Tuesday November 24, 2009
"It's the most wonderful time of the year...." crooned Andy Williams about a half century or so ago. And it's still true today.
Really.
OK, people don't sing about "holiday greetings and gay happy meetings" like they used to, but we do have online shopping now--one of my favorite ways to reduce holiday stress. But with Black Friday coming up and Cyber Monday right on its heels, if you like saving money, these days are even more wonderful.
How did he know????
So for the modern holiday shopper, make the most of your holiday season by kicking it off by saving some dough by shopping online. Start by figuring who's on your Christmas list and warming up your mouse. Then check out this a round up of gift lists by About.com's Parenting Guides.
Now, if you shop online, you're not out in the stores where everyone is telling you "Be of good cheer." Of course, depending on your point-of-view about holiday shopping, that might be a good thing.
Monday November 23, 2009
When something just doesn't seem right, we might want a second opinion to confirm our suspicions. This week a reader emailed me about her doubts about a work at home job opportunity. She writes:
I found this work at home job on Craigslist (Ontario, Canada). They want $15 sent to their Paypal account to cover material they need to send me about the work they want me to do--they say, to weed out people who are not serious. Have you ever heard about them?
vrdataservices@gmail.com
Thanks for your help. I really need to work--from my home--any one's home--any location--just don't know whom to trust.
Hmm...looks fishy to me. I say keep looking. Maybe try some of these legitimate work-at-home companies.
This exhibits many of the telltale signs of a scam. First and foremost, do not send money! Legitimate work at home companies do not "weed out" people who don't send money. That's what con artists do. Real companies weed out people who aren't serious or a good match for the job through interviewing and testing. Any company that asks you for money to prove your seriousness is very likely a scam.
These are the same tactics that some Google work-at-home scams use, asking people for a small payment "to weed out" people then continuing to charge their credit cards for a worthless membership.
And then there's the email address. While having a company email address is no guarantee of legitimacy, an operation using a gmail or other free address (like yahoo or hotmail) is suspicious. Think about how easy it is to get a free email account. If you've ever signed up for one, then you know that no one checks your true identity. So if, after you've forked over your money, everything isn't as promised how will you contact the company if all you have is a gmail address?
And finally there's Craigslist. While I won't go so far as to say every work-at-home job listed on Craigslist is a scam, the online bulletin board is rife with scams. So be very careful. I tried to look up the ad the readers mail came from but it had been removed.
More:
Thursday November 19, 2009
Is nothing sacred? Walmart's Black Friday deals are posted all over the Internet more than a week before Thanksgiving. Apparently several parties privy to the information in the Walmart ad circular blabbed until there was just no point in keeping it a secret anymore.
If I were one of Walmart's lawyers I might not be too happy, but as a consumer I think it's great, especially because the Target Black Friday ad and Toys R Us ad are all public now too. Of course, these ads are always leaked a little before Black Friday, but this is quite early. While some have posited that this could spell the end of Black Friday, I don't think that's likely.
I am always looking to save money, but I value my sanity, so I have mixed feelings about Black Friday. Last year I did venture out, and I did OK, but I just don't have those killer Black Friday competitive instincts. I prefer to shop online or at off-hours during the Christmas season and keep the holiday stress at a minimum. So I usually stake out the online Black Friday deals or better yet wait for Cyber Monday.
Do you hit the Black Friday sales? If you plan to shop on Black Friday, shop prepared. Check out these sites first.
BFads.net
iBlackFriday.com
BlackFriday.info
More on Thrifty Thursday:
Tuesday November 17, 2009
When I've mentioned that my husband and I work at home together, more than a few people have unequivocally stated: "That would never work for us."
I never say much of anything to that comment. Who am I to looking inside the workings of their marriage?
But I do sometimes think that people underestimate themselves and their partners. Working at home is not for everyone. It definitely takes a certain personality to work at home. And the same is likely true of couples working together. But if you really want to work at home, you will find a way to get over all those annoying things your spouse does. I know my husband has managed to!
This article from the Salt Lake City Tribune gives some good advice for couples working at home. Though, I would definitely take exception with the idea that laundry should wait until after 5 p.m. In fact, I recommend integrating little home tasks throughout your daily movements. But the couple featured in the article emphasized the need to avoid all those things you wouldn't do in an office, so as to "maintain the integrity of the workday." Um, I'm thinking these people don't have kids.
So what about you? Could you work at home with your spouse? Why or why not? Post comments below.
