The Cheap Diva

Looking for Opportunity? Check Your Spam Box!

Most of the time spam filters are a blessing, blocking out junk email with the usual to good to be true promises of instant wealth, weight loss or whatever else scammers think will get your attention.  Other times email spam filters can be a curse, like when you are job hunting and they block out an important email from a prospective employer.  I received an email from a prospective employer that had two files attached to it.  One of the files was a PDF file with an employment application, and the other file was an Excel file that dealt with scheduling preferences.  I suspect it was the attachments that caused my email to categorized the email message as spam.  This isn't the first time a legitimate business communication has ended up in my spam box.  It doesn't happen often, but I always make a point of checking my spam box because I'd hate to miss out on a real opportunity because my spam filter doesn't recognize a legitimate business opportunity as easily as I do. 

A Sales Job by any other Name is Still a Sales Job

One of my big pet peeves when I am looking for a job is when an employer tries to lure prospective employees in by implying the job is not a sales job, when in reality it is a sales job.  I once responded to an ad for a set up and display position.  In my mind the phrase "set up and display" implies going to retail stores and setup up a display for merchandise.  I called the company and the person on the other end of the line immediately offered to set up an appointment for an interview without asking anything about my skills or experience.  That's a bad sign.  I asked him about the responsibilities for the position and he said the job entailed going out on appointments.  I then asked what tasks I would be doing on those appointments, setting up a display?  Giving a presentation?  I practically had to interrogate the guy to get the information I wanted, but my persistence paid off.  It turns out the job entails going into peoples' homes and giving a presentation about a product.  That sounds like a sales job, not a "set up and display" job.  I don't want job in sales and apparently a lot of other people don't either.  If everyone was so interested in sales then businesses would come right out and say it was a sales position instead of calling it something completely different.  The business was not located anywhere near my home.  By being skeptical and asking the right questions before going on an interview I saved myself a half hour drive (one way) for a job I didn't want.

Another example of this kind of bait and switch practice happened when I applied for a freelance writing position.  I got an email from a recruiting company, not the company doing the actual hiring, that included a link to a web site.  In order to apply for the job I was required to take a survey that asked such questions as whether or not I think I am a friendly outgoing person.  A writer stares at a computer and types.  Since when is being friendly and outgoing a requirement of good writing?  The situation sounded like a sales job in disguise so I skipped the survey and returned my attention to finding a real non sales job.  

Personalized Holiday Gifts are a Snap with Snapfish

Between the radio stations playing holiday tunes ranging from classics to stuff I never heard before (and never want to hear again) and retail stores sporting holiday decorations and merchandise, it's hard to ignore the fact that the holiday season is officially here.  The challenge with buying gifts is that you want them to be personal enough to show you care yet cheap enough to show you don't care to go into debt because of holiday shopping.  For gifts that are both personal and affordable, take a look at the picture perfect selection of gifts at snapfish.com.  Snapfish.com allows you to take your own photos and create personalized gifts. 

This Custom Sterling Silver Photo Bracelet for $39.99 is perfect for moms who like to keep cute pics of their pride and joy at hand.

Add a highly personal touch to your high tech gear with Photo Skins.  Photo Skins allow you to transfer your favorite images to a removable scratch resistant cover.  Photo skins are available for laptop, camera, PDA, phone and MP3 player devices.

Pictures in a nice frame are, well, nice, but from a practical point of view those frames don't do much besides collect dust.  For a picture perfect gift that is both sentimental and sensible, consider one of the many notebook designs from snapfish.com.  You can choose a graphic design like this Pink Butterfly design for $9.99 with the picture in the middle, or you can skip the outside graphics and have your picture cover the entire front of the notebook.

Free Magazines Make Cheap Gifts

Around this time of year I start wishing everyone on my holiday gift list was an avid magazine reader like me.  That way I could give them free magazine subscriptions as gifts to save some cash over the holiday season and start the New Year off with a lower credit card bill.  It seems like every magazine I subscribe to, and there are plenty, keeps sending me offers of a free gift subscription.  Sadly the free gift subscription has to be for someone else, I can't give myself a free gift subscription.  So if you subscribe to any magazines, take a closer look at those letters that say renew now and get a free gift subscription.  It just might save you a few bucks over the holiday season.

Stop Getting the Run Around, Get a Human Instead

I don't normally go for multitasking, but whenever I have to call a customer service phone line I always make sure I have some sort of other activity, like checking my email or learning a new language from scratch, to keep me busy while waiting to talk to an actual human.  The most important thing I have learned when calling a customer service line is to use some sort of cordless phone so you are free to roam about while listening to a prerecorded voice on the phone line repeat the phrase "Your call is important to us" over and over again. 

To save time and energy, both your energy and that of your cell phone, check out gethuman.com.  Gethuman.com shows you the best shortcuts to get in contact with an actual human for over 1,000 companies.  They also reveal the average hold times for various companies so you can plan your day accordingly.  The web site also features customer review regarding the customer service of various companies.  When companies realize that they are being rated by customers online this might ultimately do more to improve customer service than any phone menu shortcut.

The Art of Negotiation

Want a better deal on your home furnishings? Just ask for it.  When negotiating for a better deal approach the seller with confidence. Signs of a confident attitude include good posture, (no slouching), making eye contact and asking questions with a warm smile. This is a business transaction so don't reveal how badly you want the item by acting like an overenthusiastic shopaholic who just set her eyes on a fabulous prize.

When requesting a better deal get to the point quickly and be specific in your request. Don't ask vague question such as "Do you do discounts?" Certain types of merchandise might be subject to negotiation and others are not. A more specific question along the lines of "What kind of deal can you give me on this painting of dogs playing poker?" will allow the seller to give you a more specific answer. Always treat the person you are negotiating with respect. Do not try to pressure them into giving you a better deal by making nasty remarks about their merchandise and adopting the attitude that you are somehow doing them a favor by taking it off their hands. Do not make ridiculous demands like asking for 75% off the price off an item. Unless the current price is horribly inflated, or the item has been sitting around so long it's practically a relic, something along the lines of 20% off is generally a more reasonable request.

When negotiating for a lower prices it helps to give the seller a good reason for lowering the price. Many sellers are willing to match prices with another store as long as the item is the same brand and exact style of item being sold. When my old mattress got so worn it started poking me in the back with a loose spring, I finally decided buying a new mattress might put a dent in my budget, but it was essential for my beauty sleep. The first store I looked at offered free shipping and a bed frame with their mattresses. I wanted to do a little comparison shopping so I went to another mattress store where I found the perfect mattress. The second store didn't offer free delivery or a free be frame with the mattress I wanted. I happened to have the business card from the first mattress store so I whipped out my cell phone and called other store. After I verified that they still had the free delivery and frame promotion going on, the salesperson at the second store deducted the cost of delivery and the bed frame off my bill which saved me some serious cash.

Another good reason to ask for a discount is if the piece happens to be flawed or missing something. Furniture that needs a little work can be a great deal as long as the flaws are easily fixed. For example, if the antique chest of drawers is missing drawer pulls you could mention to the seller that you are going to have to buy a whole new set of drawer pulls then ask the seller how much they would be willing to deduct from the price.

Sellers often prefer payments of cash. It doesn't hurt to ask "If I pay in cash now what kind of discount can you give me?" This strategy works better with independent stores. It probably won't work  at Walmart.

If a seller isn't able to come down in price maybe they can throw in something for free, like free shipping. I know one elightened shopper who got a pair of free lamps to go with the living room couch and chairs she and her husband just bought simply by asking the salesman if he would throw in the lamps for free. Since a living room set is an expensive purchase, and the lamps were comparatively cheap,the salesman saw this as a perfectly reasonable request that was going to make his valuable customers happy.

When the seller refuses to give you a discount just say "O.K., I understand" in a pleasant tone and continue shopping around or fork over the full asking price if it's something you really want. Don't badger the seller into trying to give you a better deal after they have said no. It simply doesn't pay to be rude.

I Smell a Scam, not a Job Opportunity

Like so many people looking for a legitimate long term (something that lasts longer than a year) job I keep finding job "prospects"  that have all the warning signs of a scam.  This week I had a brief interview for a job followed by a 2 1/2 hour presentation about this "job opportunity" later in the week.  Their were warning signs from the start, but since their were several positions listed, including receptionist and administrative assistant, I was hoping I could land in a position that didn't involve selling questionable products.  In the end I was accepted for the position but I had to turn it down because there were too many warning signs to ignore.

Here are the warning signs that made want to run out of that office building screaming "It's a SCAM!"

The office space where the interviews and presentations take place is in an older building which was obviously cheap to rent, probably for a short period of time.

The only thing that identifies the name of the business is an easily removed banner on the front.  There are no company brochures, memo pads with the company logo on it on the receptionists desk and the person who interviews you never gives you a business card with a company email address.  If the banner was removed from the front there would be no evidence of that company being located there.

They place several ads on craigslist.com to get a high volume of applicants in a short period of time.  Legitimate companies often run one ad to find one or maybe a couple of people to fill positions.  In this economy when so many people are looking for work it's pretty suspicious for a company to run several ads to get employees.

The interviews focus more on volume than quality.  For the first interview the interviewer in this case interviewed me and two other women at the same time in the same room. 

The product is questionable and/or one you have never heard of.  In this case the product was designer perfume knock offs.  Supposedly the knock off perfume has the same ingredients as the more expensive designer brands sold in department stores.  The difference is the cheaper price, the lack of designer/celebrity name attached to the scent and they are all packaged in a plain generic bottle. 

The second so called interview is actually a presentation about this great opportunity given in front of over a dozen people.

The presentation is long, in this case over 2 1/2 hours, but it lacks several vital pieces of information.  The presenter for this wholesale fragrance company spent so much time talking about his personal experiences, such as how he was living out of a car before he found out about this great opportunity which chaged his life, that literally half of time spent on the presentation was about him, not the company.

There is no information presented that can be easily verified.  The presenter claimed the company was over 34 years old and briefly talked about the founder of the company, but he never mentioned the name of the person who founded the company or the location of the company headquarters.  As a matter of fact, during the entire lengthy presentation, the speaker never once mentioned the actual name of the company!  I found out later when I typed the name of the company on the banner in a search engine I couldn't find a company with that name associated with fragrance.  I found it hard to believe that there is a very successful wholesale company that's been in business for decades, and Google hasn't heard of it!

The presenter talked at length about all the money you could make but never committed to a specific criteria for making that money.  The position isn't paid hourly, it's not a salaried position and it's not a commissioned position.  So how do I know how much I am going to get paid?

When the interviewer called me back to tell me that I had been accepted for a position with the company (I have never been less excited to get a job) I asked her for specific details about the salary.  She said she would cover the specific details of compensation on Thursday.  The job started on Monday.  So I'm supposed to bust my butt on the job for three days and then I find out how I'm being compensated, seriously?  At this point I was trying to think of a graceful exit strategy.  I asked if there was a phone number I could call before my training on Monday in case I had any questions or concerns.  The interviewer picked up on the fact that I was having serious reservations immediately and instead of trying to address my concerns quickly changed my "approved" status to "declined".  I pleasantly agreed that changing my status was for the best.  The situation didn't meet with my approval, so I certainly wasn't concerned about getting their approval.  I felt relieved to escape a highly suspicious business situation that would take precious time away from pursuing more profitable opportunities. 

Smart Strategies for Seasonal Jobs

The good news is that I was just hired for a seasonal part time job for a better department store known for it's affordably luxury.  The bad news is that this is my favorite store to shop, half the women's clothing seems to be done in a leopard print which has always been my favorite print,  and the job comes with an employee discount even though it's a seasonal position.  Every time I walk through the women's deparment I have to remind myself that the purpose of this seasonal position is to pay some bills, not indulge in a shopping spree.  Because an employee discount at one of my favorite stores is just too good to ignore, I set up some guidelines for spending my seasonal paycheck.  I will allow myself to spend a small percentage, maybe 10% of my paycheck on clothes from that store, only after I have received the money and if the item happens to be on sale or affordably priced to begin with.

Aside from watching where your money is going, there are a few other things to keep in mind when considering a seasonal job.  Many companies, especially ones in the retail business, have different hours during a holiday season.  A store that normally closes at 9:00 PM may extend their holiday hours until 10:00 PM during the holiday season.  If you have to get up early for a day job you might limit your part time job hours to mostly Fridays, and weekend hours.  With seasonal retail jobs it pays to be flexible.  They may need you to work additional hours when it gets busy, or they may reduce your hours if business is slower than expected.  The days right around Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of the busiest retail days of the year, so retailers often expect you to be available on those days.  

One advantage of part time seasonal retail jobs is that if you are currently job hunting for a full time permanent job it's often possible to get an evening and weekend position that will allow you to job hunt and do interviews during the day.  If you do find a full time job while working a seasonal job, you can simply work both jobs and enjoy having two incomes instead of one for a while.  Seasonal jobs range from customer service in retail stores, to stocking in stores, to assisting in warehouses, to taking inbound telemarketing calls.  Apply at the stores you want to work at, apply online at careerbuilder.com, or check out the part time or retail jobs on craigslist.com.  Whatever you do, do it now.  The holiday season is short and businesses are hiring NOW!  

Think Pink with Proctor & Gamble

Proctor & Gamble has teamed up with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to support programs that encourage early detection of breast cancer, which increases a woman's chances of survival.  On September 27 a special Proctor & Gamble coupon booklet will be inserted into newspapers throughout the country.  For every coupon used 2 cents will be donated to NBCF.  I was fortunate enough to get my penny pinching hands on an advanced copy of the coupon book and let me tell you, it's packed with useful coupons.   What I love about this promotion is that allows you to support a great cause by saving money on the kinds of products you actually use, like cleaning, laundry, toothpaste and popular beauty brands.  For more information go to mypinkplan.com.   

Does Getting a Job mean Losing Your Privacy?

I thought getting a part time job at a retail store would be a nice way to earn a little extra cash and maybe score a discount on chic clothes that are normally a little out of my price range.  I was all set to fill out an online application for my local Macy's store until I read their disclaimer.  It seems that when you apply for a job online you are automatically giving Macy's permission to sell your personal information, like name and address, to third parties.  In other words they use the information on applications to create mailing lists to sell to other businesses.  The online application didn't give me the option of not having my personal information passed on to third parties.  Third parties who I'm sure I would be hearing from in the form of annoying email, junk mail, or telemarketing calls whether or not I got the job. 

I didn't apply for the Macy's seasonal job for the same reason I don't sign up for online "job opportunities" that require me to give out lots of personal information without really guaranteeing me any specific amount of money for doing the job.  My goal is to make money for me, not make money for people who happily profit from selling my personal information without any benefit to me.

It Doesn't Pay to Participate in Survey Scams

You would think money making "opportunities" that allow you to be rich and lazy at the same time would have people lining up to sign up, but after a while people started to get sceptical about the idea of becoming obscenely weathy by working very little.   Nowdays scammers have to be a little more subtle in their promises in order to lure people in.  Instead of promising instant wealth, they offer opportunities to make a little spare cash in your spare time.  These more subtle scams attract even skeptical people because they sound much more realistic than the traditional get rich quick schemes.

Getting paid for surveys is a popular scam.  One type of scam attracts victims by announcing that it is completely free and there is no sign up fee to participate and have access to paying surveys.  Technically this is true.  If you want to participate in surveys that pay pennies for lengthy surveys then you won't have to pay a sign up fee.  If you want to have access to and participate in surveys that allegedly pay real money, then you have to pay a sign up fee.  

With survey scammers like cashcrate.com you have to buy products in order to review them.   Associatedcontent.com has an interesting article that goes into detail about cashcrate.com and how they really make their money.  Figuring out if a part time income opportunity is legitimate is actually pretty simple.  If they want your credit card information for any reason,  RUN!  I don't care what reason they give for needing your credit card information, a legitimate job opportunity shouldn't ask for that information.  To see if other people have had a problem with the company you are considering working for, just Google the name of the company with the word "scam" after it.  If several different people have complaints, learn from their mistakes and move on to more promising opportunities.

Win Big with the Instant Cash Giveaway

The Ty Pennington at Home magazine is having a an Instant Cash Giveaway with prizes up to $10,000.00.  Normally I don't go for sweepstakes, they are really just a promotional tool to get your personal information so the sponsors can sell that information to advertisers.  What caught my eye with the Ty Pennington promotion is that there are several cash prizes.   So if I'm not the lucky $10,000.00 winner, there is still a chance I could win third prize of $1,000 which has 3 winners, or the $100.00 fourth prize which has 70 winners.  I would rather enter a sweepstakes with several prizes, even if they are smaller, than enter a sweepstakes with one enormous prizes where I have a one in a zillion chance of winning.

If you are reluctant to give out your personal information for a sweepstakes, do what I did.   I am on the government do not call registry that prevents telemarketers from calling and bugging me at home.  I also give out my business email address, which gets a lot of promotional emails anyway, instead of giving out my separate personal email address. 

Saving Cash is Always In Style

While a lot of style magazines are having a hard time getting advertising dollars, In Style magazine is packed with glossy ads.  What separates In Style magazine from other style magazines that feature high style at extremely high prices, is that In Style includes enough real world style advice to make it relevant to readers combined with enough glamour and celebrity style to make it an entertaining read as well.

The September Issue of In Style magazine offers its usual assortment of celebrity style, but as a nod to the fact that not everyone has a Jennifer Lopez size wardrobe budget, the magazine is also packed with coupons and money saving indeas.  There is a $25.00 gift certificate to Coldwater Creek clothing, beauty coupons for Wallgreens, a glade air freshener good at Target, and an article titled 75 Ways to Shop Smarter on page 119. 

Cash In on Your Castle

A lot of people take choose home renovations based on how much those renevations will increase the value of their home to prospective buyers when they eventually get around to selling their home.  If you have a basement, then remodeling that basement into a living space worth renting out can provide you with a return on your income NOW, not after you sell your home. 

For a while I lived rather comfortably in a one bedroom basement apartment of a suburban home.  The home owner had installed a small bathroom, a basic wet bar with a small refrigerator and had carpeted the floors.  I loved living in an apartment that was over $100.00 cheaper per month than other apartments in that zip code, and I'm sure the home owner loved the extra cash her home was generating.  This living situation is ideal for homeowners who don't really want a roommate.  The washer and dryer weren't located in the basement so I did my laundry at the local laundromat.  I occassionally touched base with the homeowner every once in a while about apartment related things, but overall the experience was more like living in an apartment than being a roommate.  The homeowner, who worked in real estate took a business like approach to the matter by doing a background check on me and making me sign a detailed contract.  I suggest you follow her example before opening your doors to a new occupant.

Other ways to cash in on your home it to take turn your yarn into a small farm by planting fruits, vegetable, or anything else worth selling at the local farmers market.  Many plants can be grown in a container so you don't neccessarily need a large yard.

1001 Ways to Make Money If You Dare Book Review

The only thing not listed in 1001 Ways to Make Money if You Dare by Trent Hamm is making money by writing a book telling other people how to make money.  Waste money on this entertaining but virtually useless book if you dare!  The book is essentially a list of money making opportunities that could potentially bring in a little extra cash.  Many of the suggestions, such as starting your own religion or writing a porno seem to be included in the book more for entertainment value than anything else.  Each suggestion comes with a brief paragraph describing the money making opportunity.  I give the author credit for coming up with a huge number of money making opportunities, some of which, like cleaning out gutters for other people, are very doable.  What I think is so misleading about the book is that because it never goes into how to market what you are selling it makes everything sound easy.  Sure I could create crafts and sell them on etsy.com along with about a zillion other crafters, but how do I make my stuff stand out from everyone else.  The author casually suggests that if you have a flair for interior design you could do a little interior decorating for cash.  I have worked in interior design related business, and let me tell you it takes a lot more than a sense of style to make even a little bit of cash as an interior designer.  It takes skill, persistence, a good businesss strategy.  1001 Ways to Make Money if You Dare is written in such an irreverent way I have to give it credit for being an entertaining read.  I just can't give it credit for being a good resource for making money.  

A Litle Preparation Prevents Job Interview Panic

I'm not a career coach but one thing I can tell you is that you should never go to a job interview sweaty and smelling like cat hair.  Because I wasn't fully prepared for a recent job interview, I came dangerously close to doing just that.  The interviewer was supposed to contact me between 3 and 5 PM to set up a time for the actual interview.  I was expecting the interviewer to set up an appointment for the next day or maybe an hour or two after he called. 

I volunteer at a local animal shelter socializing (holding and petting) cats.  I decided to help out at the shelter for a few hours and be done by 1:30, leaving me plenty of time to get home the day the interviewer was going to call.  Knowing that I was going to be covered by cat hair by the time I got out of there I hadn't bothered to take a shower prior to visiting the shelter.  

I got home in plenty of time to receive the phone call.  I didn't bother showering because I wanted to shower right before the interview.  Also I didn't want to miss the interviewers phone call because I was in the shower.    The interviewer calls right on schedule and asks me if would mind meeting him at a local coffee shop in 10 minutes!  I was tempted to say, "Gee that depends, do you mind if I smell like stale sweat and cat hair?"  but of course I didn't.  What I did do was agree to call him back when I was ready to leave.  Then I took the fastest shower I have taken in my entire life, slapped on the bare minimum makeup needed for public viewing, figured out what top to wear with the black pants I had planned on wearing for the interview, printed out a recent resume and then hustled my freshly showered butt out the door.      

I actually arrived for the job interview on time so my last minute preparations didn't hurt my chances of getting the part time job thank goodness.  The experience was a lesson in preparedness.  I should have had a resume printed before hand.  I should have picked out the top I was going to wear for my interview outfit and I should always be freshly showered when a prospective employer calls because when it comes to job hunting you better be prepared for anything.        

The Secret to Experiencing a Richer Life

I picked up a copy of  The Secret DVD at a local thrift store for a few bucks.  One of the points made in the video is that we want things, like a new car or nicer house, because of the way we believe those things would make us feel.  This inspired to think about ways to enjoy those feelings associated with expensive luxury items without the expensive price tag.

Let's say I've been lusting after an outrageously expensive sports car whose advanced engineering is designed for the sole purpose of breaking every speed limit in sight.  Why do I want a new car when the one I have runs just fine?  Because I sit at a computer all day and the typical speed of my office chair is zero miles per hour.  I want to experience the adrenalin rush of moving at top speeds but I'm not prepared to pay top dollar.  So what are my options?  If I am a die hard adrenalin junkie I could strap myself into the scariest roller coaster ride available at a local amusement park.  If I want a slightly tamer driving experience where the emphasis is on fun I could hit the go cart track at the local family fun center and let my inner child do the driving.  Either way I get to experience the rush and sense of adventure that I was attracted to with the expensive sports car.  In reality I don't need a new car, what I need is a new experience that will generate the kind of positive feelings I associate with driving a fast car.

If you take a closer look at what represents true luxury to you it's usually pretty easy to see what emotional needs those luxuries appeal to.  A desire to live in a beautifully decorated mansion suggests an appreciation of exquisite objects placed in an opulent setting.  To satisfy this desire to be surrounded with beautiful objects displayed in an attractive setting, look no further than your local museum, a botanical garden or a historical home that's open to the public.

I am not suggesting you give up your fantasies of luxury living.  What I am saying is you deserve to enjoy life NOW, not some day when you win the lottery.   The more you look around for frugal yet fabulous experiences, the richer your life will become.      

The Green Year Book Review

 A lot of advice regarding eco friendly behavior involves reducing waste, which is terrific for anyone on a budget since reducing waste often results in saving money.  The Green Year: 365 small things you can do to make a big difference by Jodi Helmer is packed with the kind of eco friendly tips that will leave you with more green in your wallet. 

The book is organized in a way the offers one eco friendly tip for every day of the year.  Everything from improving your gas mileage through proper car car to reducing energy costs in your home to cheap natural substitutes for chemical laden cleaning products is included in the book.  In terms of being cheap and easy, the advice in the book is extremely doable.  Read this book for yourself and you will discover that it really is easy being green.

Add Shopping Malls to the Endangered Species List

With so many retail stores closing it was only a matter of time before shopping malls followed suit.  Shopping malls have always had their own life cycle that eventually makes some of them close do to changes in local population and shopping habits, but the current trend towards people spending less is causing a rise in the number of shopping mall closings.  The Yahoo Finance article entitled America's Most Endangered Malls talks about the mall closings, providing a lengthy list of malls in danger of becoming extinct.  When I found out one of the malls in danger of being extinct was a mall I used to work at I wanted to celebrate and do a happy dance (I hated working in retail).  Before I had a chance to bust a move I thought of all the people losing their jobs which made me feel a lot less celebratory and a bit sad for those people relying on retail jobs to pay the bills.  Retail has always been a tough business and the bottom line is that when so many different retailers offer such similar uninspired merchandise there isn't much motivation for shoppers to spend. 

Don't Get Scammed by "Job" Opportunities

Like many people concerned about their finances, I have looked into supplementing my income with a part time job.  So far my efforts to land a part time job has exposed me to various scams and zero legitimate job offers.  What pisses me off the most is that the jobs that I thought I was applying for never really existed. 

For example, an advertisement on craigslist for a "job" opportunity was worded in a way that made it sound like they were hiring freelance writers to write about architecture and design.  I emailed my resume to the business thinking it was a writing position.  When the business that ran the ad emailed me about the job they talked about how their clients pay them to hire people to act as customers and rate the level of service they receive at their businesses.  If you read between the lines you realize what they are really saying is that the position is for mystery shoppers, which by the way is not a very well paying job.  I didn't email the company back because I don't want to work for a company that deceives job applicants.

Distinguishing a real job from a bait and switch situation is hard when you look at the classified ads because they are flat out misleading.  It's when you get an email from the business behind the classified that it becomes obvious it's a scam.  I mean if it was legitimate, why wouldn't they tell you up front what the job was?  Here are some warning signs of a scam.

There is no mention of a job interview or any kind of contact with an actual human being.  Instead a link is included in the email that sends you to a web site to sign up for some sort of money making opportunity like sending out promotional emails.

The money making opportunity does not resemble the job you thought you were applying for.

You only applied for one job but your email inbox is flooded with all kinds of so called money making opportunities.  A legitimate company who wants you as an employee doesn't benefit from providing your email address to other companies with job opportunities.

The ad is posted on craigslist.com.  I am sure there are many legitimate job opportunities on craiglist, but they to attract their fair share of scammers.  Job hunting web sites like Careerbuilder.com deter scammers by charging companies to post an ad.  Also on a web site like Careerbuilder.com contact information like the name and address of the company is typically included on the page where you apply for a job so an ad with just an email address would come across as extremely suspicious to the average job hunter.

If you feel you the job you applied for on craigslist is a scam you can flag it as spam by clicking on a link in the upper right hand corner of the page where the add appears on craigslist.  

The Penny Pinchers Club Book Review

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer was a pleasant surprise.  The story of a shopaholic who suspects her husband is planning on divorcing her could have turned into a ridiculously plotted story about a champagne swilling socialite forced to work as a maid scrubbing toilets to save up for the anticipated divorce, or any other number of silly chic lit cliches. 

We follow the main character, a suburban mom, on her journey of leading a more financially responsible lifestyle.  The  newly adopted lifestyle of deprivation has some unexpected side effects, such as the emotional support she receives through The Penny Pinchers Club.  The characters are likable, easy to relate to and above all, entertaining! 

While this well crafted book respects the fact that debt and divorce are no laughing matters, there is more than enough humor and irreverence in the book to prevent it from turning into one long pity party.  The plot has enough unexpected developments to keep your attention to the end of the book where there are, you guessed it, a list of penny pinching tips to make your money go farther.

Learn the Entrepreneural Truth with The E Myth Revisited

Being an entrepreneur used to be considered a daring and risky alternative to a traditional 9 to 5 job.  The unstable job market has alerted people to the harsh reality that job security is just an illusion.  Many people are choosing becoming an entrepreneur over looking for yet another job that may or may not last.  Having been fired from a number of jobs due to downsizing over the years, I can certainly appreciate the attitude of wanting to work for the one person I can trust not to screw me over, me!   

The E Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Business Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber

The problem when transitioning from the role of an employee to the role of entrepreneur is that a lot of entrepreneurs make the mistake of continuing to act like an employee.  An employee for a bakery shop for example, is focused on consistently producing delicious baked goods and that's it.  An entrepreneur who starts a bakery must be prepared to take more of a big picture approach and develop strategies to address a range of issues including managing other people, marketing, accounting tasks and more. 

Some business books act like cheerleaders offering motivational advice on thinking big and following your dreams.  What I like about The E Myth Revisited book is that it recognizes the reality that being an entrepreneur is a job, not a fun hobby you happen to make money off of.  Like any job there are parts of it you will like and parts of it you won't like.  One of the important points brought up in The E Myth book is that you must become adept at different roles whether they are roles you are comfortable with or not.  The book also emphasizes the idea that your business should be set up in a way that it could be franchised.  In other words, you have organized your business in a way that in theory the business could be duplicated.  The E Myth Revisited book is over 13 years old so it doesn't address issues like technology, but the concepts it covers of learning how to work on your business like a CEO to make it grow instead of working in your business like an task oriented employee is still worth a read.

Build Your Own Library by Shopping at Library Sales

I have probably mentioned that shopping at an annual or semiannual library sale is a cheap way to buy books.  What I didn't realize until I went to the library's "friends only preview night" is that if you want to snap up the best books you need to shop the library sale the first night.  The preview night was open to people who were "friends" of the library, in other words people who had made a donation to the library and had a card to prove it. 

When I got to the library sale about 15 minutes after it started, it was a feeding frenzy of book buyers.  Library patrons aren't a typically rowdy bunch so it was a very well behave feeding frenzy.  Many people had containers about the size of a milk crate with wheels on the bottom and a pull handle, like you see on overhead luggage.  I thought gee these people really must love books.  At one table I noticed a man scanning the barcodes of books with a hand scanner.  I assumed he was working for the library at the sale.  Naive me.  It wasn't until I came across another person with a hand scanner and overheard a conversation he was having that I realized that the people with hand scanners and probably a lot of people stocking up on books like they were building their library from scratch were professional book buyers.  These people were professional shoppers buying books to sell at a profit online or through some other outlet.    

For me the fact that so many book shoppers came to the library sale to stock up for personal or profitable reasons drove home the importance of attending the book sale the first night it was held.  This is the first time I have attended a preview night.  While I usually walk away with anywhere from 2 to 5 books from a library book sale, this time I walked away with 12 books!  I bought books ranging in subject matter from humor to mystery to fashion to home decor, all for $1.00 a piece.  I walked away with a great deal and a great lesson.  If you want to get the best books it pays to shop the sale the first hours of the first day of the sale. 

Win a Free Foot Spahh from Ms. Pedicure

 For my first ever freebie Friday giveaway I wasn't satisfied to give away one measly product.  Oh no.  Thanks to the generous gals at Ms. Pedicure who supplied this Friday freebie, one lucky winner will walk away with everything they need to pamper their feet.  The Ms. Pedicure Foot Spahh includes their Smooth Steppin exfoliating foot scrub, the Soft Soles moisturizing foot lotion, an invigorating leg rub, and the Rock'n Sole pumice stone.  After trying the products myself I can assure you that after regular use of these products you will be ready to show off your soft and smooth tootsies in the summer's cutest sandals. 

This complete set sells for $12.99 at mass retailers, but the person who submits the best budget friendly beauty tip by midnight June 5th gets this entire set for free.  Entering is simple.  Think of a fabulous budget friendly beauty tip.  Enter your beauty tip in the Comments section of today's blog post by midnight  tonight.  Comments received after midnight will not be be posted and will not count as a contest entry. 

The winner of the contest is determined by me, Stephanie Ann, Cheap Diva extraordinaire, and announced on Monday June 8th.  By entering the contest you are agreeing to have your name made public.  The winner will be notified by email of their win and must respond to the contest within 72 hours or the prize will be given to another participant. 

Like any contest there are a few rules.  You must be a US citizen.  The Cheap Diva is not responsible for any issues related to the products, such as being damaged in transit or any taxes associated with the prize.  Good luck!    

Save Cash with Case Pricing

I never dreamed my love of chocolate would lead to me discovering a great grocery shopping strategy, but it did.  I was at Whole Foods supermarkets having some organic chocolate bars rung up when the friendly cashier helpfully pointed out that if I had purchased a certain number of chocolate bars I could have gotten the case price.  That was news to me.

I found out that a case price means that you get a discount because the quantitiy of the items you are buying is equal to that of a full case.  To find the case price for the candy bars for example, I look at the price tag on the shelf underneath the chocolate bars and I see a number that's not part of the bar code or the regular price.  I am looking for a stand alone number that has something like bulk quantity or case or some other word that indicates what quantity is considered a case quantity for that particular product.  If I can't find the number I can always ask a store associate where to look for it. 

If the case quantity for my candy bars is 6 then I make sure to snatch up 6 candy bars to get the discount.   Talk about a sweet deal!  The discounted case price might not automatically ring up at the cash register.  It's up to me to tell the cashier that I would like the case price for a particular item when I am being rung up. 

I'm sure Whole Foods isn't the only store offering case price discounts.  To find out if your favorite stores offer case prices just look for the case quantity on the price stickers on the shelf, not the product itself, or ask a store associate how many of a certain item you would have to buy in order to get a case price or bulk discount.      

Negotiating for eBay Items

As a recovering eBay addict, I now do more browsing than actual buying, I have noticed that a common mistake eBay sellers make is to set the minimum price for their items way too high.  The items don't sell because with just a few clicks a buyer can find out the book I'm looking at on eBay is selling for less on amazon.com or if the decorative  collectible I'm looking at usually sells for a lot less.   When the rare object you are swooning over is fabulous, but the price is inflated, that's when it's time to negotiate.  

Ebay allows you to watch the item without bidding on it by going into My Ebay and selecting the Watching function.  Keep an eye on the item right up until about 24 hours before the bidding is set to expire.  After the overpriced item has been on eBay for days with nobody bidding on it, the seller might start to realize that greed doesn't pay and not only aren't they going to get the price they wanted, they might not sell the item at all.  This is the time to email the seller and start negotiating for a lower price.

To learn what that item typically sells for type in a few keywords into the search box and then click on the Completed Listings link on the left hand side of the page.  The Completed Listings show me what a certain item has actually sold for in the past.  This gives you a better idea of what people are actually willing to pay for an item, not the price sellers are hoping to get.

Contact the seller about 24 hours before bidding ends and let them know you would be interested in buying the item if they would consider selling it for a lower price.    In your email you can let the seller know that what they are selling typically sells for $100.00,  not $200.00 and you would be willing to buy the item if it was closer to the $100.00 price.  Don't get cocky and suggest the seller might as well sell it to you since no one else is buying it.  Irritating sellers is no way to negotiate. 

By the time you are done emailing the seller back and forth to work out the details, the eBay auction may be over, leaving you dealing directly with the seller.  Try to get the seller to agree to payment through Paypal since, Paypal doesn't give your credit card information to the seller.  The next best payment option would probably be a credit card since credit card companies do offer some forms of protection if the seller doesn't deliver what they promised.

If the item is a bit pricey even after you've negotiated the price down, ask the seller to email you a tracking number for the shipped package to make sure your fabulous find doesn't get lost in transit.  After receiving the goods it's good buyer etiquette to leave a positive review of the seller on eBay.  If you ended up purchasing the items outside of eBay you can simply send them an email telling them how much you like the item and thanking them for sending the item in such a timely manner.  Showing some appreciation is always good business no matter how big or small your purchase is.

Is a Home Based Franchise Right for You?

From cosmetics to kitchen wares to pet products, there is a home based direct sales, franchise opportunity to suit every interest all trying to recruit you as a marketing representative with the seductive promise that the product line is so fabulous it practically sells itself. The products being sold may do many things but selling themselves isn’t one of them.

Selling lots of product requires a salesperson who is very knowledgeable and genuinely enthusiastic about the line of products they sell, keeps up to date on any new promotions or products, regularly generates sales by meeting new people, hosting parties or doing other types of promotions, as well as maintaining contact with current customers. Being a people person is crucial to the success of your franchise.

The fact that a home based franchise doesn’t come with a set work schedule can be a blessing or a curse depending on how disciplined you are. It’s up to you to create a schedule that includes time for not only talking to customers but also bookkeeping, keeping track of orders and other business related tasks. If you treat your franchise like a hobby, something you get around to when you have time, you won’t make money.

Direct sales companies not only supply you with products and promotional materials, they also supply you with an established system for selling those products. They want you to follow their guidelines and copy their well established formula for success. They are not looking for creative thinkers. Using their prestige cosmetics for painting cartoon characters on children’s faces at the local craft show for example, might not be their idea of creative marketing.

Before committing to work for any direct sales company, read the fine print on anything you sign and ask a lot of questions. For starters, how much does it cost to start? Do you pay for promotional materials like post cards and catalogs after you become a sales rep? Are you required to buy certain minimum quantities of product or promotional materials to maintain your status as a sales rep? Is their a monthly quota of sales you have to meet? What is that quota?

What are your options for marketing besides in home parties? Can you sell merchandise through online sites such as eBay or at craft shows? How many people operating the same home based franchise in your area? You don’t want to be tripping over each other for the same customers.

Spend some time asking yourself and the companies you are considering being a franchisee for some tough questions so you can be confident that you are ultimately investing both your time and money wisely. To see what opportunities are available check out web sites such as directsalescareers.com.

Don't Buy It, Barter for It

The June issue of Real Simple magazine has an excellent article on successful bartering.  Bartering is essentially exchanging goods or services instead of paying money for those goods or services.  You might have to pay some money in taxes depending on the value of what you barter, but in many cases bartering is free.  Some of the examples mentioned in Real Simple, like exchanging website design services for babysitting show how unexpected exchanges can create a win win situation for everyone involved in the barter. 

Bartering has become so popular that there are several web sites devoted to different types of bartering.  Here are just a few.

Barterplanet.com: a variety of goods and services may be exchanged

Bizxchange.com: for business to business trading

Craigslist.org: bartering boards are organized by state

Swapstyle.com: swap clothing and accessories

U-Exchange.com: a free international barter exchange web site

 

Summer Reading at Hot Prices

There was a certain mystery book that I have been wanting to read but I couldn't find it at my local library.  Of course I found it on amazon.com, which is no surprise.  What was a surprise is that used copies of the title were selling for as little as 91 cents!  Adding the $3.99 cost of shipping and handling to the cost of a used copy brought my total up to under $5.00, less than half the original cost of the $10.94 Amazon was selling new copies for.  The fact that this title is from 2007 probably accounts for the cheap price of used copies.  Waiting a year or two, or even several months after a book comes out to buy it on Amazon can greatly reduce the price.

Another favorite haunt of mine for fashion and home decor book is Half Price Books, a used book store.  The buy used books, magazines and DVDs, so my strategy is to sell a bunch of magazines and apply the few bucks I got off my sale towards the purchase of a new book.  I don't always find a book worth adding to my style library, but as any smart shopper knows, it takes patience and frequent visits to a preferred retailer to unearth the gems among the junk.

The local library usually has some sort of huge summer sale to get rid of old books and make room for new stuff.  I can snap up anything from my beloved mysteries to home decor books for about $1.00 a piece.  It's like shopping at a thrift store in the sense that you have to look through a lot of outdated home decor books and other books not worth a read before you come across something worth buying, but the excitement of snapping up a vintage copy of a home decorating book by a famous decorator or buying a fiction books so cheap it's practically free, is worth the hunt.

Reading is cheap entertainment, and when you shop smart it's practically free!

Mix Things Up in the Kitchen with Olive Oil

Even if your cooking skills are almost nonexistent, it's still important to stock your kitchen with more than take out menus.  Extra virgin olive oil is an extremely versatile food staple to have on hand whether you are an aspiring chef or can barely boil water. 

What makes olive oil such a terrific food staple is that it blends well with other ingredients.  It lends a subtle flavor that complements and doesn't compete with other flavors in the dish.  For a vegetable stir fry you can simply toss some olive oil into the pan, throw in your vegetables and add a vegetable seasoning.  It doesn't get much simpler or healthier than that.

Of course olive oil makes a fine salad dressing by itself, but it makes a better salad dressing when mixed with other ingredients.  Pour some olive oil in a bowl and add small amounts of mustard until it reaches the level of tanginess you desire.  Various seasonings and a dash of vinegar can increase the tartness of you salad dressing.  Feel free to experiment with different ingredients until you have created an salad dressing that is suited to you taste.  This customized dressing can be used in pastas salads just as easily as it can on green leaf salads.

A high quality extra virgin olive oil mixed with a dash of pepper and topped off with a generous helping of finely grated Parmesan cheese makes a gourmet tasting dipping sauce for artisan breads.  The phrase artisan bread means it's a step above Wonder Bread and can probably be found in the bakery section of your supermarket or Walmart or Target superstore.

For a satisfying appetizer that looks like you went to a lot more trouble than you did, give bruchetta a shot.  There are many variations of bruchetta that can be found on countless recipe web sites, but the basic ingredients usually include grilled bread and olive oil.  What goes on top of this classic combination is entirely up to you.