Wise Bread

Frugalize any recipe

Philip Brewer — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:25:07 -0400

My wife picked up a cookbook at the library--one of those beautiful cookbooks with a gorgeous pictures of each dish. It had an above-average number of dishes that appealed to me. But, like a lot of cookbooks, it was written with no thought of holding the line on costs. That didn't matter, though, because my wife and I are old hands at doing that ourselves.

The fact of the matter is that we never cook a recipe just as its written (except for candies and confections, which are sort of a special case). We change recipes for many reasons:

to leave out things we don't like or that someone is allergic to
to add things that we do like or that we have and want to use
to leave out things that we can't get or don't happen to have on hand
to combine things that we think will go together, even if the cookbook authors didn't think of it.

It occurred to me, though, that lots of people don't do this--they either cook something that they know how to cook, or else they follow a recipe. What we do amounts to using recipes without necessarily following them. I thought it might be useful to show a worked example, and then talk a bit about the general principles.

Here's a frugalization of the Sesame-Garlic Sirloin Steak from the book my wife checked out of the library last week, Cooking for Two: Efficient and Delicious Meals.

Now, if what you want is a thick, juicy steak, it's tough to come up with a good, cheap substitute. In this recipe, though, the steak wasn't served that way--it was served cut into thin slices. If you're going to cut it into thin slices anyway, I figure you might as well use pot roast. (Sirloin was going for $5.99/lb.)

I looked in the grocery store flier and found top round roast on sale for $3.99/lb, and would have used that, except that my wife spotted one package that was marked down even further because its sell-by date was tomorrow. Since I was going to cook it today, that was fine, so I snapped up a roast for just $1.58/lb. It's a fairly small roast, (a pound and a half) but there'll still be enough left over to make sandwiches tomorrow (french dip or maybe italian beef).

I pressure-cooked the meat. It's the quickest way to cook a roast and it does especially well with slightly tougher cuts of beef.

I put a tablespoon of oil in the pressure cooker and browned all sides of the roast over medium heat. Then I added 2 cups of water (because I wanted one cup of broth for rice for this meal, and another cup for the french dip tomorrow), and then cooked it at high pressure for 24 minutes (because the book that came with the pressure cooker says 12 to 15 minutes per inch and the roast was about 2 inches thick.) After 24 minutes, I turned off the heat.

While the pressure cooker was depressurizing, I made the sauce.

The sauce in the book had 2 tablespoons each of soy sauce and hoisin sauce, which would have been fine except we don't have hoisin sauce and I wasn't going to buy a bottle just to fix one meal. What the hoisin sauce adds, though, is a bit of sweet, a bit of sour, and a bit of hot. So, I took the sauce recipe from the book, boosted the soy sauce from 2 T to 3 T, and added a bit of honey, a bit of vinegar, and a bit of hot sauce. (The hot sauce we use is very hot, so I just added a little bit. If you use a milder hot sauce or you like your food really hot, add more.) Here's the sauce I made:

3 T soy sauce
2 T roasted sesame seed oil
2 T minced garlic
1 T honey
1 T vinegar
8 drops hot sauce

In the book it's used as a marinade, but I just heated it up in a sauce pan and then poured it over the thinly sliced meat just before serving.

As I said, the book has beautiful pictures of the dishes. The photo for this dish was made especially attractive by sprinkling the meat with toasted sesame seeds. We didn't have any sesame seeds in the pantry, but it turns out that you can buy four or five times as much as you need for a couple servings of sesame beef for 35 cents, so we went ahead and bought some. In the book they also sprinkled some cilantro on the beef, but I hate cilantro, so I used parsley instead.

After the cooker depressurized, I put the roast on the cutting board and (while it rested), I used one cup of the cooking liquid to make some instant rice. (Normally we wouldn't have used instant, but it just worked out so well using the same cooking liquid.) The rest of the liquid I saved in a container in the fridge and will use to make the dip for french dip sandwiches tomorrow.

In six or seven minutes, once the rice was ready, I carved a few thin slices of the meat (cutting against the grain), poured on a little of the sauce, sprinkled the sesame seeds and parsley, and put the plate down for the photo shoot. Once I'd gotten a picture I liked, I carved a few more slices so my wife could get her serving fresh and hot. (I ate the one in the picture. It was yummy.)

With that example in mind, here are the general principals for frugalizing any recipe:

First principle--take the recipe apart

There are usually three parts to a recipe. There's the ingredients list, a preparation procedure, and a cooking procedure. The key notion is that these things can be mixed and matched with those of other recipes however you like.

Second principle--use what's on sale

You can substitute almost any cut of beef for another--just cook it according to how that cut of beef needs to be cooked (rather than whatever it says in the recipe you're working from). Beyond that, though, you can substitute almost anything for the main item in a recipe. Besides substituting a cheaper cut of beef, you can substitute chicken for beef, thighs for breast, bone-in for boneless, and so on. Just cook it as appropriate.

Using what's on sale doesn't necessarily mean using a cheaper cut, either. The high-end cuts go on sale as well, and sometimes you can get a better steak or roast for less than you'd pay for what the recipe calls for.

And that's just the beginning. There's no need to stick with beef and chicken. Pork, lamb, turkey and tofu are always available, and you can often get exotic stuff like rabbit, elk, bison, venison, and so on. The exotics go on sale a lot less often than the ordinary stuff, but they do go on sale. Something like venison can sometimes be obtained by barter, if you have a neighbor or relative who hunts--or even for free. (We used to get free venison when hunting season approached if a certain relative's freezer still had some from the previous year.)

The point is that you can go pretty far afield from whatever the recipe calls for.

Simply to cook whatever you decide to use the way it needs to be cooked (if you're not sure, just find a recipe for whatever you're using and ignore everything except the time and temperature part of the cooking instructions) and then follow the other parts of the recipe you're using as a model.

Third principle--use less of an expensive main dish

Just because the recipe calls for 12 oz steaks doesn't mean you need serve them. If you want to serve steaks, serve 5 oz ones. (If you want to make the dieticians happy, serve 3 oz steaks). Or, instead of serving steaks at all, as in the example, cut up a cheap cut of beef into thin strips and present it elegantly as a condiment on something else that provides the bulk of the meal--on a bed of greens, to make a salad or on a starch course (rice, pasta, potatoes, polenta, flatbread--whatever you like).

With those three principals and a little flexibility, you can make any recipe as cheap as you need it to be, and still keep it delicious.

Permalink | Comments | Philip Brewer's blog | Channel: Food and Drink

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Follow Your Frugal Bliss

Carrie Kirby — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:25:20 -0400

By Carrie Kirby

"I would never have time for that!"

Anyone who has spent a little too much time running her mouth about her frugal accomplishments has heard that line. And it can be a bit insulting. After all, why is everyone else so busy and important, while I apparently am the only person around who has time to clip coupons and shop for loss leaders at grocery stores?

Then I realized that usually, when we say we don't have time to do something, what we mean is we don't WANT TO allocate any time to that particular activity.

And you know what? That is perfectly reasonable. After all, we all have to balance our lives: Most of us need time for earning income, time for managing our households and other responsibilities, and time for R&R. Taking on a new money-saving activity usually means pushing something else out, or becoming more efficient.

But if you're here at Wise Bread, you're probably looking for ways to cut down on your financial outflow. So here's my tip for getting started: Don't clip coupons if you don't have time for it. Find ways to save that you will make time for, because you don't hate doing them. Find something that suits your personality and your situation, and you're much more likely to fit it in somehow.

I "shop aggressively" because I am by nature an opportunity seeker. I love finding things of value that not everyone knows about -- whether it's a thrift store sweater or a free-after-coupons bottle of laundry detergent. I have managed to find a few hours in my busy week to clip and print out coupons, and study grocery flyers, not just because I'm thinking about how much money I will save but because it's kind of fun for me. Yes, I'm a little freaky-deaky that way.

On the other hand, I hate doing housework. So when I hear suggestions to save money by hanging out my laundry, I sigh and feel overwhelmed. And here's a convention that might surprise you: I have a cleaning lady who comes twice a month. She saves me about two hours of heavy cleaning a week. So you might say that I could quit clipping coupons, spend the amount I pay the cleaning lady on groceries, and spend the time saved to scrub my own dang bathtub. But I don't WANT to. Much like skimping on groceries makes a friend of mine feel deprived (she recovered from an eating disorder so it's a sensitive area), heavy cleaning makes me feel like a drone and makes me resent my husband for doing less than me. Strategically grocery shopping, on the other hand, makes me feel clever and like I'm winning a game and doing well by my family.

Below are other examples of how you can find frugal moves that fit your personality. Once you enjoy one frugal change, you'll probably be ready to a frugal change that you at least don't hate. For example, even though I don't really love cooking, I've gotten myself to make more and more things homemade. Who knows, maybe if I get far enough down the frugal road, I'll be able to cajole myself into setting up that clothesline.

If you're an environmentalist: Instead of thinking about groceries, you'll get more internal rewards from driving less, replacing paper towels with rags, using cloth diapers and, yes, hanging out laundry.
If you're crafty: There are so many great suggestions on this site for making gifts, things for your home and personal care products for very little money. Reading these tips makes me feel lightheaded, but for you, they might be just the encouragement you need.
If you get a charge from doing things independently, look for ready-made things you could make or grow yourself. Raise those chickens, or for a less radical move, make milk into yogurt. Make your own bread. This option is especially good if you have small children at home and you want to give them a little crunchy granola "how things are made" experience. A good book with recipes for such homemade products is Ruth Yaron's "Super Baby Food." (That's an affiliate link.)
If you detest all of the above, but your home budget is still not balanced, you might be better off taking some spare time to increase your income. Depending on your situation, that might mean overtime hours, consulting on the side, or a little work from home tutoring or doing call center work.
If you truly cannot spare any extra time on a recurring basis, but you need to save money, focus on what you can change about your life that won't take extra time. Consider taking a half day to examine and overhaul how you run your household and to plan. You will probably find that changing a few things -- like switching service providers or refinancing a loan -- will save you money without any outlay of time beyond that first planning day. You may even find that some moves will save both time and money -- such as making a plan to simplify your life by cutting out excess shopping, or getting rid of a costly hobby that had become more obligation than fun.

Permalink | 3 comments | Carrie Kirby's blog | Channel: Frugal Living

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Free and cheap things to do in Seattle

Andrea Dickson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 21:01:57 -0400

By Andrea Dickson

Seattle's natural beauty and mild weather make it a fairly easy city to enjoy without dropping a ton of cash. Here are some of Seattle's local attractions that cost under $5 per person.

Artsy Stuff

Seattle Museums offer free days on the first Thursday of every month for the general public (some of the museums also have free to seniors the first Friday of every month and free to families on the first Saturday of every month). At the Seattle Asian Art Museum, tickets for adults are only $5 on a normal day. Other local treasures that are expensive on a normal day but free on the first Thursday of every month include the Wing Luke Asian Museum, the Frye, the Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museums (worth seeing just to gawk at the building) and the University of Washington Burke Museum.

The Asian Art Museum also butts up against the Lakeview Cemetery, where Brandon and Bruce Lee are buried, and Volunteer Park, which features a free Conservatory.

Speaking of dead celebrities, you can also visit the Jimi Hendrix memorial in Renton, just 20 miles south of Seattle.

Park-y Stuff

Seattle has a wealth of public parks, but it really depends on what your needs are. You can play tennis in a variety of outdoor courts, which is great when tennis clubs are few and far between (but not so great when dealing with our 9,000 days of rain per year or whatever). Some great beaches can be found at Golden Gardens and Alki. We also have a large number of off-leash dog parks, should you need somewhere to let your pooch run free.

My favorite place in all of Seattle is the Arboretum, which is maintained by the University of Washington. It's open year-round, and is completely free to the public (also, it has great parking that rarely fills up).

Nerdy Stuff

Seattlites are fairly proud of their highly-educated population (we beat Minneapolis in 2005, but those buggers keep taking the number 1 spot), so it's no surprise that we would build a huge central library that you can easily lose your children in (we will return them to you). We also have a huge number of used book stores, which can be fun to browse.

Sporty Stuff

In spite of our hornrim glasses and pocket protectors, Seattlites are a fairly fit bunch. You might enjoy seeing the city on foot on a variety of walking tours (I like the International District, next to the stadiums, best). If you prefer two wheels to two feet, you can get a decent backyard view of Seattle by taking the Burke Gilman Trail from Ballard to Kenmore, on your bike (you can also walk, rollerblade, jog, or whatever suits your fancy).

Downhill mountain biking trails can be found under the I-5 Colonnade, if you have the desire to hurdle yourself across a crazy downhill course but don't have the vehicle necessary to get you out of the city. If you have your own set of discs, free frisbee golf can be enjoyed at the Lakewood Park Disc Golf Course. Being something of a disc golf newbie, I can also attest that Lakewood has a pleasant share of wild fruit, from apples to blackberries, growing around the course. The UW Rec Sports Center rents out canoes for $7.50 an hour, which is good and cheap with split between a couple people. You can row around the Arboretum, or even under the 520 freeway.

If exerting yourself isn't what you had in mind, it's worth noting that you can see the Mariner's lose to any team in the league for as little as $6 per person (OK, OK, I know that's more than $5, AND you'll have to prevent yourself from buying the IchiRoll, the beer, or the chocolate-covered strawberries).

Obvious Stuff (but without the added cost)

If you're not from Europe or Asia, you'll probably be as thrilled as I am with Pike Place Market, Seattle's public market since 1907. I personally just enjoy walking around and gawking at the gorgeous flowers and produce and views of the water, since everything is a touch pricey (famer's market prices). Kids also get a kick out of reading the names on the market's floor tiles, where you can find some pretty funny, intriguing, and sentimental dedications and names (the tiles were purchased, as a part of a fundraising campaign, by people who wanted to help rebuild the market, which regularly falls into disrepair, in the 1980s). The most famous site at the market is, of course, the fish-throwing guys.

It costs a lot to take the elevator to the top of the Space Needle, but I personally just enjoy walking around it and looking up. The Smith Tower offers a great view of downtown, but costs $7.50 per adult (still cheaper than the $16 that the Space Needle charges).

You might have noticed that Seattle has an awful lot of water, something that the Army Core of Engineers took advantage of when they built the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. The locks are built between the Puget Sound (salt water) and our local lakes, Lake Union and Lake Washington. It's fun to watch boats come and go using the locks, and kids are especially enchanted with the fish ladder (please do not ask me why).

Cheapest Eats

The cheapest food to be had in Seattle is at the international eateries sprinkled throughout the International District (formerly known as Chinatown) and the U-District (the neighborhood that surrounds the University of Washington). Vietnamese food is exceptionally affordable, but we have some decent taco wagons throughout the region as well. Also keep an eye out for happy hour specials at more upscale establishments or smaller bars.

Permalink | 2 comments | Andrea Dickson's blog | Channel: Art and Leisure

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

10 Things to Do for Under $5 in the Omaha Metro Area

Linsey Knerl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:43:24 -0400

By Linsey Knerl

Omaha was my home for over 6 years, and while I enjoy living a more rural existence, I still frequent the metro for exciting entertainment options and unique shopping excursions. And while five bucks won't buy you the largest sized blended drink at Starbucks, it can get you admission to these ten other hot happenings in the Omaha metro area. Check out these frugal hot spots in the Big O!

Joslyn Art Museum – This isn't your average rinky dink art gallery. Thousands of top-notch art exhibits have made their way through the halls of Joslyn in the years it has been open to the public. Past favorites have included Karl Bodmer, William Joyce, Denise Fleming, and pieces rescued from the New Orleans Museum of Art. Many fine pieces make their permanent home at the Joslyn, including Du Bois, Mary Cassat, and Degas. Senior Citizens, children, and college students get in for $5 or less anytime, but on Saturdays from 10am – noon, it's free for EVERYONE! Their phenomenal series of Jazz on the Green shows have ended for the year, but activities such as College Night (Sept 12) offer food, music, and culture for absolutely no money!

Take in the memorials – Remembering those who have come before us may not always seem like a lively way to spend a free afternoon, but there is much to learn while visiting these monuments: Gerald Ford Birth site and Monument, Boys Town Hall of History (which includes the world's largest ball of stamps), and Cancer Survivors Park, Memorial Park (honoring WWII, Korea, and Vietnam veterans).

Skate! - Omaha has several top-notch ice skating rinks to choose from. The cheaper one to go to is the Motto McLean Arena (where you can skate for $2.50 plus a $1.50 skate rental.)

Support local art – Take in the sights and sounds of the Old Market and some unique artistic talent at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Located in the upper floors of the historic buildings, artists live and work where visitors can see!

Mahoney State Park – For the price of a daily park pass, you can get into the newest state park setup this part of the state has to offer! Located near Gretna, beautiful scenery, a nature conservatory, and an activities center (featuring $2 admission, cheap archery, an indoor playground, and ice skating) are just a few of the perks this park has to offer!

Gene Leahy Mall – This is the perfect place to stroll! This ten-acre park is right smack dab in the middle of historic downtown Omaha. Completely free and open until 11pm daily, you can explore waterfalls, gardens, the amphitheater and sculptures.

Heartland of America Park – Right next to the Gene Leahy Mall (in historic downtown), this park sports a breathtaking 300-foot fountain from April to Nov. Grab a boat ride for just $2 a person.

These are just a few of the better-known free and cheap attractions in Omaha. (I clearly left off the buffets that you can find for less than $5... not everyone enjoys cheap noodles.) Locals will have more fun hang-outs that they can share, but this list is a great place to start!

Permalink | 3 comments | Linsey Knerl's blog | Channel: Frugal Living, Art and Leisure

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Family Businesses - The World's Second Oldest Business Model

Mary Webber — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:11:45 -0400

By Mary Webber

Family businesses are the backbone of the American economy. The Family Firm Institute of Boston cites these figures: Family businesses account for 78% of all new job creation, support 60% of U.S. employment, and contribute 50% of our annual GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

Family businesses from Wal-Mart to the mom-and-pop store in your neighborhood face unique challenges; after all, they are family and they are business.

The definition of a "family business" is broad, referring to any two members of the same family, whether blood-related or not, who own or operate a business together. It might be multi-generational (LL Bean is now 4th generation), or it might be a publicly-traded company (Ford Motor) whose principal stockholders are family members.

Publicly traded family companies face the possibility of outsiders buying in and taking over, a prospect the Sulzberger family, owners of the New York Times, confronted with a shareholder clause allowing only intra-family sales of family-held stock.

Family members working together is one of the world's oldest business models, but enduring operation is more elusive. While the average life cycle of a family business is 27 years, there are exceptions. Zildjian Cymbal Company of Norwell MA is America's oldest family business in continuous operation, having gotten its start in Turkey in 1623. For the first time it its history, the company is now run by two women, cousins descended from the original patriarch.

The Seaside Inn and Cottages in Kennebunk Maine, 4th oldest family business in the US, received their original land grant from King George, and the business is now run by the 12th generation of the founding family. Many national firms such as Benjamin Moore Paints and Levi Strauss are also long-term family success stories.

Here in Maine, 80% of businesses are family owned and many have world-wide cachet including LL Bean, Tom's of Maine (now owned by Colgate-Palmolive), Thos. Mosher Cabinetmakers, and even the Wyeths, whose family members produce and promote three generations of acclaimed artwork.

What are the unique challenges facing a family-owned business?

According to Tom Juenemann, Director of the Institute for Family-Owned Business in Portland Maine, the number one challenge is succession, a hand-off that is often particularly difficult for the founding generation. Figures from a Mass Mutual/Arthur Anderson study document that: Only 30% of family businesses are run by the second generation, 9% by the 3rd and 4% beyond that.

Founders are often deeply, personally, invested in the company they've created, and relinquishing control, especially to the kid they once diapered (even if he is now 50) is agonizing. Too, there may not be second (or third) generation family members who want to assume the company mantle.

Tom's of Maine, which essentially started and built the market for natural personal care products, exemplifies a classic solution to this dilemma. The company has always been known as a strong family business with deeply-held beliefs about its workers, products and its role in the community; but, running this highly successful business was becoming all-enveloping for the founding family.

An offer from Colgate-Palmolive definitively answered "Yes" to the two biggest concerns of selling any family firm: Would a conglomerate keep the essence of the small family business and the integrity of its brand reputation intact, and would this sale allow all family members to benefit.

The second major challenge for family businesses is sibling rivalry. According to Juenemann, the issues might be ones of birth order, gender, family roles (the prankster, the smart one), or even just a magnification of the childhood slights everyone suffers. When money and power are involved, old family issues are more likely to play out.

Dealing with the dynamics of control, equality, and affirmation issues as well as coping with boundaries, in-laws, and simple pettiness within a family business can require substantial time, energy, and sensitivity, all while trying to address the more pragmatic concerns of running any business.

Does it get any easier the more successful a business becomes? Not likely, as evidenced by an October 2007 article in Forbes Magazine. 10 Billionaire Family Feuds details the many ways in which "nuclear" really applies to the family whose business interests collide.

The third major issue that family businesses confront is that those companies are by their very nature, closed concerns. Most families have unspoken rules about not airing dirty laundry in public; that magnifies ten-fold in a family business where family members sometimes feel as those all their quirks and quandries are unique to their family, their company. Not true, so while loyalty is perceived as crucial, have a place to air grievances is also critical.

By far the most touchy family business situation occurs when it becomes clear that, for whatever reason, outside expertise is needed. This is particularly wrenching when the business is okay, and the family isn't. This is where a well-functioning board of directors, which should include some outsiders, is invaluable.

LL Bean demonstrated the long, hard thought that must go into a smooth, successful management transition when the company reins were handed on from Bean family heir Leon Gorman to Chris McCormick, now the company's first non-family CEO.

But what about the rewards of being part of a family business? A successful company can be an institutionalized reflection of the personal values of the founding family. While not always easy, it can be a privilege to both honor a legacy and expand a vision.

And family members, especially siblings who work and succeed together, often outgrow old family patterns and come to view and value each other as competent adults, a transition that is often seen as the most enduring benefit of a family business.

Where to find help with Family Business struggles?

Maine's Institute for Family-Owned Business like other family business centers nationwide, supports and strengthens family businesses though consulting, mediation, estate planning, many topical conferences, and especially by facilitating networking among member companies.

While there are over 100 Family Business Centers in the US, they are not in every state. Websites such as those at UMASS Amherst Family Business Center, Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center or Kennesaw State University Cox Family Business Center can refer you to your nearest center, or google "Family Business Center" to find one near you.

Recommended books include Perpetuating the Family Business (John L. Ward), Love, Power and Money (Fowler, Edquist) and When Your Parents Sign the Paychecks (Greg McCann).

From the smallest, local, family-owned business to the Waltons who founded Wal-Mart, family businesses help strengthen the American economy, and those businesses offer founding families both unique challenges and unlimited possibilities. After all, they are family and they are business.

Permalink | 5 comments | Mary Webber's blog | Channel: Entrepreneurship

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Women Are Responsible For Inequalities in the Workplace

Nora Dunn — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:26:03 -0400

By Nora Dunn

It’s not news that women tend to hit glass ceilings in the workplace far sooner than men do. It’s also not news that women tend to earn less money than their male counterparts in exactly the same positions.

Is it possible though, women are actually partially responsible for these inequalities? Recent studies say yes.

U.S. behavioral scientist and author Shannon L. Goodson has studied and compared tens of thousands of men and women from 34 different countries to figure out what is going on. She discovered that women are less likely to project themselves professionally (regardless of country or culture).

Upon first blush, this shouldn’t be so bad; aren’t we taught that modesty is more attractive than blatant egotism? Isn’t it unladylike to be too forward?

But when we live in a world where (as Goodson confirmed) self-promotion is key to getting bigger salaries and better positions, it seems that feminine modesty is simply detrimental.

Here are some ways you can start to actively promote yourself without being looked upon as the “office bitch”:

Draw attention to your contributions, especially if they go above and beyond the original task assigned.
If you are proud of something you believe you do well, make sure the right people know about it. If they know that you enjoy a particular task or have a knack with it, you may find your job shifting to encompass more of it, utilizing your talents better and giving you more job satisfaction.
Participate in social and professional networking events, and be sure to mingle.
If a task takes you less than the allotted time, be sure to bring it to your boss’s attention.
Make suggestions for how your skills might be better utilized if you feel you aren’t working up to your capabilities. Warning: don’t let your boss pile more work on…indicate that these suggestions are for future improvement of the company, and that these responsibilities warrant a new position or restructuring of your current position.
Ask for a raise if you feel you deserve it! The worst anybody can say is “no”.

Goodson’s studies reveal another possibly scarier fact: female managers are not as supportive and encouraging of other women as you may think. Those women who have made a leap to management and are on the fast track may actually sabotage the careers of other women under them. So if you are an employee working underneath one of these managers, be sure not to look to them for that maternal encouragement you may expect – in fact, watching your back may be sadly necessary. I have personal experience in this area; by expecting the woman across the desk from me to be kind and nurturing, I have botched interviews, become agitated in meetings, and even been bitten by office politics in unlikely ways.

In many cases you can overcome workplace inequalities without having to change your behavior. Instead, a simple shift in attitude will do:

Don’t expend energy worrying about outcomes…focus on the job, and show off the results in the end.
Eliminate stage fright from your vocabulary. Join Toastmasters if you need to become more comfortable presenting in front of groups - it's fun and incredibly helpful. (And it's more of that social networking I was talking about - you just may meet your next manager there).
Don’t worry about being “intrusive” in opening up lines of communication with others (especially managers higher than you).
Don’t be intimidated. Women are more likely than men to be intimidated by wealthy people, and those in powerful positions. Remember – they are just people too.

In this day and age, hard work alone is not enough to succeed and flourish in the workplace. Don’t be a martyr – get out there and self-promote! Only you can be your biggest cheerleader – nobody else will do it for you.

Permalink | 14 comments | Nora Dunn's blog | Channel: Career and Income

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Book Talk On “The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable”

Julie Rains — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:30:46 -0400

By Julie Rains

The Offsite is a quirky quick read, a short novel by leadership consultant Robert H. Thompson. There are no talking animals or inanimate objects that adopt human characteristics a la Aesop’s Fables but rather vignettes of leadership struggles and truths portrayed during an offsite team-building, leadership-development, and passion-finding session. I’ll tell you about the characters, give a glimpse on what was insightful and what was contrived, and give ideas for using the book.

My favorite character was Sam Arthur, a former CEO and leadership guru turned part-time retiree, university lecturer, and hotel gardener. He relished his gardening position not necessarily for its job content but because it gave him an opportunity to gauge the leadership potential of those he encountered, many of whom judge him as insignificant because he is working in a laborer position. (I was both intrigued and repelled by the idea that I, as a reader, may, possibly, assign worthiness to an individual based on status or title.)

Other characters include

Abby Bancroft: owner of Perfect Leadership Consulting, offsite organizer and facilitator
Mary Mitchell: hotel waitress turned assistant hotel manager, who began her journey toward transformation following a public display of appreciation by Abby Bancroft at a previous seminar
Gordon Murphy: newly appointed CEO of American Laboratory for Molecular Research (ALMR), a pharmaceutical company that is planning a joint sales venture with Advanced Biomolecular Pharmaceuticals (ABP)
Joe Vanderson: sales vice president of ALMR, a true salesperson and relationship manager who has been promoted beyond his level of competency (see Peter Principle); though he enjoys good relationships with the FDA, key accounts, and joint venture capitalists, he is portrayed as a workplace bully and leadership antithesis
Gwen Kelly: director of sales for ABP who is struggling because she is trying to manage rather than lead her sales team
Jerry Allen: vice president of business development of ABP

The setting is a luxury hotel in Tucson, Arizona, where leadership principles and practices are presented, discussed, and, presumably, adopted by session participants. The purpose of the session is to develop shared values and goals among team members of two pharmaceutical companies in preparation for a joint sales venture. The underlying goal (and focus of the novel) is to teach Joe and Gwen about leadership (rather than management) so that they can lead the sales initiative; since their successes have been based on outdated, controlling, micromanaging approaches to business, turning them into leaders is the key challenge.

Sam does have some illuminating comments such as “Leadership is the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations.” And “…your passion needs to be part of a bigger picture. Do you think that Martin Luther King Jr. could have rallied a nation if he’d said ‘I have ten measurable objectives’ instead of ‘I have a dream’? Leaders share their dreams, folks. They breathe life into their visions and communicate clearly for understanding. Nobody wants to be handled like pawns in a chess game. Provide the direction, but give people the choice to make their own moves.”

Meanwhile Abby is encouraging a positive approach by telling her audience to “Let your thoughts grow flowers, not weeds” and Jerry is informing Gwen that her offhand reference to him as “boss…reminds me of the mob, and it has a negative, subservient ring to it…”

The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership shared in the book include Challenging the Process, which may involve, for example, throwing a time sheet binder in the trashcan in front of cheering employees. How the Department of Labor or the IRS awaiting its 941 payroll tax report or the union representative responds isn’t covered. Nevertheless, there are some leadership lessons of value: have integrity, provide direction and inspiration, be passionate about what you are doing, and show appreciation. It is left unstated that those you are leading are self-motivated, ambitious, bright, and capable.

If you are looking for a step-by-step guide to leadership, you won’t find it here (unless you have been to one of these sessions and are familiar with how “creating your masterpiece” means finding your true calling and leaving a career-related legacy). If you want to get a beginner’s grasp on some leadership buzzwords or are preparing to participate in an offsite meeting, then this book could be useful.

"The Offsite" might also be of interest to a business-oriented book club for a change of pace from non-fiction titles or a traditional book club with members who want to explore business and career issues through fiction. Here are questions to spark discussion:

What character did you most identify with? Why?
Have you had a problem colleague such as Joe and how was he dealt with?
Have you participated in an offsite session? Was it similar to the one described in the book? Were you inspired by the session? What were the results six months and one year later?
Do you trust your company leadership? Why or why not?
Have you ever challenged the process? What was the outcome?
Have you solicited insight or shared ideas with others in an organization? Were the ideas translated into actions and what were the results?

If you learned something of value at an offsite or team building session, feel welcome to share.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a book review.

Permalink | 2 comments | Julie Rains's blog | Channel: Career Building

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Seller concessions and buyer bargains - What to ask for in the current real estate market.

Xin Lu — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:58:42 -0400

By Xin Lu

It is currently a buyer's market for real estate in most of the United States and there are many ways a buyer could negotiate for a deal beyond getting a great price. Here are some of the concessions sellers are willing to make and some ideas for buyers at the negotiations table.

1. Closing costs - Lately I have seen many real estate listings in California that say the seller would pay for the closing costs or the seller would pay a set amount towards the closing costs. Closing costs could add up to thousands of dollars depending on the size and type of loan a buyer acquires. This means that if a seller pitches in then a buyer would not need as much money to procure a loan.

2. Tax assessments - Many transactions in troubled real estate markets are currently foreclosures. Some of these properties have back taxes and usually the buyer is supposed to deal with this, but it is possible to negotiate with the bank or seller and have them pay for the taxes before the sale completes.

3. Home owner association fees - Here in San Mateo county the typical home owner association fee for a townhouse or condo is $300 to $500 a month so getting the seller to pay for one year of the fees is a $3000 to $6000 perk. Many new developments in the Bay Area are paying the fees for a year in order to move units, but some builders have given out deals where three years of HOA dues were paid. It is also possible to ask for an individual seller to pay the fees for a set amount of time as part of the deal.

4. Repairs and upgrades - Instead of buying a fixer upper, it is possible to ask sellers to do certain repairs and upgrades before the deal is complete. In new developments it is now common to receive upgrades to appliances, flooring, and other custom features.

5. Miscellaneous goods - In an article by CNN a buyer was able to score $800 worth of heating oil in addition to a price discount, and some sellers are throwing in other incentives such as cars and vacations. Indeed, this home seller in San Mateo is throwing in a free vacation to Maui if you buy the incredibly expensive home. In this case, the vacation is really a marketing tool and not a real discount since the home is quite overpriced.

All of these things can be negotiated in any real estate transaction, but in the current market it is more likely for the seller to agree to terms that are more in favor of the buyer. So if you are buying a home now you should keep in mind that it never hurts to ask for a discount, and there are many ways to receive the discount you want. You should also be aware of the difference of a true seller concession and a marketing gimmick because getting a vacation worth $5000 on a home that is $300k overpriced is not a good deal at all. Finally, you should get whatever terms you settle on in writing and make sure that the sellers follow through.

What discounts or perks have you gotten in recent real estate transactions? Feel free to share!

Permalink | 6 comments | Xin Lu's blog | Channel: Personal Finance, General Tips, Real Estate and Housing

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Best of Wise Bread: Impulse Shopping

Lynn Truong — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:12:41 -0400

By Lynn Truong

Permalink | Comments | Lynn Truong's blog

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Dealing with Financial Drought: A Recovery Plan

Sarah Winfrey — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:39:50 -0400

By Sarah Winfrey

You know how it goes. One minute, you have extra money sitting in the bank just waiting for you to play with it. The next, your car needs repaired, or the cat gets sick, or the roof falls in and there's no way you can afford the bills without dipping into savings. Not only has your "fun money" disappeared, but so has some of your emergency fund, general savings fund, or goal-oriented savings fund. And we all know what happens next: more catastrophe, more bills, more dipping in when you meant with all your will to save this month.

Financial drought sucks, but it happens to all of us. Not even the wisest, most frugal person on the 'net can avoid it. What we do when the savings numbers are slipping backwards, however, can determine how much we actually lose during the drought and how quickly we bounce back.

Know what to expect.

All sorts of negative emotions can accompany financial drought. Don't be surprised if you find yourself wondering if it's all your fault, or if you're lying awake at night wondering if you could have seen this coming and how. Your emotions may run particularly close to the surface during and just after a drought, or you may find yourself unable to feel at all. However you respond emotionally, know that you will and that it will go away when things get better. Expecting an emotional fallout of some sort can, rather ironically, help you keep your equilibrium when you're in the middle of the drought. You won't be nearly as tempted to follow them into an unwise choice or to change your financial plan on a whim.

Rather closely related to that point, know that things will get better. Financial drought doesn't last forever. It might seem like it's going to when you're wading through it with the water at your neck, but it doesn't. And knowing that it will end can make all the difference in the world.

Take stock.

Sometimes, an emergency fund isn't enough. I hate to bring up depressing stuff, but it's true. When life throws a really big lemon, not even the most overfunded emergency fund in the world can make lemonade. But you know what? That's ok. Sure, it means taking money from somwhere else, maybe from a goal-oriented savings account, or a general fund, or even a loan. And that sucks. Even this worst-case scenario, however, isn't the end of the world. Are you alive? Check. Relatively hale and whole? Check. Ready to get back on the pony? Well....maybe.

Wherever you find yourself after the bills are paid or the wells are dried up, look around. What's good? What's wretched? What can you change? What will only make things worse if you tinker with it? The answers to these questions will help you figure out where you are. And generally, when we know where we are, the way forward becomes much more clear.

Your goals are still your goals.

Even when you're negatively saving towards whatever it is you want, that thing you want is still your goal, and don't you forget it! It's easy to lose sight of your goals when your finances take a dip for the worst. When you're taking money out of your savings account instead of putting it in, it's so easy to let the doubts wiggle in. It might start with a, "Wow, I guess we won't be able to buy the boat in April," but quickly progresses to, "Maybe we'll never be able to buy the boat," and in the worst cases becomes, "It was silly of me to try and save for a boat." Nip those thoughts in the bud. Your boat (or car, house, horse, roadtrip, cruise, whatever) is worth the time you spend saving, the effort of saving, and the money you save. Just because it may not happen when you wanted it to happen doesn't change that. Knowing that your goals have value can help you stay focused and oriented even when life tries to throw you off.

Not only that, but remembering the value of your goals and staying focused on them can help you bounce back after the crisis. Sure, it sucks to be in the hole with your savings account, but at least you still have one. And there's something out there that you want! Focusing on your desire wil help you save even when it feels hopeless to do so. Because that day where everyone sees you having accomplished your goal? It's out there somewhere, and your saving makes it come quicker.

Take your time.

All of that said, give yourself some space to figure out where you are, where you want to go next, and how to get there. A drought can change a lot of things in your life, not the least of which are your energy, stress levels, relationshps, and general health. An extended, sudden, or particularly intense drought can impact all of these and more for the worse. So give yourself time. Maybe you need to sleep every Saturday afternoon for a month instead of assessing your finances. Or maybe you need a day at the beach, a chance to finish that book you got into before it all started, or a couple of massages. Whatever it is, you have time for it. Let your whole self take a deep breath before you dive back in.

In addition to healing some of the hurts of drought, taking some time can give you a different perspective. It can help you notice that the world isn't out to get you, no one actually seems to hate you, and things look remarkably similar to how they looked before the drought. What a relief!

Get back on the pony.

Whether you decide on a recovery plan or just jump back in to what you were doing before, get started. Maybe your drought has lingering consequences and you can't save like you used to. That's ok; save what you can. Sometimes, a drought shakes us so deeply that we can't bear to risk again. That's ok; do it anyway. The more you follow a plan and get some money back in savings, the more you'll be able to stop expecting the worst. And once you've done that, well, you've overcome the drought.

What sorts of droughts have you faced? How did you overcome them? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments.

Permalink | 9 comments | Sarah Winfrey's blog | Channel: Personal Finance

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Would you sell your vote?

Paul Michael — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:15:33 -0400

By Paul Michael

Being a humble Green Card holder, I don’t have a vote here in the US (makes me wonder about that old “no taxation without representation” line, but that’s another story). Anyway, as the election goes into overdrive, a question has started to bubble up inside my head. If the price was right, would you sell your vote?

It’s important to remember that voting is a right that many people didn’t have for the longest time. Here’s a very brief history of voting in the US, as listed on many sites including ActiVote America and InfoPlease :

1776 – Voting rights based on property ownership; white protestant males over 21.
1830 – Many states drop religion and property ownership as requirements.
1870 – African Americans given the right to vote.
1920 – Women given the right to vote.
1947 – All states finally grant Native Americans the right to vote.
1965 – Voting Rights Act bans use of literacy tests and poll taxes.
1971 – Voting age lowered to 18.

As Fatboy Slim once said, “we’ve come a long way baby.” People have campaigned, suffered and died for this right. Wars have been fought in the name of freedom and democracy. It seems like one hell of a privilege to give up. I know I miss my right to vote, especially as I have such strong political beliefs.

Not unlike Woody Harrelson’s character in “Indecent Proposal,” everyone has their price; (although I would rather sell my vote than do what he did). But in light of recent DieBold news, and an HBO documentary I saw last month called "Hacking Democracy," I have to wonder what has happened to that most precious gift that is your vote anyway.

As Engadget reported in August of this year, DieBold spokesman Chris Riggall explained that a "critical programming error that can cause votes to be dropped while being electronically transferred from memory cards to a central tallying point" has been part of the software for ten years. So, your precious vote may have been dropped from the system on multiple occasions.

And in “Hacking Democracy ” it’s unveiled that voting machines can be rigged, records can disappear and elections could indeed be miscounted by machines. The security of the electronic voting machines being used today is suspect to say the least, and this is not a partisan issue. Your vote is your vote, and if it’s not being counted, or it’s being manipulated for one party of the other, does it then open up the debate about selling your vote? If your vote is not as sacred as we once believed, is there less culpability involved in selling that vote?

If someone came up to you tomorrow and told you that you were in a swing state, and your vote was needed to ensure victory for one party, would you consider the offer? Would your vote be up for grabs?

It may be that you were going to vote for that party anyway. You may believe that one vote doesn’t actually make a difference. Or, you may just think the whole system is screwed anyway, so why not profit from it? And just what would your price be?

In these tough economic times, I’d be tempted if someone waved $5000 hard cash in front of me and asked me to vote a certain way (if, of course, I had a vote to sell). But as there’s no way to prove who you voted for anyway, would you then just give your word that you’d vote for one party, and then vote for the other anyway? Or would you just say no?

It may all seem like rhetoric, but it did actually make the news in July of this year. CNN reported that “University of Minnesota student Max P. Sanders, 19, was charged with a felony Thursday in Hennepin County District Court after allegedly asking for a minimum of $10 in exchange for voting for the bidder's preferred candidate.”

And this got Sanders into more than a little hot water; “Sanders was charged with one count of bribery, treating and soliciting under an 1893 state law that makes it a crime to offer to buy or sell a vote.” He tried, he failed, he says it was a joke. Maybe it was, but it still leaves the question hanging in the air…would YOU sell your vote, and if so, what would your price be? Over to you.

Permalink | 28 comments | Paul Michael's blog | Channel: Consumer Affairs, Making Extra Cash

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.

Seventh Generation's Struggling Student Give Away

Myscha Theriault — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 09:39:16 -0400

By Myscha Theriault

A big area of expense for students? Laundry. Since Seventh Generation has been so supportive in the past, I gave them a call. As usual, they were happy to help. One lucky reader is going to receive a five item prize pack of Seventh Generation laundry and cleaning products. Read on for entry details and the full scoop on the prize package.

Got a great laundry tip or hilarious clothes washing blooper? Share the scoop below in the comment section by 9:00 a.m. EST Monday, September 8, 2008. You'll be entered to win. That's it. Tell us how you get out a particularly tough stain, or about the time you turned your Dad's underwear pink. The choice is yours. It just has to be a laundry tip or blooper.

Wanna know what you're playing for? Here's the list of items Seventh Generation will be giving away in their Struggling Student prize package:

all purpose cleaning spray
paper towels
laundry soap
fabric softener
chlorine free bleach

Pretty loaded prize pack, in my opinion. Thanks, Seventh Generation!

Editor's note: Seventh Generation also has online coupons for those interested in exploring other items in their product line. If you are unable to find their products in your local area, they are also available on Amazon.

Permalink | 78 comments | Myscha Theriault's blog | Channel: Freebies, Green Living

Similar entries:

For Wise Bread Subscribers Only! Download your FREE copy ($10 value) of our Wise Driving Guide: 108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy.

This article is from Wise Bread.