Fools rush in

Better read this before your roommate does... [The Penny Hoarder]( [THEPENNYHOARDER.COM]( FRIDAY, MARCH 31, 2017 Can you believe tomorrow is already April 1, Friend? Get ready to say “Rabbit rabbit!” and “Gotcha!” We’ve got frugal tips to help you start your month right — with a barrel of laughs. First, this news… Staffing company Adecco is hiring for the best internship ever. No coffee orders, no dog-walking. You’d spend a month traveling across the U.S. with Adecco’s president and other business leaders to learn what it takes to run a successful company. In exchange for your time living the high life, you’d earn $10,000. Yes, we said it’s just one month. [Learn all about it, and apply here](. This month, we found $1 billion in class action settlements. Do you qualify for any of them? Sephora’s forking over $250 store vouchers. GT’s (the brand for kombucha) owes customers up to $60 each for serious label snafus. Proactiv owes some California online shoppers $20 to $75 for sneaky auto-renew billing practices. Read these details and more in [our class-action settlement roundup](. Do you like hearing about the latest class-action settlements? [Follow us on Facebook]( and watch our live Class Action Alert broadcast every Thursday. Lunch Money Not willing to lose your spouse in the name of a good joke? Here are three April Fool’s Day pranks that won’t wreck your budget or relationships. 1. I’ve only got (a million) eyes for you. This is the prank that keeps on giving. Did you know you can purchase a 700-pack of sticky googly eyes on Amazon for $7? And you can stick ‘em on anything. We’re talking: the food in the fridge, the TV remotes, coffee mugs, framed family photos, the inside of the toilet seat lid (picture it staring back at you). The subtle silliness will have your family laughing all day… then maybe just a little annoyed when they’re still finding eyeballs on jars of mayo from the back of the pantry in a month. 2. My computer isn’t working. This gag is completely free and absolutely hilarious… as long as you don’t mind a minor, brief meltdown from your spouse or coworkers. The joke is making them think their computer is malfunctioning. Yeah, it’s scary. But, no, you won’t actually harm anything. You’ll need access to their computer’s settings to pull it off. First, close any open applications. Then screenshot the full desktop. Move all files and folders into one folder for safekeeping, and set the screenshot as their desktop background. Next time they try to click anything on their desktop, it won’t work, because they’re just looking at an image. Get your video camera ready, and enjoy the ensuing freakout. 3. Who doesn’t love a clean joke? You’ll need to prep this tonight to be ready for tomorrow’s antics. It’s super simple, costs less than $5, and it’s so annoying. Cover a bar of soap in clear nail polish and let dry completely. Leave it in the shower or next to the sink. The next person to use the soap won’t get any lather, no matter how hard they try. Enjoy the glares throughout the day when you ask your family why they all smell so bad. Want more ideas? Read our full post for [five fun and affordable April Fool’s Day jokes](. Word of the Day Communication (n): The conveying or exchanging of information between people. Vitally important skill in every career, yet wildly elusive for many people. Eye contact? Active listening? You’re just hoping they don’t hear your knees knocking. Public speaking is a perennial winner of the trophy for worst fear. Yet, the feat is conquered night after night by one group of brave souls: comedians. These performers even take on an added burden — not only keeping people’s attention, but also making them laugh. We talked to a handful of these nutjobs to find out how they do it. Here are their tips: 1. Know your audience. “Listening is the biggest thing that I teach,” said Patrick McInnis, an improv performer and teacher in Florida. It means knowing what your audience needs. Sometimes it means listening while you’re on stage, so you can roll with the punches your audience throws at you. But mostly, it should happen in advance. Before speaking in front of an audience, make sure you understand them and tailor your presentation and demeanor to match their goals. 2. Speak to one person. The trick is to “prepare as if you’re communicating this message to one person,” said McInnis. Write your presentation as if you’re having a conversation with just one person, not putting on a show for dozens or hundreds of people. That should make the audience comfortable and put you at ease, too. 3. Don’t say TOO much. This is a common mistake of inexperienced performers. Afraid the audience won’t understand something you said, you just keep talking — usually off-script. Usually unnecessary. Trust in what you’ve planned. If you understand your audience and what they need from you, it should be enough. If you over-explain, you’ll probably just lose their interest. 4. Slow down. Another total newbie move: “When people get on stage, they tend to talk too fast,” said David Abolafia, a stand-up comedian and comedy coach. Your adrenaline is pumping, and all you want to do is finish and get off stage. But if you talk too fast, the audience can’t understand or digest your words. When you write your presentation, build in room to breathe — for you and the audience. 5. Stick to your main point. What happens if you forget your lines? When you lose track, McInnis advises you return to what you promised the audience in the beginning. What was the point you were trying to make? Maybe this will help you remember the next line. If not, it will at least help you get on with the show. After all, the audience doesn’t know what you had planned. For more public speaking tips from these brave — if masochistic — gurus, [read our full article here](. Until Monday! P.S. Got an entrepreneurial funny bone? Check out these [seven businesses that sound like jokes — but actually turn serious profits](. The Penny Hoarder | 300 1st Ave S, Suite 400 | Saint Petersburg, Florida 33701 | United States You can [update your mailing preferences here]( or [unsubscribe]( from all email from The Penny Hoarder. Questions? View our [Privacy Policy](. Having trouble reading this email? You can [view it online](. Like what you're seeing? Go old-school and [share this]( someone you like. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -