One Snarky Chica with Issues http://www.chicawithissues.com just me and my issues and a little personal development Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:15:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 en hourly 1 OneSnarkyChicaWithIssueshttp://feedburner.google.com Renter’s insurance required at apartments now? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/5LyHVXiPElI/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/07/03/renters-insurance-required-at-apartments-now/#comments Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:54:14 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=779 Today I got a notice on my door about renewing my lease at my apartment complex. I’m not going to as I’ve been planning on moving someplace with a lower cost of living. I looked through the papers anyways and was surprised to see a new requirement of renter’s insurance. But it wasn’t just for regular renter’s. Nope. You also have to get $100,000 worth of liability and add the complex as an “Additional Insured” on the policy. Frankly, I don’t even know how this is legal. So, I looked it up.

Apparently apartment complexes are starting to do this and if you cause a fire or a leak or something then instead of them having to use their high deductible insurance to pay for the damages they take it out of your liability insurance. This saves THEM money in the long run. I even found a case study online from eRenterPlan that touts how great this is for the apartment complex. Of course, eRenterPlan sells renter’s insurance and partners with these complexes. In fact, they were named on the paper from my apartment complex office. I still am fuzzy on how exactly this is legal. One this is for certain, it really turns my stomach.

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/07/03/renters-insurance-required-at-apartments-now/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/07/03/renters-insurance-required-at-apartments-now/ Happiness - all you need is… http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/TNqbVfLnYLc/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/06/28/happiness-all-you-need-is/#comments Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:43:25 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=775 Interesting story on Yahoo - Happiness: 3 amazing tips from the world’s oldest case study. The gist is that they have been studying a group for 72 years. The study measured “a formula-some mix of love, work, and adaptation-for a good life.” And they came away with 3 things that you need for happiness.

1. Have a Healthy Outlet

2. Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously

3. Happiness Must be Shared

Read the article for all the details - plus it is pretty interesting :)

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/06/28/happiness-all-you-need-is/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/06/28/happiness-all-you-need-is/ All the shows I watch are getting canceled! http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/NTrQYoy75Xc/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/05/18/all-the-shows-i-watch-are-getting-canceled/#comments Tue, 19 May 2009 04:36:22 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=751 It really sucks when a show that you love gets canceled. But it seems like all of the shows that I watch are getting canceled!

First, NBC canceled Life a couple of weeks ago.

And now it looks like ABC has canceled both Cupid and The Unusuals. Ack!

Why do I even watch TV?

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/05/18/all-the-shows-i-watch-are-getting-canceled/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/05/18/all-the-shows-i-watch-are-getting-canceled/ Hard to Kill Plants http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/nIAWzoTc6Qs/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/05/02/hard-to-kill-plants/#comments Sun, 03 May 2009 03:03:47 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=722 If you are like me then you do not have a green thumb. In fact, I have a thumb that kills plants! No matter how hard I try I just can’t keep plants alive. It’s sad really.

I did some searching and have come across some plants that are supposed to be hard to kill. I’m going to get one of these and see if I can keep it alive.

  1. Daylilies,Hemerocallis spp.
  2. Perennial salvia,Salvia x superba
  3. Stonecrop,Sedum spp.
  4. Hostas, Hosta spp.
  5. Shasta daisies,Leucanthemum x superbum

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/05/02/hard-to-kill-plants/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/05/02/hard-to-kill-plants/ How to calculate your return on investment http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/XovMboH7QWQ/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/how-to-calculate-your-return-on-investment/#comments Fri, 01 May 2009 01:12:38 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=715 I was looking around some of my investment accounts today and wanted to see what my return on investment (ROI) was looking like. I wasn’t sure how to calculate it exactly so I looked it up. In case you do not know how to calculate ROI I thought I would share the steps.

1. Add up your total investment amount. Be sure to add in any fees or service charges for your account. For instance, if you have a Sharebuilder account they charge something like $10 to do a real time trade.

2. Check out the current value of your investment.

3. Subtract total investment amount from current value amount. If you get a negative number then you have a LOSS. If you get a positive number then you have a PROFIT.

4. Take your profit (or loss) and divide that by the total investment amount. You should end up with a number like 0.08. Convert that to a percentage to get your ROI for that investment.

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/how-to-calculate-your-return-on-investment/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/how-to-calculate-your-return-on-investment/ The problem with freelancing - uneducated editors http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/FwsoSb9Pkgo/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/the-problem-with-freelancing-uneducated-editors/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:42:50 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=711 I have been doing a crazy amount of freelancing over the past two months. In fact, the amount I have been doing has basically tripled. Financially, that is a great thing for me. However, it leaves little time for anything else. And it also means more stress when dealing with the less than pleasant parts of freelancing.

Obviously not getting paid on time is a major stress and a major problem with freelancing. But lately I have been getting annoyed by something else - uneducated editors.

The craziest example that I have of this is an editor stating that there is only one Korea and to not break up the country by labeling it ‘North’ and ‘South’ as the article is not supposed to be region specific. This is when you want to reply: “Hey, idiot, get an atlas or look on Google maps and tell me how many Koreas you see!” But you don’t. Why? Because you want to continue getting paid and continue getting assignments.

So, what do I do? I write it they way they tell me. But only because I am writing under a pseudonym. If I was writing under my real name it would be a different story.

Rant over. :)

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/the-problem-with-freelancing-uneducated-editors/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/the-problem-with-freelancing-uneducated-editors/ Looking for celebrities that Twitter? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/wAOqc2PceVQ/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/looking-for-celebrities-that-twitter/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:26:18 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=707 I’m not really into the whole Twitter thing. I just don’t get it. I mean, what is the point of only typing 140 characters? I do, however, find it mildly interesting that so many celebrities are making themselves accessible via Twitter. Have a look at this list of celebrities on Twitter to see what I mean. I admit, I looked at a few of those. But then I wonder, how do you know its really them? Obviously there have been people like Diddy on CNN talking about it so you know it’s really him.

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/looking-for-celebrities-that-twitter/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/30/looking-for-celebrities-that-twitter/ Late Excuses Not To Use For Work http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/8PTgf-AW7_I/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/19/late-excuses-not-to-use-for-work/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:35:11 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=690 I love seeing the articles that talk about late excuses that employers have gotten from employees. The latest is from CareerBuilder and is on 12 Amusing Late Excuses for Work. What they should really title these types of articles is something like ‘excuses you should never use.’ But they are still fun to read. Have a look for a laugh.

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/19/late-excuses-not-to-use-for-work/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/19/late-excuses-not-to-use-for-work/ Job loss - a time for panic or a time of opportunity http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/zkSoeRQVcGk/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/13/job-loss-a-time-for-panic-or-a-time-of-opportunity/#comments Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:11:00 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=674 There are a lot of people losing their jobs in this economy. I know some of them. For most people losing a job is a time to panic. But for others it is a time of opportunity. My consulting gig that I took a few months back is coming to an end. I view that as a time of opportunity, not a time to panic. For me, it means more time to work on business ventures. It also means less “easy income” from the going to an office every day.

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]]> http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/13/job-loss-a-time-for-panic-or-a-time-of-opportunity/feed/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/13/job-loss-a-time-for-panic-or-a-time-of-opportunity/ How to do a gap analysis for personal finance http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OneSnarkyChicaWithIssues/~3/b7-hp5p06no/ http://www.chicawithissues.com/2009/04/06/how-to-do-a-gap-analysis-for-personal-finance/#comments Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:31:42 +0000 chica with issues http://www.chicawithissues.com/?p=670 A gap analysis is something you are more likely to hear about in a Fortune 500 company than on a blog that sometimes talks about personal finance. And that is a shame because a gap analysis can be utilized in personal finance. It can actually be a really great tool.

A gap analysis by definition is a process to basically see how you are progressing on the objectives that you set out to meet. Think of it as a way to checkup on your goals.

For a gap analysis you are concerned with two questions:

  1. Where am I now?
  2. Where do I want to be?

You answer those two questions with as much quantifiable detail as possible. Once you do that you can look for the gap. Actually, you won’t have to look very far cause it will be staring you in the face!

Once you can see the gap you need to work on ways to close that gap! Once you get those gap-closing ideas you put them into practice.

Then a good while later you have another gap analysis to assess the situation. And that is how you can stay on track to meet those goals!

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