Archive for February, 2010
Saving money when you are behind the eight ball is probably one of the toughest things in the world to do. It's kind of like reducing belly fat. It takes alot of hard work, self control and among other things time. Saving money and changing your spending habits isn't something that is going to happen overnight. It's a lifestyle changes that takes a commitment from you.
If you have made the decision to start saving money don't expect to see results the next day. Choosing to incorporate some of the tips and ideas you read on this blog will help you save money. It just takes time. Next time you are out say no to buying something you don't need, buy no name brands at the grocery store and put a blanket over you and turn the heat down. You will save but it's a long road.
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It's been a few years since I have had to go out and do a job search but that may change in the not so distant future. I have been doing a bit of reading on some tips to job searching and there seem to be a few recurring themes or tips out there.
1. Google yourself and see if anything negative comes up. You can sure bet that most employers will be doing the same. If you have negative related material about you on the internet you might want to start looking into getting it removed. Posting dirty jokes on a chat board isn't going to help your case.
2. Get a professional email address or use the one that came with your ISP. Chunky lover at aol dot com just isn't going to sell anybody. It's funny on the Simpsons but that's a cartoon.
3. If you are interested in a certain field or profession find clubs or organizations related to those and join them or attend seminars and meetings. It's a great way to network, pick up tips on upcoming jobs and learn about educational requirements or changes.
4. Join more than one job search website. Why limit yourself to just one? You might find something interesting on another site. Make sure you sign up for alerts and notifications for new job postings.
5. Make sure you have your resume updated and ready to go. Having to put a resume together at the last minute is counter productive.
The biggest thing to remember is not to give up hope. Nothing is going to come fast. You have to be patient and dig at it.
I think I blogged awhile back about how I built my own little home gym by picking up fitness equipment cheap. Actually I picked it for free which is about as cheap as it gets. I was over at a friends house and noticed that he had some workout equipment that he never used. So I asked if he wanted to get rid of it for free. He was more than happy to have me haul it away and get it out of his house. It worked out for the both of us.
I want to add some more free weights to my little gym. I started looking at the major stores and could not believe how much they wanted for some of the equipment. Forget it. If I could hunt down some cardio equipment for free I am sure going to try to find some weights for free. I am going to spend the next few days going through the free ad sites and classified ad websites.
I remember hearing a saying years ago about how computers are only as smart as the person using them. We rely on those POS systems for everything we do. We use them at most stores and restaurants we shop at. Who is to say they are on the money? I check my receipt every time I go shopping. I even started to use the self checkout lines where you can scan your own groceries or goods. That way I can check the price as I scan them instead of watching a person do it at Mach 9.
A couple we hang out are about to have their second child over the next couple of weeks. We were talking about the cost of having another baby in the house. There are so many things to consider and so many ways to cut down on the cost of having a new baby. I am going to look into finding some articles and suggestions more in depth.
The first thing we were talking about was baby announcements. It doesn't seem like much but if you have a big family the postage and mailing can add up. I suggested finding a free webspace page like wordpress, myspace, facebook and making up a birth announcement page complete with information, pictures and comments for your friends and family to fill out. You can always email the link to your friends and family.
If you want, get the traditional mail outs and send them to your immediate family. You can always email everyone else and save a few bucks.
