Dear Lifehacker,
I'm really lucky to be expecting a nice holiday bonus this year, but I'm not sure what to do with the extra money. Should I save all of it? Use it to pay off some credit card debt? Then again, I could think of a lot of things to do with the bonus, like get some new games. What do you think I should do?
Thanks,
Appreciative Worker
Dear Appreciative,
Congrats on the bonus. Yours is a good dilemma to have. How to best spend or invest your bonus might depend on how much you have to work with: If the bonus is only $25, for example, put it towards something that will enrich your life, like some good books or one of the cool items we like the most.
Since it's sort of like found money, you technically wouldn't notice not having that bonus money, which makes it great for making more headway on your financial goals like getting rid of debt or saving for emergencies. Here's the order of basic financial priorities, according to financial advisers quoted in the Wall Street Journal:
Debt: pay off high interest credit cards and loans firstEmergency savings: Then save enough for 3 to 6 month of expenses (in today's economy, 8 to 12 months may be wiser, however)Retirement savings: Contribute at least as much as needed to get a company match in your 401(k)College savingsMortgage prepaymentBuying insuranceEstate planningUsing this as a guideline, apply small bonuses like $100 or so first to debt. If you have no debt, add it to your emergency fund. If you have a decent cash reserve already, put it into your retirement account. And so on.
If you have more money, say a couple of hundred dollars or more, you could use some of it for savings, some for debt repayment, and some for fun. This way, you continue building your financial foundation, but also get to enjoy your windfall.
The actual percentage breakdown is up to you and would vary according to your personal situation, but a 50/30/20 rule is a good general guideline: Use 50% to pay off debt, 30% for savings, and 20% for fun.
So, for example, if you have a $1,000 bonus, apply $500 to reducing debt, $300 to savings, and $200 for fun.
When it comes to spending your fun money, you may be happiest spending on experiences rather than possessions: Things like a weekend getaway or concert tickets rather than toys. It also is smart to spend your money where you spend the most time: a good chair or mattress, for example. Buy radically improved everyday things like good shoes to improve the quality of your life.
The 50/30/20 rule is just a guideline and you should definitely adjust for your situation.
For example, if you have a lot of high-interest debt, you would probably be better off spending more towards debt reduction: 80%, for example, to paying off your credit cards, 10% to savings, and 10% for fun. (I believe it's important to keep some fun money in there.)
The exception might be if you have an insecure job and you think you might be laid off in the near future (it doesn't sound like it, though, with your bonus). Then it might be wiser to apply more to savings than to debt reduction: 50% for savings, 30% for debt, 20% for fun.
If you have no debt but an emergency fund that only covers a couple of months (or less) of expenses, apply the the 50% to savings. So, 80% for savings, 20% for fun.
With a solid financial foundation—a healthy emergency fund and no debt—apply the money to your long-term savings and retirement. Long-term savings would be things like a new car five years from now. So, say, 50% to long-term savings, 30% to retirement, and 20% for fun. Or you could increase the fun money percentage since you're doing well.
MSN Money has a calculator tool used for budgeting that can give you a breakout of where your money should go. (Replace "needs" with "debt repayment" and switch the wants and savings percentages around.)
Again, however, the actual percentages aren't as important as making sure you're building a solid foundation and put your money where it will benefit you most. There's no one right way to spend extra money, so do what's best for your financial situation.
Enjoy!
Love,
Lifehacker
P.S. How would you spend a bonus?
Photo by Florence McGinn.
View the original article here
The Daily App Deals post is a round-up of the best app discounts of the day, as well as some notable mentions for ones that are on sale.
Camera ZOOM FX (
For those of us with nearsightedness, there's usually at least one point in the day where we set down our glasses and can't find them. Reddit user Ziptyze solves this problem by using a cell phone's camera to get a temporary clear picture of the world.
American households produce millions of tons of extra trash during the holidays, the ACLU warns about drones encroaching on our freedoms, and Internet Explorer will get auto-updates in the new year.
If the kitchen is your domain and you'll be the mastermind behind the holiday meals this year, iRepel's chef's gear will keep you clean in even the messiest of kitchens. If a home cook who loves trying new dishes is on your shopping list this year, they'll appreciate a chef's shirt or apron that rinses off cleanly when the pasta sauce bubbles up a bit too much, or the blender lid isn't on tight enough. All of their shirts and aprons use advanced textiles coated with hydrophobic "nanospheres" to keep any liquids or spills out of the cloth fibers and on the surface, where they can be rinsed away. 
When you live in an apartment building with other people, you're bound to encounter at least one tenant who is a bit noisier than the rest. Whether it's excessively loud music, lovemaking, or whatever, here's how to approach the situation without being an equally obnoxious neighbor. 
When noise is a problem that's keeping you awake at night, chances are you don't want to make yourself presentable and head over to your neighbor's apartment to complain. You want to be sleeping, not having an unpleasant conversation. While that conversation may be inevitable, sometimes you can solve the problem without going too far. Just knock on the wall where the noise is coming from to demonstrate that loud sound does travel and sometimes that will be enough to get people to keep the noise level down.
I posed this question to Twitter and Facebook to get a general idea of how people think this situation should be handled and how they'd prefer to be told if they were offending others. The overwhelming response, neglecting jokes like "just be a adult about it...throw a cup of piss at them" (that was my favorite), was to have a brief and honest conversation about the problem. I agree, but would like to add that I think it helps to suggest a reasonable plan.
But what about loud…uh…sex?
When you can't manage the situation yourself, that's what your building's management is for. My dad used to be a residential landlord, so I called him up to ask him how these complaints are generally handled. He told me that most people don't bother dealing with the issue themselves, because they're afraid, and enlist the help of their landlord. The landlord then sends out a letter to the tenant notifying them of an anonymous complaint and to keep noise levels to a reasonable minimum. He said that most leases contain a clause referring to proper conduct in the apartment in regards to noise, and the letter will make reference to that. This means that if you're having trouble dealing with the situation on your own, talking to your landlord can be especially effective because the landlord can write a letter stating that the noisy tenant is in violation of the terms of their lease. That's usually enough to scare stubborn noisemakers into submission.
If you can't get your point across with a note, simple conversation, or with help from the authorities, sometimes a little technology can make the difference. One of our favorite tips of all time is 
Hopefully this post has provided some useful advice for dealing with the unfortunately too common problem of dealing with noisy neighbors. Before we call it a day, however, I just wanted to highlight a few suggestions from Twitter and Facebook to provide a few other opinions on the matter.