can do to curb your spending. From holding yourself accountable to saving money on fees this tool can reduce your spending hugely.

Companies can sometimes charge their customers for using credit cards and the exact amount can vary wildly. Sometimes it’s a flat fee and other times it’s a percentage of the total spend, either way it’s an unnecessary expense that can be cut out. You can still use the credit card that you want to, just do it through PayPal to take away that extra cost.

If you have recurring bills and not enough cash in one account to cover them then use PayPal to split the amount and schedule the next payment. If there isn’t enough then the transaction will fail but you won’t receive a bank charge for doing so. These bank charge letters can cost a decent amount of money and if this keeps happening to you then it’s time to switch things up to this method instead and take control of these fees.

To gain cashback you can take advantage of PayPal deals or their debit card. The latter will give you 5% back in rewards and you can integrate it with your existing account to keep track of your spending. This PayPal card can be used in all MasterCard accepting stores and instead of using your credit card you can use theirs for no interest purchases. This, coupled with the perks and deals above, can go a long way to saving you money as you won’t be racking up charges and extra fees.

Depositing and withdrawing to banks or personal contacts is much faster with PayPal than it is with a traditional bank transfer. You can see when the money has left the account and when the other person has received it.

For those that have issues when it comes to setting a budget and sticking to it this can be a powerful financial tool. Each time you log in you can see how much you’ve spent, where and when. You can then use these figures to add information into your favourite budgeting app and find out how much you have left to spend in each category. It aggregates the spend from each card on the account so you can view it in one place instead of searching for the bank statements for each one. This holds you accountable for your spending and you can’t just place it on a credit card and forget about it until the next month.

The best thing about PayPal that saves people money on a regular basis is the fact that there are no fees associated with the service. You won’t find any interest on your account or service charges either. It’s accepted in the majority of online stores nowadays so you can centralise all of your spending into one account. It’s a one stop shop for all of your payment needs and if you use these handy hints then you might even save yourself some cash with it.

American author William Feather said “A budget tells us what we can’t afford, but it doesn’t keep us from buying it.” Unfortunately this rings true for many Americans as the average household in the U.S. owes more than $ 7,500 in credit card debt. Now, more than ever, the need to sustain a reasonable budget is imperative. It is easy to get carried away and buy what you can’t afford if you don’t keep your finances at the forefront of your thoughts. An easy and convenient way to do that is to utilize your smartphone to keep you from making dumb purchases. Smartphones offer an array of finance-focused features that help you stick to your budget.

Budgeting Apps

Want to better manage your money? There’s an app for that — or rather, there’s a bazillion apps for that. A good place to start is with Mint. Popular due to its ease of use, this app compiles all of your financial information and puts it in one, easy-to-view place. Mint automatically categorizes your transactions and alerts you when you overspend in a category’s budget. The real-time updates available concerning your credit and cash flow can quickly curb your urge to splurge.

Another good budget app is ReadyForZero. It offers you an online component where you can coordinate and sync your debt, develop a plan, schedule to pay off that debt and track the progression of your payment. Available in mobile app form, ReadyForZero incorporates individualized debt advice and suggestions for saving money. And to remind you of your progress and responsibilities, it includes alerts about your financial status.

Helpful Phone Features

Using simple, standard phone features like the calendar to schedule your monthly payments is always a good idea. Program recurring monthly payments into your calendar and then set up the calendar to remind you of these payments hours, days or even weeks before they come due.

More sophisticated budgeting and financial features are also available on smartphones, depending on the model. For instance, the Galaxy S6 Edge stacks notifications on the side of the phone to help remind you to stay on budget. You can utilize push notifications to alert you of new events or messages even when you’re using another app on your phone. When you receive a push notification on an Android device, the application’s icon pushes through so that the status bar displays a message. With the tap of a finger, you are sent directly to the application. Therefore, e-mails from credit cards, financial institutes and your personal banking accounts won’t be lost or forgotten in your inbox, allowing you to stay on top of your various payments and available funds.

As William Feather suggested in his quote, a budget alone will not keep you from spending frivolously; you have to stick to it. To do so, you need to constantly remind yourself of it when tempted to exceed your means. Use your smartphone smartly, and make it do the hard work for you. Transform it into your personal budget creator, payment reminder and alert system.

One of the largest investments we will ever make in our lives is our college educations. The cost is even greater for those that start but never finish school. They generally have student loans and debt that is harder to pay back without the benefit of having your degree. This is all the more reason to take your education seriously, pass your exams, and perhaps get a little help on essays if needed! Help on essays you ask? Writing was never my thing in school, I believed in pure true and false answers, not the arbitrary essay writing that always seemed to pull my grades down just as I raised them up. If you need help doing your essay then rest assured you have options.

There are services out there that will offer confidential essay writing services for a cost that is equivalent to the academic level of the paper. For instance,  if you have a 14+ day lead time and only require a high school equivalent paper then the cost is as low as $10. Whereas, a doctoral thesis that requires a 24 hour turnaround time could you run you $48. There are various costs in between depending on whether you are a bachelor or masters level, and how quickly you require the essay. Even if you are a typical procrastinator when it comes to writing papers, you should avoid this habit when purchasing them!

This probably seems too good to be true, but it’s not. The writers are carefully screened and vetted in order to ensure they are able to achieve the quality of writing desired.  They first must pass a 4-hour online test to gauge their overall proficiency. From there they must pass a test based on their knowledge and command of citation styles. The collection of writers are as varied as the customers who order the essays. This includes people from different countries speaking different languages.  If you are concerned about the specific writer assigned to your task then you have the option of paying an additional $5 for three writing samples to see if you approve of their work.

The most important aspects of a service of this nature include guarantees, privacy, and plagiarism free papers. First, if you aren’t satisfied with the quality of the paper then you will receive your money back. Second, you can expect total anonymity and privacy when ordering and receiving your paper. Last, and probably most importantly, you can be assured that each paper is original content with no hints of plagiarism or copied work.