March 4, 2010
PearBudget Giveaway Winner!
The winner of the PearBudget Giveaway is …..
#9 Mrs. Money!
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated! I’m looking forward to the next round of giveaways.
family
Farewell to the best boy in the world
About sixteen years ago, I met him for the first time. My trainwreck sibling brought home this adorable puppy he had no business adopting because he had not one thing in his life that wasn’t a mess. I was furious at my sibling – he didn’t even take care of himself, how could he drag
Read MoreA college recruiter on Millenials and their job hunt: is this advice outdated?
I had to double-check the publication date on this article (sorry, original article is gone) after I read it through the first time. Though some of the information about how Millennials work and play is still valid, does this advice to employers on how to woo new Millennial grads, whose market this clearly is, still make sense?
……Shake your head if you wish, but this Millennial generation listens to their parents, and so have learned the lessons inflicted upon their parents. Both generations have learned that employers have little to no loyalty to their employees so they respond by showing little to no loyalty back. We may grumble and complain about Millennials being job hoppers, but let’s be honest: most of us would lay them off the first chance we got if our profits took a substantial downturn. They know that and act accordingly. If they are not treated well and offered the opportunities that the employer across the street is willing to offer them, then they will leave you before you have the opportunity to lay them off. So treat them like we should have been treating our employees all along.
Considering the recession, the astounding number of long-term unemployed, and the difficulty in getting a callback for one of dozens of deployed resumes even in a targeted search, this concluding paragraph to employers is at best misleading for current job seekers who might happen across it:
The Millennial generation is probably the most sought after, highly skilled, ready to hit the ground running generation ever to enter our workforce. We are counting on them despite their vastly smaller numbers to replace the productivity of the massive Baby Boomer generation. I believe that they stand an excellent chance of doing so because of the tools and talents they possess. But should they fail, I believe it will be due to the failure of Gen X’ers and Baby Boomers to adapt to the very different needs and wants of this remarkable generation.
It’s the employer’s prerogative to cater to the young’uns? Coming out of the recession or not, employment is a lagging indicator and has a long ways yet to recover. In the meantime, I’m pretty sure any employers reading this would simply nod while reaching for the next 4,000 resumes electronically stacked for their two positions currently open.
March 3, 2010
February: It never hurts to ask
As always, every little bit counts! And as always, you’re welcome to share!
From the readers
From the readers
eemusings: I just called my phone/internet company to get a late fee waived (Post office effed up and didn’t process my payment till after the bill due date…), which I assumed I would get slapped with. But apparently it’s all gravy. Woohoo!
@Tabitha2cute: My son went on class field trip to the library and needed a replacement card. He couldn’t get one w/o an ID (which he didn’t have) so his teacher had to check books out for him. I went after school to the same library. Unhappily so–and it was visible on my face. I told the librarian what happened and that I wanted to purchase a replacement card. When I asked how much it was, he said he wanted me to leave much happier than I got there so he was waiving the fee. I then took my card out to pay the late fees. When I asked how much they were, he said “you no longer have late fees.” I smiled and thanked him. I left MUCH happier.
Personal victories
No sooner did Frugal Zeitgeist ask about our Stupid Tax payments did I discover where I’d gone awry.
Credit limit goof: I’d switched out credit cards for regular use some time ago. Well, I feel especially inept and dumb about this little screw-up. I knew this least-used card only had a $500 limit, as opposed to the $20K limit of my other Citi cards. BUT, since I wasn’t using the cards much and in the midst of dealing with one malady after the other, I completely forgot to call and request for a transfer of a credit limit from a retired card. Three swipes at the dentist and pharmacy later — $39 over credit limit fee. Because I went $5 over. AUGH.
The second I discovered the charge, I was on the phone. No love. Was cut off by the system twice after holding for 20 minutes. Sighed. Resolved to take my lumps because really, that was my own stupidity in forgetting to call and forgetting to monitor the spending.
Tried again the next day. The very nice CSR noted that I’d had a medical issue, waived the fee, and requested a credit limit change which went through in two business days. Whew. I felt particularly idiotic after that gaffe.
March 2, 2010
February Snapshot
February was a tumultuous financial month, and I’m surprised that there was still some minimal progress made in the net worth growth. If anything I semi-hinted at yesterday pans out, March will be equally tempestuous with lots of outflow and scurrying to create income to cover it. Which means: blog fodder!
Until then, my vow of Don’t Jinx Yourself pretty much means I’m keeping mum on a lot of fronts.
Taxes are filed — our accountant rose to the occasion and saved me from having to deal with my family’s financial complications. I always mean well but tax time is that time of the year I writhe in agony over dissecting my financial life, entangled with my family’s, and how that means I have to untangle their finances. It’s the one time I let my emotions get the better of me and ostrich myself with regards to money matters.
[By “rose to the occasion” I mean the family accountant called my dad with some tax suggestions before I asked the questions, and won himself my business for another year. I’m filing Head of Household again so that buys me a couple extra thousand in standard deductions and exemptions.]
Between the much reduced income stream, unemployment income (taxes were withheld), HOH filing and having prepaid a lot more in taxes than necessary, my federal effective tax rate is 10.7% and I’m expecting a rather large refund of nearly $1500. Combined with the less-large state refund, I’m going to have a nice lump sum in the Taxes nest egg. That’ll become my Car nest egg. I’ve whined on Twitter about hating shopping for a used car, and the next worse thing to that is having to finance a car.
Of course the PF wisdom is to always avoid a refund but at the end of 2008, I was more concerned about having to pay taxes (which is why I saved cash for it) and paying penalties to boot (hence the extra withholding). It wasn’t worth adjusting partway through the year once we found out that I wasn’t going to be employed post Q3 2009.
This month could have been a lot worse.
February 25, 2010
Is it a Bad Romance? Job Hunting in the Flesh
WiseBread’s Job-Search Romance post made me laugh.
No small feat considering how fraught with stress the job-hunt life tends to be, but the timing was just right as I’d just likened the post-interview process to dating in a private conversation:
If I call them before it’s “late,” when they were clear about their response timeline, I destabilize the dynamics. Post (what seemed like) a strong interview, they’ve got to make up their minds to want me. And if they want me, they’ll come calling, not just leave me hanging. If I have to beg them to want me, the chemistry wasn’t there and, by Jove, neither will it be in my favor for negotiations!
As Julie notes, “Often, there is little you can do to make the employer love you if you’re not the one.”
At the end of the day, do you want to have spent your time slaving for the affections of the one who just kind-of, sort-of liked you? Or do you want to have a dynamic, thriving relationship based on mutual goals and admiration?
Idealistic? Absolutely.
WellHeeled rightly points out, “a romance isn’t responsible for PAYING THE BILLS.” Of all people, I know that. But there’s at least a little room for idealism in the world. And there’s still some room in my budget to pursue a combination of that hope and my normal brand of pragmatism.
After all, if I don’t value myself as the proven high-performer that I have been, why should they?
Of course I want a job, but I don’t want just any job, I need a job that wants and values me/my work.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Edited to add a link to a Forbes article: Why Job-Seeking is just like Dating
February 24, 2010
So much for my phone plans
Just as I started on a quest to explore options for my cell phone, I discovered entirely by happenstance that my parents were harboring yet another (financial) secret: Mom’s phone has been broken for weeks.
I’ve been paying $70+/month for their family plan. Without telling me, they’d requested new phones which reactivated their contracts 18 months ago which jettisoned my plans to switch their calling plans to something more affordable and sensible according to their usage. Then, again without telling me, they changed their plan to give themselves more (unnecessary!) minutes because they don’t pay or read their bills which meant another contract extension.
Totally frustrated by the parent-imposed roadblocks to trimming the budget, I’ve let it lie until now. Discovering that I’m paying a premium for basically one phone ticked me off, and I’ve researched several possible options to pick a plan that makes sense with T-Mobile’s Online Help Chat.
Important DefinitionsPrepaid Pay By The Day customers enjoy Unlimited Nights and Unlimited Mobile-to-Mobile calling on the T-Mobile network. Pay By The Day customers incur two types of charges: A $1 per day ($1/day) usage charge and a $0.10 per minute charge (if applicable).
Prepaid Pay As You Go means that you refill the account and pay per minute for your incoming and outgoing calls.Even More plans keep you on a contract basis but changing to one does not change your contract date, does not incur migration fees, and offers discounted phones that lock you back into a 2-year contract.
Even More Plus plans are non-contract plans, incurs a one time $35 migration fee, retain the contract date, and does not offer discounted plans.
Option A
Due to her much reduced usage, I can switch Mom to a prepaid plan and put Dad on an Even More individual plan for $50/month for 1000 mins, unlimited nights and weekends.
Cost: $50 early termination fee + new phone + [$30/month and usage charges OR just PAYG usage charges]. I would have to train them not to use her phone for anything but emergencies. Given her cognition issues, this may be a challenge.
Gain: Saving $20/mo on Dad’s plan, and if I go with PAYG for Mom, I wouldn’t break even for more than 6 months.
Option B
Wait three months until the contract is up, and then execute the plan above, saving $50.
Cost: new phone + prepaid usage
Gain: Saving $20/mo on Dad’s plan, and PAYG for Mom, I would break even in about 6 months. Depends on the cost of the phone.
Option C
Move them both to an Even More Plus plan, then switch Mom to a Prepaid Plan.
Cost: $70 in migration fees, still have a contract date through 5/18, and that’s before replacing the phone.
Gain: Forget it.
Option D
Move them both to an Even More plan with the fewest minutes possible ($60/month for 750, well over their current usage), wait three months while finding a replacement phone for the contract to run out.
Cost: None
Gain: Save $10/mo.
It’s Option D for now. I’ll save $30 between now and the contract expiration in three months, and decide what to do beyond that then.
February 23, 2010
I need a new phone
Speaking of yelling “Lifestyle inflation!” at people, I’ve directed that at myself lately, to little avail. I should but cannot imagine going back to a regular phone.
iPhone’s latest antics are: not allowing me to pick up calls, freezing the screen on the call failure screen, refusing to clear it out even after I’ve stopped the call, and shutting down intermittently. Oh, yes, and refusing to accept calls at all, forcing people into voicemail hell, and then maybe informing me of new voicemails an hour or more later.
It’s ridiculous. One major drawback with having an iPhone is that AT&T and Apple get to play the blame game and hang the responsibility for dropped calls on the other guy. In the meantime, stuck in the middle, I feel like a orphan!
On the other hand, some of the functions – which are not limited to the iPhone – such as navigation, internet access, email access (I’m a junkie) are really very helpful in my recently nomadic lifestyle. The navigation is an amazing key to travel independence, and I’m loathe to give it up for a regular phone.
My contract with AT&T is up this month, what shall I do?
Working on the following assumptions:
1. I want another smartphone
2. I don’t want to pay more than I’m paying now ($65/month)
3. I’d prefer not to pay for the phone itself. If I must …. I think the ceiling is at $100. i
4. Trying to avoid as many one-time or recurring luxury fees as possible (activation, for one)
5. My ideal plan includes:
- ~1000 minutes/mo (friends are mainly on two different networks, family on yet a third. They won’t all consolidate to make my life easier!)
- unlimited nights and weekends
- ~300 texts/month
- unlimited email, web browsing and a decent navigation/mapping service
- Even while I have concerns about privacy and security issues, it’d be nice to have the variety of options that the iPhone currently offers for things like banking, stock tickers, and tracking investment apps. It’s not a requirement, though.
This isn’t going to be easy. It may not even be possible. But it’s research time!
Note: In light of my slenderized budget, even $65/month seems like a luxury but do bear in mind this is my connection to the world whether I’m at home or on the road (interviewing, meeting new people with whom I’ll develop professional relationships, being contacted for contract work, etc.)