TessMore Finance Blog

Smooth and less bitter than drip coffee and iced coffee, cold brew is one of the fastest growing industries in the United States. Sales have more than tripled since 2015, with sales expected to reach almost $372 million this year , and almost a billion dollars in 2025. That’s a lot of $4 coffee, the going price for a 20-ounce cup at Starbucks. A 40-ounce container of Stok’s cold brew coffee costs almost $5 at the grocery store. What is cold brew coffee? Is it really that different from iced coffee? How do people get so hooked on it? Sometimes it just takes that first Starbucks cold brew, and they are all in. It’s that good. “Hot coffee takes too long to drink and there are so many ways it can go wrong. Cold brew is more consistent and I can drink it right away,” said Susan O’Neil, a project coordinator for the city of Chicago. “I drink 20 to 40 ounces a day since I stopped drinking soda.” Pro Tip With the majority of commercial cold brew sold in plastic containers, why add more pl...

With many parents living in households where both spouses work outside the home, child care has become a significant portion of many budgets. While nobody wants to leave their children in the care of the absolute lowest paying provider, many people are looking for ways to save money on child care expenses. Here are a few hacks to consider if you’re looking for ways to save money on childcare. Use Dependent Care FSA One of the best child care hacks is a dependent care flexible spending account (FSA). A dependent care FSA is similar to a Health Savings Account. Both are accounts that are typically offered as employee benefits. A Dependent Care FSA allows you to take out money from each paycheck and not have to pay taxes on it. You can then use that money to pay for child care throughout the year. A wide variety of different types of childcare are eligible to be paid for with DCFSA funds, so make sure to check the rules and regulations of your account. By paying for your childcare cos...

If you are organized, personable and creative, becoming a virtual assistant could be a viable next step in your career. As a virtual assistant, you get to work from home, often set your own schedule, and focus on clients that pique your interest. Plus, Indeed.com lists the average virtual assistant yearly salary as about $40K , but some report making $40 per hour (or $83K annually) or more. Of course the amount you make has much to do with how many hours you work. Full-time work is going to bring in more. This post will help you learn how to become a virtual assistant. In it, we cover: What Does a Virtual Assistant Actually Do? What Kinds of Skills Do Virtual Assistants Need? Where Do I Find Virtual Assistant Jobs? 7 Sites to Find Virtual Assistant Work How Do I Get My Virtual Assistant Business Off the Ground? What Does a Virtual Assistant Actually Do? A virtual assistant does much more than managing someone’s schedule and taking phone calls. In fact, there are many ways ...

You can go to an expensive wellness retreat to get peace of mind. Or you can use some tips from relaxation experts to bring the peace home. There’s no need to spend money in pursuit of a stress-free life. We talked to two wellness experts from Miraval Arizona Resort and Spa in Tucson, Arizona, about simple things you can do each day to relieve stress and improve your mental health. Staying mindful and balanced, living in the moment, and avoiding triggers are just some of the techniques they suggested. Jess Holzworth is a spiritual life coach and yoga, meditation, and breathwork instructor. Carolyn Fike teaches practical meditation and how to incorporate the seven chakras into the practice. Here are their 10 ways to cultivate a stress-free life without spending a dime. 1. Cultivate Gratitude for Mental Health With everything going on around us that is worrisome, be it personal or on a larger societal scale, it is important to remember the good things. “When we get into a negative ...

The rice? Thrown. The garter? Tossed. The photos? Snapped. You tuck away for a quick minute to check your bank account and all signs point to Honeymoon Unlikely! Don’t freak. Romance doesn’t have to cost a lot. And we’ve got 10 ideas for romantic and cheap honeymoon ideas that don’t break the bank. But first, before you even venture down the honeymoon path, there’s some things you can do to soften the blow and find the perfect affordable honeymoon destination. Try to look for ways to reduce cost on your big day so you have more money to splurge on your trip. Ask family and friends for potential discounts or tips on inexpensive travel options. And lastly, make sure you add honeymoon cash to your registry. Websites like Zola and Honeyfund make it easy to crowd-fund the honeymoon of your dreams. It may come as a surprise but the average American couple spent about $19,000 on the wedding and reception in 2020. That’s down from $28,000 in 2019. Blame the pandemic that forced smaller...

How do most people choose a career? Well…they don’t. They stumble into a job after college, take whatever they can get, then follow one of the few paths available from that random job. No wonder most people are frustrated in their careers. But there actually IS a way to narrow down your potential interests to choose a career that you will love. Ramit Sethi , our founder and career-path guru, has put together a Dream Job system that helps you explore ALL the careers you’re interested in, test each to see if you’d really enjoy doing them, and move on to other jobs if they’re not a good fit.  Here are some of our best tips on finding a career you love – even if you have no idea what you want to do. 1. Understand yourself and your personality A good evaluation of your personality defines the kind of job you would fit into. And we’re not talking about taking a random career personality test and doing whatever it tells you to do – those tests are usually unrealistic, and can’t...