Earn up to $25/£15 per hour to deliver for amazon flex

We all love flexible working opportunities and amazon flex is perfect for anyone from the busy mom to a college student. In the world of ever expanding flexible work opportunities this is a great option run by the mega corporation that is Amazon. Best of all Amazon has just unveiled that it will be introducing AmazonFlex to the UK. 

Presently only available in Birmingham in the UK. But they will be expanding to other cities shortly so it is worthwhile being added to the notification list. 

It is currently available for those in the following USA cities:

Seattle, New York, Richmond, Nashville, Portland, Raleigh, Virginia Beach, Austin, Dallas, Baltimore, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Columbus metro areas.

What is Amazon Flex?

With Amazon growing so much and an increase in prime and subscribe and save members they are needing more and more delivery options to keep up with the constant increase in demand. Making this a great opportunity for you to get involved in its expansion. Working as a Flex driver you would deliver amazon parcels in your local area. You will pick them up from a local delivery station and distribute them.

Whilst there are no guarantees of hours, the block system amazon use does allow a lot of flexibility. Just let them know what days you can work and for hour many 3 hour blocks you are available. 

What are the requirements?

All you need to get started is a car and a smartphone (android). Sadly they are not offering it to those on bike or walking yet. 

You need to be over 18, have a drivers license and fully insured on your vehicle. Beyond that and living in a Amazon Flex area there are no other requirements. 

Though cost of fuel, millage and insurance is not covered by the job. So this is something to keep in mind and thing about how efficient your car is.

But when you consider that you can earn up to £15/$25 per hour, the generous salary could quite easily make up for the cost in fuel etc. 

How to sign up?

If you live in an area where Amazon Flex is already operating then go ahead and sign up to this great gig. 

For those in areas it has not yet reach (especially those in the UK where this is new to) you can get ahead of the game by registering your interest on their site. That way Amazon will contact you as soon as it start recruiting in your area. 

Overall it seems like a pretty great flexible job opportunity. With a decent salary and flexibility options. There is the perk of not having to deal with customers much like Uber or Lyft. Nor do you have co-worers or bosses to deal with. Just you and the open road. It is not marketed as a full-time opportunity but could be a great way to supplement your income. 

Have you had any experience with Amazon Flex? Share your stories below. 

Financial lesson my Grandad taught me

This past Sunday, my beloved Grandad passed away. Whilst it has been a period of immense sadness for all the family, we have also had the opportunity to think about the good times and all the wonderful things he taught us.
My grandad was raised a Quaker, they were incredibly entrapenaurial, thrifty and philanthropic people. He carried his heritage with him throughout his life and it shaped the financial decisions he made and the lessons he taught my mum and I.

1. Save a big percentage of what you earn.

Unusual for their era, but my Granny was not a stay at home mother but a headmistress in a School. Her career was in many ways more reliable than Grandad's as a scale salesman. However, early on they decided that they could live off one income and instead save Granny's for retirement.

Doing this massively increased what they could save but it also helped to prepare them for when Granny became ill and had to retire early as they were not used to living off both incomes. It meant they were fully prepared for the cost of 30 years of retirement, where they could travel and enjoy activities they loved.

There was never any question but the only way to live was below your means, well below. Give yourself a big savings buffer because you will never know when a rainy day may occur.

2. Invest, Invest, Invest.

The power of inflation over time erodes the value of cash making investing it so important. Grandad loved to buy shares and did most of his adult life. He taught me the value of not being complacent about investing (he would check share prices EVERY day) and that in depth and thorough research should be done into a company before investing in them. Be intentional in where you invest your money and why you have chose to invest in that way.

I remember as a small child making a money box and I gave it to Grandad because I knew he loved to save. Every time I visited him after he would bring out the box and let me take home the pennies he had put in there. He taught me that to save, you need to purposeful and have a place you want that money to go (i.e the money box) because the pennies won't collect themselves.

3. Don't worry about the Jones.

Granny and Grandad could have chosen to move to a more affluent area, but instead (Warren Buffet style) chose to live in the same house they had always. Though they kept renovations to a minimum, but it always felt like a home. They never bought new cars, loved to use public transport, grew a lot of their own food and made much from scratch.  They're holidays were not fancy, but they were sure fun and filled with memories. Not once did I ever see Grandad compare his life to another, and I think this was key to his contentment.

Some might of thought they were too tight with money, but they taught my mum some valuable lessons. Her rent used to increase with inflation and phone calls were charged to the minute. When she left home and bought her first house with dad during an era of unprecedented interest rates, she had already learnt the powerful less of the power of inflation.

4. Give generously.

Especially as Grandad got older he became increasingly generous. He would always sponsor family doing good causes, even if he couldn't directly participate. He gave generously to those in need in India, after developing a passion for Yoga opened his eyes to the hardship the impoverished suffer.  The happiness in his life as he aged seemed to coincide with increased generosity.

Reflecting on the lessons he taught me, I am so grateful for his example. What lessons have your family before you taught you about money.

In honour of Harold Hey. 

Budget friendly summer fun

Summer is here (where has the year gone already). Whilst I love summer, it has the potential to really burn a whole in a budget. Kids being home from school, longer daylight hours meaning you want to do more with your evenings and weekends to enjoy the sun. From trips to the beach to family BBQs it all adds up. Enjoying summer doesn't mean you can't continue to make headway on becoming debt free. Today I will be sharing some fun family and budget friendly activities for the summer months.

1. Walk (or cycle)  on the seafront/country side/park. 
Make the most of the great weather by discovering new walks and hikes in your area. If you have little children, creating an "I spy" activity where they have to find things in the surrounding area is a great way to keep them engaged. Let it be an opportunity to see new places you have never been to before, even if they are not far from home. Also always be on the look out for free parking, on popular routes people have cashed in on walkers and charge a lot to park so it is always worth looking into first. 

2. Go fruit picking.
Growing up, I loved hunting out blackberries, crab apples and sloes. We would usually turn them into jam, but there are lots of options. If you can find edible fruit near you on public areas then this can be a great free activity. If you don't live near somewhere like this then try searching for farms that do pick-you-own for a small fee you can pick fruit there.
To know when is best to look for certain fruit here is a quick guide for when fruit is ready for picking

• Strawberries - June to July
• Raspberries - July to mid October
• Blackberries- June to July
• Tayberries - June to July
• Blackcurrants - Mid July to mid August
• Plums - late July to August

3. Take a trip to the beach. 
Going to the beach doesn't have to be expensive. Packing your own food, blankets and chairs means you don't need to fork out for these at tourist prices.  You could even (if permitted) make a fire pit and have s'mores or bananas stuffed with chocolate buttons.

4. Ice-cream bar. 
Pick up a couple of tubs of ice cream in different flavours, as well as some of your favourite ice cream toppings (sprinkles, cherries, fudge and chocolate are all great options) and let the masterpieces develop. 

5. Stargaze in your garden. 
Try to find night where the sky is going to clear, and there is not to much artificial light, grab a blanket and your sweetheart and look to the sky. Have a go at guessing what funny shapes you can see. Remember, this doesn't have to be a super serious, make it your own. Involving kids is brilliant for this activity as they had wild imaginations and will see things that never even occurred to you. 

6. Visit a farmers market or a country fair. 
Other than getting to see lots of wonderful produce and exhibitions. It can be fun to give each other a small budget (i.e £5) and you each get lots of little bits of food, that the other has to try. Sometimes they have livestock as well which is great fun for children and is normally much cheeper to visit that a 'family farm'

7. Go fishing. 
Find a creek, grab a net and have fun trying to catch tiddlers. You could even take a picnic with you.  Just don't expect to have dinner sorted :) If you don't have a net, grab an old laundry bag (a fine mesh one), wire and garden pole and make a DIY net.  

8. BBQs
Over the summer you can get quite a few invitations to BBQs, often you are expected to bring food (meat) to the event. If you are on a tight grocery budget it can be a great idea to buy burgers and sausages when they are reduced (preferably 50-75% off) and freeze them. That way you can keep a stockpile ready for the next BBQ you attend. At the end of the summer what you haven't used up, can be added to dinner menus over the coming weeks. Also keep an eye out for when your favourite BBQ drinks go on sale and stock up a reasonable amount. 

9. Library Time
Going to the library is great for all ages. For bookworms like Chris and I it can be all to easy to be tempted into buying every book we want to read but its just not economical. Many libraries over the summer run reading schemes for children that are rewards based, making reading fun and educational. 

Summer doesn't have to be swipe and forget it season. For those who are struggling with debt I would  not recommend taking on more especially not for summer fun (see 5 steps for getting out of debt). For those out of debt wise use of credit cards can earn you some surprising rewards (compare the best rewards here (USA) and here (UK) . If you are making big journeys over the summer, putting petrol on a card can be a good option as many providers offer preferential rewards on transportation. As a general rule of thumb only make pre-planned purchases on a credit card, this avoids the temptations to purchase due to the lure of rewards. However, the cash back is only worth it if the balance is paid off in full each month (otherwise the cost of interest is more than cash-back earned).  When using a card its important to fully understand what you are doing, this Glossary is very helpful if you are feeling overwhelmed by jargon. 

What are your favourite budget summer activities?

This post is sponsored by Credit Card Insider. All opinions are my own.

Retire a millennial millionaire

The idea of having £1 million in a retirement account for most millennials seems like an unfathomable idea. Though as a generation millennials are starting to save sooner than previous generations with mounting costs of living it can feel difficult to make progress.  But it could be reality for not an awful lot each month. At SavingScotts we are going to share with you the simple steps to make this dream a reality. 

To make this a reality there are a few factors to consider.

Fund little and often. 
Setting up a direct debit to create monthly contributions is a super simple way to may paying into a pension part of second nature. In fact you probably won't even notice it. Making regular monthly contributions is also beneficial as it helps to reduce the effect of stock market fluctuations on the value of your portfolio. 


Take advantage of employee benefits. 
Many employers offer pension schemes which they contribute to or match contributions, this is essentially free money and always worth taking. Wells Fargo found that only 13% of Millennials were signed up to employer contribution schemes. Though the downside is that you normally have less control over how the money is invested and managed this is outweighed by the free money. 

It is always a great idea to invest in the most tax and investment efficient manner whilst considering employer contributions. This may mean contributing in the employer pension (or 401K) up to the match limit  and then contributing to a plan with more flexibility (a SIPP (UK) or Roth IRA(USA)).


Achieve good rates of return over time. 
Investing wisely in funds can produce long term returns in excess of 10-12% (and often higher) far greater than you will earn in cash savings accounts. The power of compound interest really amplifies when there is lots of time. Investing for a longer time means you don't need to make as big monthly payments and the overall return on you investments is likely to be greater. 

As with all investing in funds its best to take a long term view to ride out fluctuations in the stock market this means look for funds with the potential for long steady growth rather than sudden overnight growth. As a millennial you could be looking at around 40 years of the power of compound interest and stock-market changes. This time is truly the key to your retirement success.

£1 million from £2.20 a day?

To show how simple this is to achieve here is an example contribute £64 (in the UK this gets "grossed" up to £80, but you may also have an employer match). Invest regularly for 40 years with average returns of 12.11% (which with sensible choice of funds taking a long term view is reasonable) and you could see returns of £1,003,056.20. £65 is around £2.20 a day. Think about what you spend that money on each day. Would you give up a coffee for the ability to retire a millionaire? 

Plus £1 million is a great amount to aim for as of present the lifetime allowance in the UK is £1 million. This means this is the maximum amount you can invest in pension schemes without incurring tax liabilities. Though the lifetime allowance has changed over the years and could easily change by the time millennials retire, it is still a great goal to strive for. As you get closer to retirement keep an eye on the lifetime allowance and how close your pension pot is to it as going over the limit could result in a rather hefty tax bill (presently 25-55%) 

So whats stopping you, you could be the next millennial millionaire

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The pitfalls of lending to family and friends

So you brother is struggling to make his car payments, or your niece just needs some more money to tie her over to the end of the month. Sound like a familiar story? It sure did to us. At the start to the month we had two situations pan out that we are going to share with you today. 

*For privacy reasons names are omitted*
Chris and I had been talking for a while on how to approach the situation with family member 1. When they got married just under 2 years ago Chris lent them some money but they took this to be a 'gift'. About a month later he lent them some more money this time they had acknowledged that it was a loan. We decided to let the first money go (though a very generous wedding gift, we wrote it off as that) but then the second lot we didn't want to write off as it had been clear to both parties it was a loan. 

We finally contacted Family Member 1 and asked what his plans for repayment were and that we were willing to accept instalments.  The response shocked us, they said they thought we were in no rush and that us doing this would make things really tight for them as they have a child. This situations highlights how easy it is for communication to break down over something like this as further disagreements have stemming from this have lead to a rift in the relationship. 

The second situation involved Family member 2 booking a holiday last minute with his girlfriend and in-laws and being completely unable to afford it. He asked for help with his bills, but the reason he can't pay is because of his holiday. Our first thoughts were of frustration, knowing that if we lent we would be essentially funding his holiday.

These situations occurring really reminded us of why we now both feel it is not appropriate to be lending money to family. There are just too many pitfalls to justify it. Below are just a couple of reasons why family and lending don't mix well and what other alternatives may be better.

1. It isn't always clear if it is a loan.
Usually lending between family and friends is very informal and unlikely to comprise of any written documentation. This can lead to misunderstanding as to whether the money given is in fact a loan or simply an outright gift.

2. No set terms
It is not unusual for there are not set minimum monthly payments, no set time period, no interest and no collateral. The informal nature and lack of terms can lead to the borrower feeling far more relaxed about repayment than the lender may expect. By not loaning in a matter comparable to a bank its is realistic that the borrower may not also behave how they would when borrowing from a bank. If a loan is open ended it can mean it is not a priority for the borrower to pay it back especially as there are no 'real' repercussions i.e bad credit score. It can also mean that you are not on the same pages as to what a reasonable time frame would be.

3. It puts a strain on a relationship
It makes situations awkward, it causes frustration and annoyance, and can lead to the breakdown of relationships. The dynamic changes, there is a burden that is owed yet you might not be treated in the same manner a professional leder would. This can impact your overall relationship and how you view each other especially if one feels the other is acting unreasonably.

4. Recovering assets is challenging
Not being paid back is not an all that uncommon situation, and you don't hold the same power as a bank to act quickly and cheaply. You are unlikely to have taken collateral for the loan. Recovering assets via county court is a time consuming process and though pretty efficient it would be better to avoid the situation altogether.

5. Enabling a habit
Once you have lent once, it is not unlikely you will be asked again. But is isn't a great position to be in if you are constantly lending especially if the loans are not interest bearing. Each time you continue to lend you are enabling a bad money habit. You are a quick fix not a long term solution. Try finding ways that can help rather than facilitate, consider why they are finding themselves in this situation perhaps they don't know how to budget or have a gabling problem.

So what to do instead of loaning money? Offer something more practical and not furling a money issue. For the brother who is going on holiday we have offered to work with him on making a budget and debt snowball. Whilst with the other brother cash gifts no longer occur instead individual items are bought I.e nappies so that we know it is going on needs not wants.

What experiences had you had with lending to family and friends?