Luckily I already avoid most of these, and do reuse several of them in the ways mentioned. I am however, a little skeeved out about the swim diapers (and I use cloth!). I can't even imagine using a disposable digital camera, that just seems outrageous. I used disposable film cameras back in the day but I probably won't ever do it again.
Thank you for your list, I will review my recently prepared cover letters :-).
Unfortunately I have to agree with posts saying that to get the HR manager / contact name is impossible and if you get it, the effect is negative than positive.
They feel annoyed with people calling them without having any appointment and they really want to be those who give the direction to the hiring process.
Usually, the HR person, with whom I agree on the interview appointment even doesn't attend the interview and further communication comes from anybody else, kind of administrator.
Otherwise again for very good tips.
Yes. Thank you so much for brilliant summarization. I have absolutely the same experience.
I've been unemployed since June 2011. After several months of pain and investing tremendous emotional energy (and time - the same with you - 7 pages appliaton) I came to the only way - I will try to overcome my bad mood and try to stay positive at least during the time I'm writing the answer (I use the on-line applications solely) and after ONE DAY I put it into "not accepted" in my mailbox. Then first, I am surprised they even call me :-), and second I concetrate fully on another applications.
What I've found recently - is necessary to make yourself unique (well, not using red color for CV :-)). Earlier, I thought my application is good enough because I use words like "challenge" or whatsoever. But in fact, now I've started using words, which desribes me in reality - keen on inovations, creative, curious. No response yet but I stay positive because only now I have the feeling that this is me who answers.
Good luck to both of us.
PS: One additional point, which makes me MAD - the same job, to which I failed, is published in 3-4 months again. But this at least shows there are people in the same .hit as I am.
Experience itself, is who has taught me the most about personal finance. I've made tons of mistakes and spent time having to figure out how to fix them.
We have scheduled our donation to an orphanage through automatic deduction in our account. Furthermore, we also give used clothes and toys to charity organizations as our way of teaching generosity to our children. I think now is the right time for me to consider getting a tax deduction from all those donations we are doing.
DON'T CLEAN YOUR CONTACTS WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ! Back in the 80s you used contacts until your prescription chaged or you lost them. You had to keep a chemistry lab in the bathroom so you could keep your contacts clean. The whole point of disposable contacts is to prevent infection. It's not a sceem. Should you get hydrogen peroxide in your eyes from your contacts chances are you won't need contacts any more, but you will need a white cane.
I used to donate plasma during high school and college. You can make about $200 a month or more and it only takes about an hour plus you feel like you are giving back to the community in a weird way. However you do have a needle in your arm for awhile, so it's not for the faint of heart.
I did not know that the cost of driving to a homeless shelter was deductible. I am going on a mission trip to Mexico next week. Would any of my airfare or food/lodging expense be deductible?
Yeah, I know -- it doesn't seem fair. If you don't have a mortgage, then the charitable deductions may not make a difference in your tax situation; but state taxes + the charity can push you over the edge so to speak.
Oh, that standard deduction. I remember how disappointed I was the year I moved and donated hundreds of dollars worth of stuff to Goodwill -- only to discover when I met with my accountant that all my carefully kept lists of donations wouldn't do me any good (that year, at least). There are a few deductions on your list that I didn't know about, though -- I'm definitely going to start keeping track of them.
I love that suggestion, Faxauthority! I believe in buying something more expensive that will last rather than something cheap that will fall apart quickly, and your technique is a great way to approach that.
I agree the thought sounds reprehensible. But if you've ever tasted it, you would quickly realize there would be no offending your guests with this wine.
If you're really trying to be cheap then you should skip the wine and hope that at least one person brings wine. Because who shows up to a dinner party without wine?
I found this piece as entertaining as it was insightful. The impoverished Irish side of my family has made something of a religion of coupon-snipping over the years and were deeply dissapointed that I never took to the practice. I especially disagree that coupons are misleading in that they profess great savings but overtime tend to dictate what you buy and encourage you to stock up on unnecessaries. I can only shake my head every time my mother raves about the two for one deal she found on toenail clippers or the half-off bargain on banana flavored toothpaste.
All good advice, but you have to be extremely wary of financial planners. Vast majority either charge a hefty annual percentage fee for managing your assets or steer you to their expensive affiliated mutual funds or do both. Only deal with independent fixed fee-only financial planners. And even then you'll probably still get burned more than you'd benefit.
Investing for yourself is really quite simple once you understand the reason for expected long-term positive returns and understand that short-term turbulence in the markets is to be expected and ignored. Then just select appropriate mix of stock and bond index funds (more stocks if you don't mind the turbulence, more bonds if you are very risk-averse) and set it on auto-pilot for a few decades with regular new investments. 20-30-40 years you're rich without any particular effort or stress. There're tons of good resources on the web and books (William Bernstein, Bogleheads) that teach you how to do it. Spend 100 hours educating yourself and save hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime relative to using crooked advisors and planners.
Luckily I already avoid most of these, and do reuse several of them in the ways mentioned. I am however, a little skeeved out about the swim diapers (and I use cloth!). I can't even imagine using a disposable digital camera, that just seems outrageous. I used disposable film cameras back in the day but I probably won't ever do it again.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. This I needed just today. Good luck to all job searchers.
Thank you for your list, I will review my recently prepared cover letters :-).
Unfortunately I have to agree with posts saying that to get the HR manager / contact name is impossible and if you get it, the effect is negative than positive.
They feel annoyed with people calling them without having any appointment and they really want to be those who give the direction to the hiring process.
Usually, the HR person, with whom I agree on the interview appointment even doesn't attend the interview and further communication comes from anybody else, kind of administrator.
Otherwise again for very good tips.
Yes. Thank you so much for brilliant summarization. I have absolutely the same experience.
I've been unemployed since June 2011. After several months of pain and investing tremendous emotional energy (and time - the same with you - 7 pages appliaton) I came to the only way - I will try to overcome my bad mood and try to stay positive at least during the time I'm writing the answer (I use the on-line applications solely) and after ONE DAY I put it into "not accepted" in my mailbox. Then first, I am surprised they even call me :-), and second I concetrate fully on another applications.
What I've found recently - is necessary to make yourself unique (well, not using red color for CV :-)). Earlier, I thought my application is good enough because I use words like "challenge" or whatsoever. But in fact, now I've started using words, which desribes me in reality - keen on inovations, creative, curious. No response yet but I stay positive because only now I have the feeling that this is me who answers.
Good luck to both of us.
PS: One additional point, which makes me MAD - the same job, to which I failed, is published in 3-4 months again. But this at least shows there are people in the same .hit as I am.
Experience itself, is who has taught me the most about personal finance. I've made tons of mistakes and spent time having to figure out how to fix them.
Chris
We have scheduled our donation to an orphanage through automatic deduction in our account. Furthermore, we also give used clothes and toys to charity organizations as our way of teaching generosity to our children. I think now is the right time for me to consider getting a tax deduction from all those donations we are doing.
You are welcome! Same to you! :)
DON'T CLEAN YOUR CONTACTS WITH HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ! Back in the 80s you used contacts until your prescription chaged or you lost them. You had to keep a chemistry lab in the bathroom so you could keep your contacts clean. The whole point of disposable contacts is to prevent infection. It's not a sceem. Should you get hydrogen peroxide in your eyes from your contacts chances are you won't need contacts any more, but you will need a white cane.
I used to donate plasma during high school and college. You can make about $200 a month or more and it only takes about an hour plus you feel like you are giving back to the community in a weird way. However you do have a needle in your arm for awhile, so it's not for the faint of heart.
Great question about the mission trip.
The answer seems to be "it depends." Look at IRS Publication 526 to see the scenarios (4 examples) in which you can and can not deduct your expenses:
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p526/ar02.html#en_US_2011_publink1000229682
and refer to the Schedule A Instructions (link above in the article).
I would ask an expert about your particular situation to see if your trip qualifies.
One good thing about the deductions though. If you are itemizing they always count. You may need a receipt (which youshould save anyways) above $500.
Very well written, thanks for the tips!
I did not know that the cost of driving to a homeless shelter was deductible. I am going on a mission trip to Mexico next week. Would any of my airfare or food/lodging expense be deductible?
Thanks for sharing! Someone else told me a similar story -- glad that helped.
Yeah, I know -- it doesn't seem fair. If you don't have a mortgage, then the charitable deductions may not make a difference in your tax situation; but state taxes + the charity can push you over the edge so to speak.
Oh, that standard deduction. I remember how disappointed I was the year I moved and donated hundreds of dollars worth of stuff to Goodwill -- only to discover when I met with my accountant that all my carefully kept lists of donations wouldn't do me any good (that year, at least). There are a few deductions on your list that I didn't know about, though -- I'm definitely going to start keeping track of them.
I love that suggestion, Faxauthority! I believe in buying something more expensive that will last rather than something cheap that will fall apart quickly, and your technique is a great way to approach that.
Haha, that's a good point! :)
I agree the thought sounds reprehensible. But if you've ever tasted it, you would quickly realize there would be no offending your guests with this wine.
Writing a good thank-you note is a lost art! Thanks for mentioning this as a key piece in the job search.
If you're really trying to be cheap then you should skip the wine and hope that at least one person brings wine. Because who shows up to a dinner party without wine?
Thanks for the mention! Happy spring!
I found this piece as entertaining as it was insightful. The impoverished Irish side of my family has made something of a religion of coupon-snipping over the years and were deeply dissapointed that I never took to the practice. I especially disagree that coupons are misleading in that they profess great savings but overtime tend to dictate what you buy and encourage you to stock up on unnecessaries. I can only shake my head every time my mother raves about the two for one deal she found on toenail clippers or the half-off bargain on banana flavored toothpaste.
2 buck chuck? You can get great wine for $5-8 and not risk offending your guests with horrible wine.
All good advice, but you have to be extremely wary of financial planners. Vast majority either charge a hefty annual percentage fee for managing your assets or steer you to their expensive affiliated mutual funds or do both. Only deal with independent fixed fee-only financial planners. And even then you'll probably still get burned more than you'd benefit.
Investing for yourself is really quite simple once you understand the reason for expected long-term positive returns and understand that short-term turbulence in the markets is to be expected and ignored. Then just select appropriate mix of stock and bond index funds (more stocks if you don't mind the turbulence, more bonds if you are very risk-averse) and set it on auto-pilot for a few decades with regular new investments. 20-30-40 years you're rich without any particular effort or stress. There're tons of good resources on the web and books (William Bernstein, Bogleheads) that teach you how to do it. Spend 100 hours educating yourself and save hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime relative to using crooked advisors and planners.