Recent comments

  • Freedom From the Day Job   15 years 31 weeks ago

    i'm impressed that you handled your reply so well, and thank you very much for the extra information! i'll read it.

  • Cleaning Out for a Cause: Make a Noncash Tax-Deductible Donation   15 years 31 weeks ago

    We are about to engage in a massive purging of our belongings. Hopefully, it will result in some space to move around and a small deduction on our (surely misery-inducing) taxes this year.

  • 16 Ways To Get Money For Your Business   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Tell me about EQUIPMENT LEASE/BUY-BACK COMPANIES. Are there any reputable companies that loan money off of the equipment that a business already owns as a means of raising capital? I can find plenty of companies that operate under this function, but I cannot find any customer reviews! That seems really strange to me. Thanks! I'd appreciate your insight!

  • 16 Ways To Get Money For Your Business   15 years 31 weeks ago

    SBA does not loan money unless you already have money! No money = no money! For instance: An SBA loan is applied for the purchase of a preexisting, lucrative business with a regular customer base; Rather than qualify the loan based on the business one desires to purchase, SBA qualifies the loan based on the company making the purchase!
    Women owned makes no difference. They are looking for start up capital...period.

  • 8 Job-Getting Tips from a Guy Who's Hired 500 People in the Past 5 Years   15 years 31 weeks ago

    going to a job interview today. I will be wearing a tshirt and some pants. I am very thankful i'm in the creative industry since i hate wearing ties. I find if you act comfortable and confident thats most of the interview right there. I do a lot of job hopping, since thats the easiest way to get promoted and a raise. I always feel like my experience and portfolio get me in the door, but my personality and a normal conversation with the interviewer gets me those jobs. Dont go all stressed out and desperate, relax, have a good chat but dont ramble. Practice makes perfect.

  • It’s Not Too Late: Last Minute End of Year Tax Planning   15 years 31 weeks ago

    How late can we contribute to our Roth Ira account? I am not going to max out this year, but woul it be smart to get one more contribution in?

  • Freedom From the Day Job   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Sorry you didn't find the article more useful. I do have other posts with more practical advice. On this topic in particular, you might try this one:

    http://www.wisebread.com/getting-by-without-a-job-part-1-losing-a-job

    Or, for more of a general overview, this one:

    http://www.wisebread.com/what-ive-been-trying-to-say

  • Things Don't Cost What They Used To: 10 Major Price Shifts in 2010   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Absolutely higher. Last year I was able to purchase eggs for 99 cents a dozen for Christmas baking. This year it went "down " to $1.59. Fo some reason bananas are still pretty good, locally grown apples and pumpkins are at 89 to 59 cents a pound respectively, not too shabby. But don't even mention tuna.....

  • 8 Job-Getting Tips from a Guy Who's Hired 500 People in the Past 5 Years   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Beau,

    I ran this past Augie. Here's what he told me:

    "Well, I would rather be safe than sorry on this. You never know who's going to be reading these. Perhaps the HR rep or resume screener passed you on to the hiring manager because of your great cover letter. Hard to tell. You can't control the interviewer's lack of preparation. You should concentrate on what you can do to put yourself in the best light possible so that you emerge as the best candidate.

    Regarding your other question, unless the company has asked for a cover letter specifically, I don't think they'd necessarily screen you out if you didn't have one. A bad cover letter is worse than no cover letter in my opinion."

    Hope that helps. Thanks for reading.

    -cb

  • 8 Job-Getting Tips from a Guy Who's Hired 500 People in the Past 5 Years   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Covers letters are rarely read by hiring managers. I have been in recruiting for 10 years (the past five as a corporate recruiter).

  • Are You Wasting or Saving Money With a Warehouse Club Membership?   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Great Advise!!! I don't have a ridiculous amount of space, either - but some of the programs offered at the stores more than make up for the price. Most places I've researched on this say they have not and they paid attention.

  • 4 Ways to Save Money at the Bars   15 years 31 weeks ago

    When I was finished with my bottle of beer I would go into the ladies room and fill it up with water. It was easier than asking a bartender for a glass of water, because they would inevitably place a bottle of water on the counter and name its price. I can see how it would be tough for them to serve glasses of water all night (I live in a college town), but I wasn't going to pay for bottles of water, either. And I always had a beer bottle in my hand, so I fit right in.

  • 4 Ways to Save Money at the Bars   15 years 31 weeks ago

    One of the main ways I save money at bars is to drink before I go out!

  • Living Cheaply for the Long Term   15 years 31 weeks ago

    I originally started living cheaply because it was easier to work on projects that I enjoyed rather than a set career, and have found it to be a great lifestyle that I'll continue for the long term as well. Think I kinda stumbled onto it similar to yourself.

  • Freedom From the Day Job   15 years 31 weeks ago

    hello, i didn't want to enter a 'this is the internet, and i don't know the writer, so i'm going postal on a non-entity that i've never seen' rant. so i'll be civil, and say that your title opens up a tempting premise, but then ends with an uncertain statement. i wanted information that wasn't delivered, and i don't believe you did that on purpose. you write very well, i'd just ask you to take into account the motivations that people, such as me, have for reading.
    "They use "work" to mean flushing their life away in 40-hour increments in exchange for enough money to keep a roof over their head, put food on the table, and buy the occasional electronic gadget to distract them from how miserable their lives are."
    ah, that's me, and you depressed (if not insulted) me. again, remember your readers, please. i haven't read more of your material, and if you want to critique me, i'm at blogspot.com under curious reason, and womens' hope.

  • 8 Job-Getting Tips from a Guy Who's Hired 500 People in the Past 5 Years   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Hi Chris. I wonder if August Nielsen could answer another question. I frequently find that an interviewer rarely has seen my resume before I've arrived for an interview - the most common scenario is the interviewer reading my resume while I sit in the chair across from him. This makes me wonder about the value of writing a cover letter. If the interviewer hasn't had time to read my resume, why would he bother reading my cover letter? I feel pressure to include cover letters with job applications but I can't justify spending any quality time on them given my interviewing experience. Are applicants ruled out by the absence of a cover letter? Is a bad cover letter better than no cover letter? I'd love some feedback on this if available. Thanks.

  • How to Save $1,500 on Coffee   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Not a hard sacrifice to use the old industrial coffee pot I have from the 50's. Going to the upscale coffee shops much outside of the truck stop circuit was not fun, I got tired of the average coffee barista looking at me like I am a barbarian for wanting an honest to goodness (no cream, no sugar, no fufu additives) plain old cup of joe...and it can have sat in the pot for a while as well

  • How to Make Moonshine   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Just made some spiced pumpkin ale. I can enhance it from some of my product later. That is in keeping the holiday spirit!

  • 10 Free Things to Do With Your Kindle   15 years 31 weeks ago

    At the beginning of the article it says that the Kindle was a gift... which makes their remarks valid for the theme of their blog. So you fail. Read the article first and maybe you won't look like you're being so rude.

  • Empty Coupon Code Box? You’re Paying Too Much.   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Great tips, I hate seeing those coupon boxes and not finding a code. Also check if the retailer has a twitter; if they do there's a good chance they've posted the most recent codes. And if a code works, I'll retweet their code or email it on. Can't hurt to thank the retailer with more business and encourage them to keep having discounts

  • 4 Ways to Save Money at the Bars   15 years 31 weeks ago

    Another way to save on alcoholic beverages is to join a fraternal organization or social club, such as the Eagles, Moose, etc. These types of locations will offer the least expensive alcoholic beverages, generally have kitchen services for food and offer live entertainment or jukeboxes.

  • 20 Signs That You Were Raised By TRUE Money-Savers   15 years 31 weeks ago

    We ate A-1 sandwiches and they tasted SO GOOD! :)

  • 25 Great Gifts for $5 or Less   15 years 31 weeks ago

    AMAZING LIST! I actually did the movie basket gift before I read your article, but I'm glad you posted about it (there are some interesting DVDs at the dollar store!). I love the ornament/used book ideas so I'm taking those. Thank you!

  • DIY - Silk Flower Brooch   15 years 31 weeks ago

    I am so happy I found this site! Pretty clever ideas with these silk flowers... I am headed to the craft store now. Thanks again!

  • Back to School: The Case for majoring in English   15 years 31 weeks ago

    If your more analytical of bent it has stricken me that Mathematics Majors have a similar core flexibility in their thinking processes and acumen that the English major enjoys. A course of study open-ended with little (apparent) "snap-in" functionality but yet teaches the graduate-practricianer to think out of the box. Probably it shouldn't surprise me with the ob-stated mathematics is in effect another language. If you can't spell (like me) it's probably a good fall-back major from English....