One Girl's Quest...

Update Your Look Before You Update Your Resume

2009-10-20T01:03:00.003-04:00

Are you one of the many thousands of Americans out there that is out of work and looking for a new job? If so, you are probably doing everything that you can think of to try to land a new gig. But what if I told you that you should get to work updating your look before working on updating your resume? Well, let me share something interesting with you.

Gillette and Harris Interactive surveyed more than 500 HR professionals recently. Want to know something interesting from that survey?

"84% of HR professionals agree that well-groomed employees climb the corporate ladder faster than those who are not well-groomed."

Whoa, right?

What is also interesting is that 90% of them place more importance on being well-groomed than even a firm handshake!

Craziness!

To help you get started updating your look Gillette has launched the Gillette Career Advantage so that you can get advice from a GQ style correspondent. This will help you to get the tools and resources that you need to score that new job.

With the help of the Gillette Resource Center you can be well on your way to rising above the competition.

Why not get to work right away my friends?

Laura Pausini World Tour

2009-10-15T00:59:00.000-04:00

I'm getting pretty excited. Why? The Laura Pausini World Tour 2009 is in the US. And I have tickets for the concert tomorrow! She does not come to the States often. So when I get to see her in concert it is VERY exciting for me. Just wish I had the cash to go to all of her US concert dates!

Leaves are a fallin'

2009-10-09T00:57:00.002-04:00

Took a drive through the mountains in PA today. Looks like the leaves are already turning. It was a windy day so they were all over the place too. It is always so pretty when the leaves turn. But it gets me to thinking about how Xmas will be here before you know it!

Time to get a pumpkin!

2009-10-03T00:56:00.001-04:00

Well, now that it is officially October I can get a pumpkin! Side note - is anyone else weirded out by seeing Xmas stuff in stores? It is just barely October!

Looking forward to fall. And roasted pumpkin seeds!

Hating PayPal - What are my options?

2009-09-27T00:54:00.002-04:00

Well, now that 2CO is out I had to change payment processors.

Again.

I looked into Authorize.net. However - it is hella expensive. Just like a real merchant account.

So, I gave in and tried Google Checkoout. It seems easy enough. But I am not a fan of them holding money for 60 days.

I may have to end up sucking it up and using PayPal again. Ugh.

More on hating PayPal

2009-09-21T00:50:00.002-04:00

I looked into using Google Checkout. I did a lot of thinking. Then I decided to pony up the $49 and give 2CO (2 Checkout) a try. It is more like a real merchant account. I signed up with them. I updated my websites with the new account info.

It looked pretty good.

Then 3 days later I logged into the account to see if I had any sales.

The account was closed!

I never got an email from them about it. I emailed to inquire and got a form letter response!

I looked around on the web and saw that this happens to a lot of people with them! WTF? I could have lost some sales!

How to Negotiate Cheaper Balance Transfers

2009-09-15T19:22:00.000-04:00

A balance transfer can be a great way to get a lower interest rate on some of your higher interest debt. In my experience, the best way to get a cheaper balance transfer rate is to pay off the credit card in full that you want to transfer to. A couple of months after you do that you will get some balance transfer checks in the mail at super low rates - at least that was the case for me and my Chase credit cards.

If you can't do that, you can always call in and ask for a low balance transfer rate.

If this is your plan of attack, make sure that you have been paying on time as it will help your case. Also try to have your other bills paid on time. If your credit report shows that you are making payments on time it will help your case.

Making money with affiliate programs

2009-09-09T00:47:00.001-04:00

One of the things that I do to make extra cash for debt paydown is affiliate programs. I have a gazillion sites besides this one. And some of them have affiliate links for related things on them. I have been working on this for a couple of years now. Off and on that is.

And I am up to an average of $100 a month!

I use Commission Junction, LinkShare and PepperJam Network. But I have 95% luck with CJ, 4% with LinkShare and 1% with PepperJam.

The PayPal Story - part 2

2009-09-03T00:45:00.001-04:00

I tried to fight it out with PayPal. That never works. Like ever. So, I gave up on them. I stated my case to them. It fell on deaf ears. And I moved on along to Google Checkout. But there is a 60 day waiting period for cashing out new accounts! Argh!

The PayPal Story - part 1

2009-08-28T00:42:00.002-04:00

I sell some digital download items for extra debt paying off money. I use e-junkie for the delivery. And until recently I was using PayPal. It was a pain and I got chargebacks from fraudulent buyers regularly but that's the way it is. Apparently PayPal has decided that it's too risky/fraud-prone.

Still hating PayPal

2009-08-22T00:41:00.001-04:00

My love affair with PayPal is over. I'm looking for alternatives. I sell a couple of digital items online. So, I need something that supports digital download items. And hopefully it is something that is better than PayPal.

I hate PayPal

2009-08-16T00:39:00.001-04:00

Don't you hate when one thing becomes the only way to do things? That thing is PayPal for me. You have to use it. But it is like the worst thing ever! Argh! I wish someone would overtake PayPal on the online payment scene.

cash for clunkers?

2009-08-10T01:59:00.000-04:00

I've been reading a lot about this Cash for Clunkers program. I even looked into it as I have an SUV and I would love to be able to do my part for the environment. But it seems to me like this program is skewed a bit. It targets the wrong people. For instance, I really want to be able to do my part for the environment but my SUV is not paid off and it is worth more than $4500. But if I wanted to do this program then that is all that I would get. And if you think about it - who has old "clunkers" that they could trade in and have $4500 be a good offer? In my experience, those people are the same people that can't really afford new car payments. In fact, I know someone that took advantage of C4C and this person cannot afford a new car payment.

AT&T Gets a Technology Makeover

2009-08-09T01:50:00.002-04:00

Check out the news AT & T has gotten a technology makeover so can you my friends. You see, AT&T is having a little contest that you might want to check out. It is the Small Biz Tech Makeover Contest. If you have a small business and you are in need of a technology makeover then this contest is for you my friends! I would like to start up a little tee shirt biz and I could use a little technology makeover for that too! You see, AT&T Small Business InSite is where it is at for the small business. So you have got to click on the link and check out this site. There is one grand prize winner for this contest the prize truly is grand. Here is what all you get for the grand prize: An AT&T products & services package: 2- Samsung Epix smartphones, 1-year subscription to AT&T Tech Support 360SM Advanced Service Package; 1-year subscription to AT&T UNIX or Windows Enhanced Web Hosting services; AT&T Web Design service; 1-year subscription to AT&T Unified Messaging; Digital Express Direct Mail Extreme Membership along with the first 500 postcards; AT&T Connect five (5) Integrated Edition Named Hosts Web conferencing, a one-on-one consultation with a small business expert: Winner will receive a complete business assessment and customized roadmap for success and Windows® Small Business Server 2008 Standard from Microsoft. Now that will definitely give your small biz a complete tech makeover! So what are you waiting for? Enter today and read more about the rules on the website!

Free book download from Oprah.com!!!

2009-08-04T19:01:00.002-04:00

Act fast!! This is a freebie you will want to check out!

Free book download on Oprah.com!

Download Colum McCann's new novel and current Oprah Book Club selection, Let the Great World Spin for free until 10:59 a.m. ET Wednesday August 5, 2009.

Get it before it is gone! It comes in PDF.

tradeMONSTER!

2009-08-04T16:43:00.002-04:00

Do you do any kind of investing or online trading with your extra money? I have been thinking about trying to take a little of my extra freelance income and trying to make some money using an online trading platform. If you are new to the whole online trading thing like me then you might want to get to know tradeMONSTER.

What is tradeMONSTER?

Well, tradeMONSTER is an online brokerage. It came from the people that did optionMONSTER.com, if you are familiar with them. The people that cofounded tradeMONSTER have over 20 years of experience in the industry. They developed tradeMONSTER to be a trading platform for stock and options traders who demand nothing but the cutting edge.

You should check it out if you are interested in getting started with online trading. Here are some benefits:

It was started by people that know the industry.
It is easy to get started
It is easy to use

I have not used other trading platforms but I have checked them out and tradeMONSTER seems to be functionally more effective than the others. You can open up a free Paper Trading account with them. It will give you the chance to test out the platform without having to spend money at all. Paper trade is just a stock market trading simulator. So, go check it out today!

Another freelancing problem

2009-07-30T16:42:00.000-04:00

Trying to secure an apartment. The rent is half as much as I currently pay. But apparently freelance income is frowned upon. Nevermind the fact that my current rent - remember twice as much - is never late. How frustrating. What do freelancers do?

Need to lower rent

2009-07-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

I need to move. My lease is up soon and I live in a high cost of living city. I need to move back east where the cost of living is reasonable. Moving is so expensive though. I really do dread just the thought of it.

Still burned out

2009-07-18T16:39:00.000-04:00

I'm still experiencing burnout. I'm keeping on trucking though. But my productivity just isn't as high as it was. I'm thinking that the vacation is to blame! And I worked extra hard the week before it to make crazy cash. And I did. And the result is this yucky burnout.

Motivation woes

2009-07-12T16:38:00.000-04:00

I have discovered something. After doing freelancing for months now I have a conclusion. It is hard to stay motivated! I think it is more likely that it is burnout that I am experiencing. But still, it is no fun! I need to work to get paid! Must get motivated!

No holiday pay

2009-07-06T16:37:00.000-04:00

I've found a problem with freelancing. You don't get any holiday pay! And for that matter, you don't get any sick time either :) So if you aren't working then you aren't getting paid. That part of freelancing is kind of a bummer.

Vacation time

2009-06-30T16:36:00.000-04:00

Taking a little mini-vacation. More like a road trip vacation I suppose. The best part is that freelance money is paying for it. Made enough to cover the bills with some leftover for a relaxing vacation. But I'll likely work some too since I can do it over the web! Too bad I can't work while driving!

Freelancing for $$$

2009-06-24T16:35:00.000-04:00

I lost my job a while back. It wasn't a huge deal as I had started freelancing a few months before that. So now I'm totally dependent on freelance money. And so far it is going pretty good. Made more this week freelancing than a week of work. Hopefully I can keep it up!

Yay summer fruits

2009-06-18T16:33:00.000-04:00

I love summer. Mostly because all of my fave fruits are now in season. Got me some yummy strawberries today. I also love getting raspberries and cherries in the summer. The winter fruits are pretty lacking for me. It's mostly bananas and apples for me that time of year.

Spammers suck

2009-06-12T16:32:00.000-04:00

I hate spammers. I get tons of comments on older posts here from spammers. And it seems like it is always the older posts. Well, I get tired of having to delete them. And Blogger doesn't seem to have a blacklist like Wordpress. So. I've set up comment moderation from now on.