Money Tips Network

"Work smarter, not harder."

It's a cliche, but one that most smart people aspire to. Reason being, working harder is… well, harder. Working smarter requires a lot less effort, while also making you a shining diamond in the eyes of supervisor and colleague alike. Read on for a quick guide on how you can make this old workplace cliche a way of life. (See also: Go From Busy to Getting Things Done)

1. Get in Sync With Yourself

There's one thing that you can't schedule in life: Your body. It does what it wants, whether it's getting tired or wanting food. But what if you could hack the natural rhythms of the body to work smarter, not harder? There are a few ways to do this:

Have you ever just gone all out for Valentine’s Day? I mean, have you ever hired a skywriter to tell your sweetheart that you’re hopelessly in love? There are so many ways to say “I love you” that it’s mind-boggling – and most of them don’t cost much, as you know. In fact, some of the best ways to woo your Valentine are also the least expensive.The trick is to make it unique and meaningful.

Last year, we asked “Will you spend $130 on Valentine’s Day this year?” and got some pretty interesting answers. So if love is in the air but your feet are on the ground (seriously, skywriting starts at $1,500), you may have already considered some less extravagant displays of affection.

Thanks to Valentine's Day, I definitely find myself snacking on more chocolate than usual (thanks, sweetie!). Do you? It's OK to indulge from time to time. I've discovered that if I choose my desserts wisely, I can take advantage of a variety of little-known benefits that chocolate, particularly dark varieties, provides. (See also: 14 Valentine’s Day Desserts)

Here are 15 reasons to eat chocolate for your health!

It's funny how consumer spending habits differ from person to person. Some people spend freely, yet others are tight with a dollar and only spend when absolutely necessary. (See also: Find Your Hidden Spending Habits and Save)

For those in the latter group, spending money may invoke negative feelings, such as guilt or anxiety.

Perhaps your parents drilled into your head the dangers of overspending, or emphasized the importance of frugality and saving every penny. Or maybe you've experienced economic hardships in the past, and now avoid spending as a way to avoid repeating history.

This post comes from Halina Matt at our partner site Zing.

If you live in these United States, then you’re painfully aware that so far, this has been one of the coldest winters ever on record. Well, technically I’m not sure if it’s the coldest on record, but man, it sure feels that way, doesn’t it? Now, if you’re freezing when you step outside your house all bundled up in a warm coat, scarf, hat and gloves, can you imagine how your little furry friends must feel? That fur doesn’t provide as much protection from the elements as you may think. In fact, there’s an old saying: “If you’re cold, so is your pet.” It’s imperative that you keep their safety in mind as we feel the repeated effects of the aptly named polar vortex. Here are some tips to help you keep Fido and Mittens safe and warm.

I’m a pretty big advocate for emergency funds – cash stowed away in a savings account for a rainy day. Establishing an emergency fund is one of the first things Sarah and I did during our financial turnaround and that emergency fund took care of several difficulties we faced during the first year or so of our financial turnaround.

My belief is in line with that of Dave Ramsey: the first move anyone should make when they’re facing the reality of their debts for the first time is to save up a $1,000 emergency fund. Later on, when you have high-interest debts out of the way, a larger emergency fund is even better.

Even so, there are arguments out there against emergency funds, stating that they’re not a particularly good idea. Those arguments usually rest on three key points.

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Safe harbor 401(k) match
2. Income tax question
3. Shouldn’t numbers win?
4. Credit freeze question
5. Finding time to read
6. Feeling hopeless
7. How much needed in 401(k)?
8. Reason to shop at Hy-Vee?
9. Old mattress?

Want to know a simple, straightforward way to shed those unwanted pounds? Is your exercise program not getting you the results you want? Try focusing on the food you're eating. After all, what you put into your body is just as important as what you do with your body. (See also: 12 Foods You Must Add to Your Diet)

So here are five foods you should add to your diet in order to fight the fat.

1. Quinoa

Quinoa is a grain that's actually more like a vegetable. It's high in vitamin B12, which is crucial for weight loss. In fact, if you don't get enough B vitamins, weight loss can slow down. That's because your body won't be able to combine nutrients as efficiently.

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup! Today we found some stellar articles on cover letter tips, money-saving ideas that don't work, and getting the biggest tax write-off for your home office.

Top 5 Articles

Catch a Recruiter's Eye With These 7 Cover Letter Tips — To catch a recruiter's eye, make sure your cover letter doesn't discuss your weaknesses. [PopSugar Smart Living]