​5 Ways To Ask To Get Paid For Your Services

1. Micromanaging

One of the clearest signs that your boss doesn't trust you is incessant micromanaging. If they're always looking over your shoulder, questioning every decision you make, or checking in on task progress more often than necessary, they likely have doubts about your abilities.

Employees who are micromanaged often feel undermined and less confident in their work. After all, it's hard to perform at your best if you feel like you're constantly being watched.

If you're dealing with micromanaging, take a step back and consider the situation. Is there something in your recent work performance or behavior that might've caused your boss to start hawking you?

If not, you can spark an open conversation with your boss, express how their management style makes you feel, and ask how processes can be changed to give you a bit more independence.

2. Your Suggestions Are Ignored

Next, if you regularly offer up ideas or suggestions in the office and your boss quickly dismisses or completely overlooks them, it might suggest that they don't trust your judgment or value your input.

If you believe you're not being taken seriously and your experience is being disregarded, you can have a one-on-one conversation with your boss. Make it clear that you'd like to contribute by saying something like, "I noticed some of my suggestions haven't been taken into consideration, and I'd appreciate feedback on how I can better align my ideas with your vision moving forward."

3. You're Overlooked For Projects And Promotions

Have important projects or big promotions consistently passed you by? It may indicate that your boss doesn't trust you to handle the increased responsibility.

Being left out of assignments or opportunities to climb the corporate ladder is discouraging and can make employees feel as if their skills or potential are underappreciated.

Now, it's possible your boss genuinely isn't aware that you're interested in taking on more. Either way, it's best to talk about your career goals with your boss and let them know you're eager to contribute more and grow with your company.

4. You're Kept In The Dark

Many people have had the dreaded experience of not being invited to a classmate's birthday party in elementary school. Being kept in the dark at the office is a similar feeling.

Do you often find yourself being taken by surprise at work, whether by personnel changes, brand-new projects, or meetings you weren't invited to? When you're left out of key conversations and excluded from any decision-making, it could mean your boss questions your ability to handle information or believes you don't need to know what's going on.

In this scenario, the best thing you can do is address the issue head-on. Show that you'd like to be more involved in decision-making processes by telling your boss something like, "I'd really appreciate being included in important discussions as I believe I can contribute valuable insights."

5. You Feel Isolated In The Office

Aside from the boardroom, companies tend to have their own social culture. So, you may be getting left out of casual office conversations, team activities, or informal gatherings, like happy hour drinks on Fridays.

If your boss is the person behind your exclusion, it may signal that they aren't comfortable inviting you into their inner office circle. This alienation can lead you to feel alone and make it difficult to forge better relationships with your overall team.

You can try to bridge the gap by asking your boss for more collaborative work opportunities or planning after-hours get-togethers for your team on your own.

6. You're Not Allowed To Take Initiative

Another red flag that your boss doesn't trust your abilities or judgment is if you're required to ask for permission before taking any action.

It can be incredibly limiting to personal and professional growth when you're not given the freedom to take initiative because you always have to receive direct orders or wait for approval on your next move. Don't be afraid to have a transparent conversation with your boss about the lack of autonomy in your current role and ask for ways to show them that you're capable of acting independently.

7. You Are Never Given Feedback

It's easy to feel uncertain about where you stand in your role if you've never been given any feedback. Your boss might doubt your ability to handle constructive criticism or doesn't have faith that you can better your performance with their comments.

To handle this, take the initiative and ask for regular feedback from your boss directly, whether that's on a monthly or quarterly basis. You can phrase the request like, "I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts on my recent projects so I can keep improving."

8. You're Frequently Criticized

Finally, in contrast to never receiving feedback, you might have a boss who never stops criticizing your work. Not only can this leave you questioning your skills, but it can be unmotivating, making you feel as if it's impossible to make your boss happy.

You'll have to determine if your boss' ongoing concerns are valid or not. And regardless of what you believe, you should have a serious conversation with them.

Ask your boss for specific examples of what needs improvement, as well as steps you can take to meet their expectations. Showing that you're receptive to their feedback and actively looking for ways to work together on boosting your performance can help rebuild some trust.

1. Forgotten Subscriptions

How long has it been since the free streaming or content creation trial you signed up for expired? We're not psychic but we're sure you're looking at us with a blank stare or a set of surprised eyes.

Subscriptions are always tricky because they offer an enticing 7 or 30-day trial with an app's endless features. At this point, we're convinced marketers know we're likely to forget about the free period which is why we often see the same in-app scripts.

If you know you're not using certain apps or streaming platforms, make sure to cancel them because $4.99 — $9.99 per week or month adds up!

2. Premium Food Delivery Services

Sigh. This one's hard to write about because we love the convenience of having food from our favorite restaurants delivered to our front door. But, that's where the lie begins because there isn't anything convenient about delivery, taxes, silverware, and tip fees on top of the cost of your order. And when you add on a premium delivery fee that seemingly cancels a free delivery, you're still paying for it in some way.

This means you could spend over $100 per year to skip one fee, and you're not guaranteed to love your order or even get it in worst case scenarios. Yikes!

3. Pesky Auto-Renewals

Did you forget that you agreed to pay for an auto-renewal of a magazine you stopped reading? It happens to the best of us, and can be one of those hidden expenses that's easy to ignore. You think, "Oh, "$12.99 per year isn't bad," until you realize that the price somehow increased when you weren't looking. It's even worse if you're subscribed to more than one magazine that you no longer care about!

4. ATM Charges

There's a reason your bank highly recommends you use their ATM's to withdraw money because external sources usually charge a fee. It may seem small, but why should you be charged to get a little of your money?

If you can, skip the extra $2.99 charge for your transaction and find your bank's ATM.

5. Your Daily Coffee Shop Order

We've all told ourselves how essential our coffee shop orders are. They help us get through our work week and feel like one of the less expensive little treats we can indulge in. But, those daily orders are adding up.

For example, let's imagine someone named Ginny spends $10 per work day on her favorite drink and breakfast order. If she does this consistently for one month, she'll have spent an extra $200 per month on them!

TBH, this extra money could go towards savings, a bill, or an unexpected emergency.

6. Weekly Nail Salon Visits

We know getting your nails done counts as self-care, but it can be an expensive form of it. One of the things we've been relying on is giving ourselves at-home manicures or relying on press-on nails. They still fulfill our beauty needs without putting a dent in our bank accounts.

7. Credit Card Interest

If you think you're imagining an increase in your credit card interest, there's a good chance you're not. And it's worth looking into how much for the specific card(s) you have.

It's not as easy to tell you not to carry a balance every month because you may have had to pay for a surgery or emergency car repair, but this is how credit card companies get us. That interest can range from an extra $100 — $300 on top of your actual balance, meaning you're only paying a tiny portion of it each month.

Our advice is to pay more than your monthly fee so that you're able to put a dent in the interest as much as possible!

8. Leaving Lights On At Home Because You 'Can Do What You Want Now'

Most adults grew up hearing how leaving lights on at home was a cardinal sin, but there's a reason why parents fussed about it so much. It costs money that will show up on the next energy bill. Take it from one of our writers whose saw one of her bills skyrocket to almost $250 when she first moved out of her parents' home.

If you have to leave a light on, look into using energy saving light bulbs or burn a few candles for a dark romance vibe.

9. Splurging On Groceries Just Because

Say it with us: overconsumption isn't a goal this year! Usually we'd insert a little joke here, but buying a ton of groceries that'll likely go to waste just because you have the money for them isn't a flex. It's wasteful to your bank account and the environment.

Stick with the groceries you usually get or make a detailed list that includes items that you're going to meal prep instead of "winging it."

10. Daily Trips To The Gas Station

We're not talking about spending money on gas here. We know you might have a daily habit of stopping by the QT or BP near your house to get your favorite juice, Gatorade, or sunflower seeds pack. Although you can include them in your grocery trip, you've somehow convinced yourself that these items taste superior coming from the shiny convenience store.

We're here to gently burst your bubble by telling you they don't. The store's layout is just beckoning you to stop similar to the urge you get in Target.

In other words, you don't need to keep making daily trips there unless you want to keep pretending you're not sure where your money's going.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps confirms the movie's not in our world.

First things first, The Fantastic 4 trailer lets us know we're not on Earth-616 (our world) with the first frame because even though the Baxter Building is in New York City, the cityscape is full of buildings our real Manhattan doesn't have. Plus, Sue Storm and Reed Richards' kitchen is full of gadgets and gizmos aplenty.

One of my favorite moments comes when Ben (played by The Bear star Ebon Moss-Bachrach) is cooking with H.E.R.B.I.E. and winds up improving upon the robot's sauce with some garlic, which is TOTALLY something Richie would do behind Carmy's back.

We also learn that The Fantastic Four: First Steps will take place after the team has gotten their powers, and that Reed specifically is struggling with the fact they've all changed: Sue turns invisible, Ben became a literal rock, and Johnny can turn into flames. But as Sue reminds him, "Ben has always been a rock, Johnny is Johnny, and I am right here."

"Whatever life throws at us, we'll face it together," she continues, "as a family."

According to Deadline, the trailer, which broke 202 million views in its first 24 hours, became Marvel's most-viewed, non-sequel trailer ever.

"I love how much they made the thing’s face look like Jack Kirby’s illustrations," one YouTube user said of the original comic book artist, while another added, "There are only a few things that truly make me happy, and one of them is you, Marvel."

However, the Instagram crowd was a bit tougher, with users sayingthe trailer "was a bit rubbish though. Didn’t make me want to watch it," and that it was a "massive disappointment."

'The Fantastic Four' trailer recaptures the magic of Marvel's Phase 1.

And the most impactful part of The Fantastic Four trailer for me is that it really emphasizes how Phase 5 of the MCU is a refresh. The fact we're getting introduced to a new family, as well as the retro element and the tech, calls back to Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger for me. Just like those movies provided us with a foundational understanding of the MCU, I really believe F4 will set the tone for Marvel moving forward. Plus, I won't say no to Pedro Pascal becoming one of the new Avengers' leaders!

Whether the movie leads directly into Avengers: Doomsday, or it ends with Sue, Reed, Johnny, and Ben coming to our timeline like Steve does at the end of Captain America, we'll have to wait for July 25, 2025 to see what kind of adventures await these fantastic four.