Beating Broke

Personal Finance from the Broke Perspective

Building the Best Business Branding on a Budget

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Starting a small business is no easy feat, especially when you are pinching your pennies and are on a very tight budget. Between making a marketing strategy, developing a selling platform, and advertising to the public, you may find yourself cutting down on valuable elements in your business. While a stellar branding job takes time and skill, it doesn’t have to cost you boatloads of money. In this blog post, we are going to explore some free software and helpful tips to get your business a high-quality and budget-friendly branding job.

Create With Canva

When it comes to free software online, Canva reigns supreme. With its lengthy list of free available templates, you will be sure to find one that you can customize to your business vision. In fact, you can even develop your brand’s logo right in Canva! Canva also hosts a plethora of free photographs and graphic elements that you can drag and drop into your designs, making content creation a breeze.

If Canva doesn’t have the photos you want, Pexels and Unsplash are excellent platforms to get free, high-quality images. You can upload photos into Canva, and even create custom color palettes based on photos that you enjoy. Canva also includes templates for social media, business cards, printed handouts, and much more. Before you spend money on print design software, give Canva an hour or two to show you what it can do.

Influence With Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular free social media platforms of all time, making it the perfect place for you to grow your business. Having a company Instagram not only gives your business more attention but also helps build trust in your brand. Building your online presence doesn’t need to cost money, especially with handy social media templates from Canva at your disposal. A branded Instagram, paired with a stand-out logo and website, is sure to boost your business’s popularity.

Promote With Partnerships

Clearly, great branding comes with great connections. Once you have an aesthetic associated with your business, look for other local businesses to partner with. Small businesses have a way of building each other up, whether it be through a mutual endorsement or bringing your branded products into their store. One of the biggest goals of branding is to draw people in, so put your product to the test in your community or online.

With over 1.8 billion websites operating at any given time, it is crucial for you to bring your small business into the online sphere. Before you spend a huge portion of your budget on website work alone, explore what you can do yourself. With Canva, social media platforms, and local partners, you are sure to boast a beautifully branded business on a budget!

Don’t Let Your Minimum-Wage Job Take Advantage of You

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Working a minimum-wage job can be a trying experience, but one that’s necessary due to certain situations. It doesn’t have to wear you out all the time and leave you feeling used and abused, however. Read on to see some of the ways in which you can cope with a minimum-wage job and enjoy your life.

Give Yourself a Break

Everyone needs a break every now and then in order to avoid burning out. This is true for people working minimum-wage jobs, so find time to give yourself a break and recharge. You can take a break by spending some time doing something that you enjoy doing, whether it’s knitting, baking, or even just lounging indoors. Use your time off to recharge your energy and you will be happy that you took the time to do so when you get back to work. With the 40-hour-work week established by the Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA of 1938, it’s possible to find time for a break if you manage your time properly. Make sure not to miss any deadlines, but get what you need to do out of the way so that it doesn’t hang ominously over your head and prevent you from effectively taking a break.

Speak Up

Whenever you feel like you’re being treated poorly or have a lot more on your plate than you can handle, try to speak up about it. While you may fear backlash and work retaliation if you do so, it’s good to plan in advance before you do so. Voice your issues in a way that doesn’t come across as combative and angry, so you don’t have to stifle endless issues that will cause you mental stress and strain. This way, you may improve your treatment and possibly even help to improve the conditions of your fellow workers who may be in the same boat but they’re unsure about what to do.

Learn More Skills

While working a minimum-wage job can be frustrating, you could use it as an opportunity to learn important skills and improve your chances of moving ahead. Whatever your designation is, you should make sure to go above and beyond, and even learn about other aspects of different positions. This initiative will enable you to stand out as an exceptional employee and you may be easily moved up the ranks, leaving the minimum-wage nightmare in your past. With around 60% of remote workers surveyed saying that they would leave their current job for a fully remote position that paid the same rate if they could, it’s clear that many people are looking for different opportunities. With a solid set of skills at your back, you will also have a better chance of getting another job as well, if you choose to look for it.

Make Friends at Work

One thing that will make it more bearable to check into work every day is having friends with whom you share interests. While you may feel frustrated and listless about working minimum wage, remember that most, if not all, of your co-workers, are also there due to similar circumstances. They’re not your enemies, so keep an open mind and allow friendships to form naturally if they will. This will help you enjoy the time you spend at work a little bit more.

Practice Your People Skills

Whether you work in the food industry or construction, where you will get to deal with people who need roof inspections, which, according to Zillow, need to be done at least once every year, you can practice your people skills. Polish them up and you will improve your likelihood of becoming easier to hire or even getting promotions. When you look back on the training you got, you will understand why most employers seek people with a certain set of experiences.

These tips should help you enjoy the time you spend working minimum wage. Try them out and you will see a positive change in both your personal finance and attitude!

5 Cheap Ways You Can Transform the Look of Your Living Room

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Getting home after a long, busy day out and about has to be the highlight of anyone’s day. Since the living room will be the space that will be encountered first in most cases, it’s important to make sure it looks the part. Read on to see five ways in which you can cheaply transform how it looks.

1. Repaint the Walls

Painting will always be one of the easiest ways to improve your living room space. The fact that you can do it yourself is an added benefit, as you will save some money while at it and enjoy the process all the more. Get a color that will feel uplifting and make sure to match it closely to the rest of the house so that all spaces in your home look uniform. Because a can of paint can last from three to five years if stored well, you can keep any paint that’s leftover to perform a touch-up in the future as necessary.

2. Add Some Decor to the Walls

Your living room should be a space that truly reflects your personal tastes and preferences, so it’s good to take advantage of that. With this in mind, look for decor that will reflect your personality. Whether you buy brand new items or get thrifted ones, there will be more than a few items you can choose from. You could also shop online or check out garage sales in your area, as there are often some amazing finds on sale. You don’t have to get everything all at once because art tends to be more of a process. You can buy a piece today and get the next one in a week or even a month. Just make sure to keep an eye open, because you never know where your next item will come from.

3. Upgrade the Furniture

Furniture is another item that makes a big difference in the space it’s in. Since it’s also usually the third most expensive thing that a person will buy in their lifetime after a house and a car, it’s good to put serious thought into the pieces you get. You may choose to go for quality over making savings because buying a solid piece of furniture will give you a longer length of service than getting cheaper pieces. Source your furniture from ethical makers and ensure that they use good materials for their items. Alternatively, you may simply reupholster your existing furniture if it’s structurally sound. This will give you a new, fresh look for a fraction of the cost.

4. Add Some Greenery

More people are seeing the benefits provided by having greenery in their home, and there’s good reason for this. Besides looking good and serving as a live decor item, plants will also help purify the air indoors. As you care for the plants you get, you will also improve your mood and uplift your spirits in an easy and wholesome way. Take time to shop for plants and make sure to get some that work perfectly for your space, keeping the size and colors in consideration.

5. Improve Your Window Treatments

The final upgrade you can make is to upgrade your window treatments and get new ones. Aluminum blinds, for instance, are one of the best window treatments you can get, as they’re extremely long-lasting and low-maintenance. They’re available for all sizes of windows, so you will be sure to find something that will work well for your home.

Make your living room cozy and comfortable using these tips and you will smile every time you get home!