“People who like shopping as a leisure activity like to be inside a cornucopia of products,” Butler says. “They like to be moving through merchandise and noticing stuff that interests them. “That’s very different from the kind of shopping that Amazon .com and eBay have popularized, where the process usually starts by typing a term such as “digital camera” into a search box and getting a long list of results.

Time Management - Knowing where and how you spend your time is key to balancing your life. Start by keeping a calendar of all your activities. You can do this online, on a paper calendar or in a journal. Track everything from showering, exercise, meal preparation, driving time, and so on. You will probably see areas where you can cut some time out by doing certain activities while you’re waiting in line at the grocery store or riding in the car. There are lots of useful ways to spend idle time and you can figure those out as you fill out your calendar or journal.

Financial assistance for an online associate degree is often easier to find than funding for a higher degree. Loan payments are often deferred while the student takes classes. Repayment begins once the student puts his or her new degree to work at a job and is financially able to repay the loan. Most student loans are federally subsidized and offer reasonable interest rates and flexible repayment schedules. Online degrees qualify for federal grants the same as traditional degrees do.