Weblog » Archives » October 2009
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Recession Inspired Halloween Costumes
Bear Stearns/Lehman Bros Investment Banker Gold digger Money bag -
Costco Plans to Accept Food Stamps Nationally
The wholesale giant Costco is planning to accept food stamps nationally some time near Thanksgiving. Some stores on the East Coast have already been accepting food stamps, however the idea was only targeted in New Yo… -
Stressful Jobs that Pay Badly
Social worker: $43,200 Special events coordinator: $35,900 Probation/parole officer: $38,400 News reporter: $32,900 Music ministry director: $40,800 -
Who Do We Blame?: Thoughts From A Branch Cashier
I switched on the news today, and was delighted to discover that the average banker will be taking home on average, a bonus payment this year of around £40k for performances in the last economic year. Great I thought,… -
Is Employer-Based Health Insurance the Best System for Health Care?
How did Americans end up with a system in which employers pay for our health insurance? They don’t pay for our rent, our clothes, or our groceries! There was never any thought or design to our current health care syst… -
GDP Up Due to Government Spending
Image Source There's finally some goods new to report about the economy. The Commerce Department reported today that the country's GDP (gross domestic product) grew by 3.5 percent last quarter, which exceeded most ec… -
AARP Helps Whipper Snappers with Their Money
Image Source Speaking of old people, the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) recently launched a new site catering to, surprisingly, youngsters. It's called LifeTuner.org, and it's full of personal financ… -
"Grandpa" Bank Robber Strikes Again for 4th Heist
In September, I wrote about a geriatric man assumed to be in his 70's-80's carrying an oxygen tank who was seen on camera robbing a bank. I wondered if the bad economy and recession drove him to to it. Well surprisi… -
Tough Times for College Athletics
Image Source A recent survey of presidents at leading athletic colleges found that many fear their schools can't afford to compete at the top of the NCAA for much longer. The research was conducted by the Knight Commi… -
The Top 12 Internet Scams of the 2000s
From our friends over at the Billshrink.com blog, check out this great post about the Top 12 Internet Scams of recent years. Check out the original post on their blog here: http://www.billshrink.com/blog/internet-scams/… -
Medicare Fraud: New Mafia Crime Of Choice
Lured by easier money, less violence, and shorter prison sentences, Mafia figures and other criminals are increasingly moving away from illegal drugs and into Medicare fraud. Medicare fraud is now the most profitable… -
CNBC + Fickle Shareholders = Freaky Friday for Microsoft
Image Source On Friday, one news anchor's slip-up lead to some hasty buying and selling in the market. CNBC's Jim Goldman reported at around 10:50 a.m. that Microsoft was cutting its revenue by $200K, misinterpreting… -
Gender Equality In The Post-Feminist Era
Hooray! We live in a woman’s world, according to the recent Shriver Report. Mothers are the major breadwinners in 40% of families. We have a female speaker of the House and Secretary of State, and women serve as Gover… -
"Hi, I lost my wallet..."
This past weekend I was at CVS pharmacy when I lost my wallet. I had about 10 items in my hands and I put it down for a second on the shelf, then COMPLETELY forgot about it when I went to grab a basket. I was with my… -
Baldness and Monopoly Winners: When Advertising Fails
I don't understand why there are so many advances in medicine and technology and the world in general, but baldness is still a problem. As I've said before, when I see bald people at work, I want to bop them on the head… -
Real Hero: Judge Throws out Bank of America Settlement, Rebukes SEC
With all the corruption and back door deals we hear of going on with Wall Street and big business, it's easy to become cynical about anyone being honest or truly looking out for the little guys like company sharehold… -
Rotting Fruit
Image Source So, I walk my dog around my new neighborhood and I see lot of fruit trees people planted in their yard. I'm guessing either previous owner planted it or owner thought they were planting fruitless trees. -
Hollywood and Hulu: The New Industry Heartbreakers
Image Source I've read a lot of semi-devastating news today re: Hollywood film studios and Hulu. I say semi because my knee-jerk reaction to both stories was, "No, change is bad!" But after reflecting on each for sev… -
Don't Sneeze on Me!
Image Source A new study by the American Red Cross might may you think twice before shaking hands with your coworkers. Among respondents, one in every five households had a family member who has gone in to work sick… -
Is Your Job Making You Sick?
The economy could not get any worse. Unemployment rate is high, but what about the people that are left in the work place? Even though they may seem lucky to have their jobs, the work load doesn't get any easier for t… -
Is a Three-Year Degree the Way To Go?
Image Source When I'm sitting in my earliest class staring at a blackboard full of Baudelaire* and his symbolism, I start to think of two things. First: I need coffee. And second: Man, college takes a while. I guess… -
Charging For Online Content: A Big Fat Mess
Image Source I promised at the end of my New York Times post to write a longer piece about the financial and legal woes of the newspaper industry—particularly, the growing debate on whether or not papers should charg… -
Questioning the Role of Pay Czar
Image Source The New York Times published a critical article yesterday about the effectiveness of Obama pay czar Kenneth Feinberg's recent salary cuts and restrictions. On Feinberg's cuts, the consensus seems to be… -
CNN Ranks America's Best Jobs
Image Source CNNMoney published a handy list of the 100 best jobs in America that's worth looking at. You can check out the main list to see the overall greatest career, or browse by industry or specific categories,… -
Can Advertisers Change the Way We Do... Stuff?
Image Source I say "do stuff" because the topic at hand is hardly dinner-table appropriate, but here goes: toilet paper. Or actually, toilet wipes. The New York Times published an article Monday about how the makers… -
Finding Jobs Online — How Do You Do It?
Image Source It seems the days of red-penning the classifieds are behind us—every time I look for work, my search starts with www and ends with dot-com. A blogger over at tzurin.net had an interesting post about On… -
Obama Moves to Help Small Business
Image Source Looks like Obama's been reading Dollarish! Okay, not really, but we just posted on how, if anything is going to help reduce the unemployment rate, it would be jobs from small businesses. And, less than 2… -
Looking for a Niche? Go Gray Collar
Image Source When I was reading Nicholas Carroll's guide to downgrading your resume, he mentioned a term I wasn't familiar with: gray collar. Apparently, gray collar jobs straddle the gap between their white and blue… -
Colleges with the Highest Tutition of 2009-2010
It seems like college tuition just does up every year doesn't it? Here is a list of colleges that have the highest tuition cost. College Tuition 1. Middlebury College $43,690 2. Connecticut College $42,335… -
Financial Myths...Busted
Kiplinger.com did an article awhile ago busting 10 financial myths that they updated last month. They point out that many principles that were a safe, constant comfort in the world of finance may not hold true anymore… -
Would You Ask For A Raise Now?
Image Source I was surprised at first, but I'm seeing more and more articles around the internet that encourage worker to attempt renegotiating their salaries. My initial instinct is that, given the present situation,… -
The New York Times Trims Employees
Image Source Speaking of institutions that seemed impervious to the recession, The New York Times announced Monday that it will be cutting 100 jobs in its newsroom, about 8 percent of the news staff, according to, we… -
Downgrading: Rewrite Your Resume to Find a Job
Image Source Nicholas Carroll, author of The Layoff Survival Plan, wrote up a guide on how to downgrade your resume. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, rewriting your resume to minimize your education and work e… -
Financial Aid Screws Low-Income Families
Image Source When it comes to financial aid, a lot of people complain that the government doesn't do enough to help the middle class. The theory goes like this: low-income applicants get a lot of aid, wealthy ones d… -
How Wall Street Is Making Its Billions
According to this blog post from Phillip Greenspun, "Because of the Collapse of 2008 financial reforms, the big investment banks are able to borrow money from the U.S. government at 0 percent interest. Then they can… -
Confessions: The Secrets of a Bank Teller, Part Two
Image Source Banks somehow manage to remain a giant mystery to some. Their timing, their reasons, their policies... all often seem to occur without any good reason. We've covered deposits—so now here are the secret… -
Unemployment: Get Used To It
Image Source The Associated Press reported last night that many economists expect the country's unemployment rate to remain high for years. This, combined with decreased standards of living, could become the "new nor… -
In Defense of Food Stamps
Image Source Gawker recently featured a post advocating food stamps for the underemployed. And, since it's Gawker, the post also makes fun of NYU's student-run news blog NYU Local, whose authors may have been a littl… -
Trying Out The Envelope Method
I've had friends in town the last couple weekends, and I've realized that I completely went over my budget during that time. It's surprising, but I'm having trouble keeping on track here because everything is so much… -
Online Book Sellers Hope to Avoid Record Labels' Blunders
Image Source In more publishing news, Reuters ran an article on Friday comparing book publishers—which are just now transitioning into the technical age—to record labels, which embarked upon those then-uncharted wate… -
How Did Goldman Sachs Contribute to the Financial Crisis?
Goldman Sachs was the biggest packager and seller of collateralized debt obligations (CDOs), packaging thousands of mortgages together, 75% subprime, yet passing them off as AAA paper. When the market deteriorated, Go… -
"Poor People Can't Afford to Buy Cheap"
My dad has used this expression on several occasions and I truly understand what he means now. I was raised in a home where, yes, you do look for a bargain. When it's winter buy your summer clothes, and when it's summ… -
Greed: The Dark Side of Abused Capitalism Lures Billionaire into Criminal Act
How much money is enough? How much money do you need to earn to feel satisfied? This answer will vary with individuals, but is there a number that the vast majority of folks would acknowledge as more than enough? I thi… -
"Hi, I lost $20..."
I went out to see Toy Story 3D with the boyfriend last night. As we went to pay and receive our tickets, I looked down and saw a twenty sitting on the ground. I asked him if it was his, and he said no, and I checked my w… -
How I Save Money...
This is my first blog and this one is not going to be much about feelings but more about my husband and I saving money. Maybe it will also help my readers that I don't have yet. lol So I have made a list and put my co… -
20 Ways that You are Wasting Money
Okay, we're all trying to save money. But you have to admit it, when you get your paycheck, don't you always wonder what the heck happened to some of the money you made? Besides the taxes, it is probably something you… -
Confessions: The Untold Story of a Telemarketer
I picked up a third job with my best friend as a teleservices representative to earn a little extra cash for the fall season. I was an "application specialist". My main duty was to call and follow up on mail offers for… -
Could Apple Save the Publishing Industry?
Image Source I'm kind of a wannabe journalist, so whenever anyone talks about saving the publishing industry, my ears automatically perk up. And baby, they're perked. Wired released a really cool article today about… -
Retailers Continue to Rely on Catalogs
Image Source Reading about mail-order catalogs in The Wall Street Journal reminded me of the slogan for Dunder Mifflin Infinity (à la The Office): "Limitless paper in a paperless world." That's basically the philosop… -
Bank of America Takes $1 Billion Hit
Image Source As consumers struggle to pay off their credit card debts, Bank of America reported $1 billion in losses in the third quarter. This number, which has been floating all over the news today, actually increas… -
Let's Go Tech!
Image Source Tech companies are poised to help pull the country out of its recession, as industry leaders Intel, I.B.M., and Google all exceeded expectations this week with their third-quarter numbers, according to an… -
Officially Being a Poor College Student Sucks
Image Source At the end of summer I had everything worked out so that my job with Starbucks would transfer to school with me. I get here, and I'm told, "All we have to do is talk to your old manager, have a behavioral i… -
P&G Gambles on Periods
Image Source Procter & Gamble is employing a targeted, Internet-heavy ad campaign to market their female sanitary products in Singapore, where most American commercials ("Outsmart mother nature!" and so on) would… -
Virtual Goods Market is Up
Image Source The San Jose Mercury News published an article today on a new report that found one sector of the economy that has actually been thriving: virtual goods. These are defined as anything consumers can buy on… -
Shabby Chic: Comfortable Furniture for Uncomfortable Times
Image Source The New York Times published an article yesterday about Shabby Chic, a brand of oversized, slip-covered furniture that had its heyday during the country's last recession. The company actually filed for… -
Are Your Friends Making You Poorer?
In a recent installment of The Boston Globe's Uncommon Knowledge column, the author summarized a handful of new insights stemming from social science studies. These insights looked the various ways social interactions… -
Dow 10,000 Revisited - Stay Frosty
The market continues to surge and the Dow has now once again breached the 10,000 level. It's hard to believe that the Dow was around 6500 in March. Yet, now is not the time to go back on "cruise control" and consider… -
Brown Bag? NO, this is better
My daughter is going on a field trip tomorrow, so she needs to take a packed, disposable lunch to school. Normally that would mean a brown paper bag. That is what most parents use for times like this. I do not have a pa… -
Best Jobs in America: Did Yours Make the List?
MONEY and Payscale.com have released their list of the best jobs in America (see the article on CNN.com). The list of the Top 50 jobs was chosen and ranked by: "MONEY and compensation experts Payscale.com started wit… -
Financial Stability vs. Happiness: Which Would You Choose?
People always say, don't worry about money, you can't use it when you die. While that may be true, a lack of money sure makes it hard to live. Even with that being said.... There was an article in the Metro a while b… -
College Cuts Delay Graduation
Image Source The Associated Press published a rather sobering article about how college budget cuts are making it harder for students to graduate. In addition to raising tuitions, many schools have been forced to la… -
Holiday Shopping… Already?!
If you’re on a tight budget like me, I’d suggest shopping for holiday presents early. When I say early… I mean months ago. Some people may think it is a ridiculous idea to be shopping to early; however, many stores a… -
Female Purchasing Power
Image Source The Los Angeles Times recently printed an interesting review of two books exploring the growing spending power of women, and what retailers can do to harness that power. The first is Why She Buys, a ligh… -
Steve Jobs Guides Disney Toward Retail Revamp
Image Source Disney is teaming up with Apple C.E.O. Steve Jobs to revamp the Disney Stores franchise, making the stores more high-tech, interactive, and entertainment oriented—basically, like Apple Stores. The goal i… -
How Do You Unwind?
Back when I was still working at the firm, I discovered the importance of unwinding after a long day at work. It sounds silly, but I was genuinely surprised by how much an eight hour day can take out of you. So ever… -
Confessions: The Secrets of a Former Customer Service Employee
I worked for a year and a half in the billing department for a cable company-third party. What I am about to tell you hopefully will change your perspective on customer service. It is not an easy job, here is what I went… -
Some Things I've Learned From My Mall-Working Years
As Robin Sparkles would sing, "Lets go to the mall...today!" About 9 years ago, a new mall opened up literally a few minutes away from my house. Over the following years, I ended up working at four locations in this… -
National Sales Tax
Stupid government... they want to make national "sales tax." Talk about screwing the poor. Rep. John Linder, R-Ga., has been promoting a national sales tax for years. He said he is gaining more and more allies on C… -
Cheap and Easy Halloween Ideas?
Today I saw one of the first signs of Fall: a Halloween USA. With school gearing up, I had really lost track of time and didn't even realize how close Halloween is. When I was a kid, my mom made every single one of my… -
You're Fired: 11 Horrific Layoff Stories
From our friends over at Billshrink.com, check out these terrible tales of lay-offs. You'll find the original post over at the Billshrink blog here: http://www.billshrink.com/blog/layoff-horror-stories/ By BillShrink Gu… -
Today's Free Stuff (Full Sized Products!)
From the editors: Toastiebear has come through for us again! As a follow-up to her list of food samples, she posted a huge list of links to free FULL-SIZED products on a hubpage. Thanks Toastiebear! That's right ki… -
Making Art Out Of Money: Would You Do This In A Recession?
Okay so apparently there is this tattoo artist, Scott Campbell, who had the brilliant idea that he should take HUGE stacks of $1 dollar bills and create laser cut art out of it. LINK Image Source Do I even need to say… -
The World's Oldest Profession: My Thoughts On Prostitution
Ok, I am going to talk about something that I know many many of my readers will not agree with me on, but that is ok. Please read all this and then feel free to give your thoughts and opinions in the comments. I know… -
The Right and Wrong Way to Fire Someone...
Well I was working at this bar for a while until last Sunday night. I thought they would keep me on because they haven’t received any complaints about my services to my knowledge. Everything was fine up until I got a… -
Letterman Sex Scandal OK With Disney
Image Source Speaking of advertising, The New York Times published an article on Wednesday about how advertisers slated for The Late Show With David Letterman have been reacting to the host's recent scandal. Basicall… -
Harvard Students Go Without... Cookies
Image Source A recent article in The New York Times revealed that even Harvard—the planet's wealthiest university—is not immune to the recession. The school has had to make all sorts of cutbacks, from the comical (n… -
Submit to Dollarish!
Image Source Whether you're bubbling over about the soda tax, bonkers for bullet trains, or simply passionate about free food, Dollarish wants to hear from you! Submit your posts for our front page, or help out our… -
Say Credit, Use Debit
Image Source ProudToBeAChristianFruitcake@xanga left an interesting comment on Wednesday's "What Everybody Should Know About Their Checking Account" post. The comment said that, when a sales clerk asks you "Debit or… -
Bullet Trains: The Fast and The Stimulus
Image Source So, bullet trains. They're fast, they're environmentally friendly, and the Obama administration wants to build a couple. The President first announced his plan to create a network of bullet trains—formal… -
Colleges Go Green With Less Green
Image Source The Sustainable Endowments Institute just launched GreenReportCard.org, an online representation of the group's annual ranking of universities and colleges by sustainability. Overall, the schools earned… -
Expense-a-Steak: Delicious, Delicious (Fake) Fraud
Image Source Employers and workers alike have been cutting down on frivolous expenses, which in many a workplace has spelled the de facto triumph of brown bags over juicy lunchtime steaks. And let's not just pity the… -
Ithaca: A Gorges Mess
Image Source I've heard about free rides, but this is ridiculous. Ithaca College is giving 31 students up to $10,000 to defer their acceptances by one year, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. Ithaca misj… -
Flight Delays to Increase as Economy Recovers
Image Source Most of us are eagerly awaiting an economic recovery, but an article on CNN reminded me of one aspect of prosperity I'm not looking forward to: flight delays. Delays have been getting worse for years—the… -
Should We Tax Soda?
Image Source The Wall Street Journal published an opinion piece yesterday by Muhtar Kent, the C.E.O. of Coca-Cola, claiming that sweetened beverages are not a leading cause of American obesity. This is addressing, of… -
Confessions: The Secrets of a Bank Teller, Part One
I spent two years as a bank teller, and now I am a loan processor for the same bank. There are things that I understand about banks only because I dealt with them every single day. I occasionally tried to share this… -
Holiday Forecrast: Grim, Yet Classic
Image Source The holiday shopping season is just around the corner, I've got good news and bad news. The bad: Consumers, like last year, are unlikely to splurge come Christmas. The good: Unlike last year, merchants h… -
How Marketing Exploits Our Innate Irrationality...
Wandering around online the other day, I found a post on Coding Horror about the book Predictably Irrational. The book looks at how humans are wired to behave irrationally sometimes and what some triggers are. It should… -
What Everybody Should Know About Their Checking Account
Here are 5 things I wish everybody knew about their checking account... 1. There is no such thing as float time when you use your debit card! It's gone! No more float for you! The second you authorize a purchase, a h… -
Best Free (and Working) Food Samples
Image Source Toastiebear@xanga posted a list of the best places to sign up for free food samples online. This took a lot of hard work, as most lists for free food samples are full of dead, out-of-date links. Thanks… -
The Scary Truth About Prepaid Credit Cards
Image Source The New York Times had an enlightening (albeit scary) article about the hidden fees associated with prepaid credit cards. Unlike regular credit cards or even gift cards, prepaid credit cards are relative… -
Obama Greens Government Agencies
Image Source Perhaps I was a little hasty in my criticism of the G-20's lack of eco-friendly developments, at least in terms of the United States—President Obama made it clear that he's not waiting until December's U… -
Ask.com Caters to Bargain-Hungry Searchers
Image Source Ask.com launched Ask Deals today, a new search engine for online bargain hunters. This comes in response to a recent glut in spendthrift searching; Ask saw a 50 percent increase in coupon-related searche… -
Pay Czar Restricts Salaries
Image Source The Obama administration's pay czar is looking to restrict the cash salaries of executives, converting portions of annual pay into company stocks, as reported in The Wall Street Journal. Also called the… -
FTC Cracks Down on Blogs, Celebs
Image Source The Federal Trade Commission is modifying its policies to crack down on endorsements by bloggers and celebrities, as well as unrealistic advertisements. The current rules governing these fields have been… -
Big Macs & The Mona Lisa??
Here's another gem...do you love priceless works of art? Do you love cheeseburgers and fries? Hate having to choose between one or the other? NOW YOU CAN HAVE BOTH! Coming to a world-famous museum near you! That's rig… -
Help! I Need Some Reader Input...
I'm a mess and I don't know what to do. I have a job offer for $12.50 an hour, 35 miles away. It's for a very small internet company, with only medical benefits (50%) after 6 months. It's low stress, very casual, dec… -
Economic Reality Comes Knocking Via the Sept Jobs Report
The end of the 3rd quarter brought cheers from Wall Street as being one of the best quarters in years with the Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P all up at least 15% or more. I have to admit, the summer has been great for the ma… -
What Should Teens Be Taught About Personal Finance?
The main focus of the required public education is to educate and prepare a young person for adulthood. The various topics that are covered in high school provide a basic knowledge that many adults require, but to be… -
Suggestions For Furniture Shopping
I know how frustrating it can be to have to deal with salespeople, you never know if they are telling you the truth or lying to you in order to make the sale. Then there is the added stress of not knowing much about… -
Getting Thrifty...
"How has the economic downturn affected you personally? What changes have you made in your life to save money, pinch pennies, stretch your dollars? What thrifty tips can you share (places to shop, coupons to use, pl… -
"Stiletto Stoners" — Career Women turn to Cannabis
Image Source The New York Daily News had a very enlightening article yesterday about a new trend in the drug/career world: "Stiletto Stoners." This refers to the growing population of high-powered career women who li… -
Financially savvy? Submit to Dollarish!
Image Source Help us keep Dollarish running strong by submitting your posts to our front page! You can also help out our editors by voting for posts that have already been submitted. We're interested in all kinds o… -
All Grown Up: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Sell My Car
Image Source A couple of years ago my father suggested, to my infinite horror, that we demote my car insurance policy to that of a so-called "occasional driver." (Definitions for this term vary per state and per prov… -
Bad for Your Wallet, Good for Your Health
Image Source A new study suggests that recessions might actually benefit your health, as reported on CNN. Researchers at the University of Michigan looked at American mortality rates and life expectancies between 192… -
Finding Bargains with Online Shopping
Image Source While the recession is hurting many retailers, online shopping providers are actually flourishing, especially the ones that help consumers track down sales. The New York Times reviewed several of the big… -
Top Five Cities for the Young and Educated
Image Source The Wall Street Journal published an article yesterday listing the five most promising cities for educated workers in their twenties after the recession. To create the list, WSJ talked to a panel of expe… -
Obama Pushes for More School
Image Source I used to spend high school waiting for the clock to get to 3 p.m.—can you imagine waiting for it to get to 7? What about losing your summer vacation? To help bolster education and prepare U.S. students… -
Unemployment Rate is Now 52.2 Percent for Americans Ages 16-24
"The unemployment rate for young Americans has exploded to 52.2 percent -- a post-World War II high, according to the Labor Dept. -- meaning millions of Americans are staring at the likelihood that their lifetime e…
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What Little Rip-Offs Do You Hate?
I just saw a new blog post over on Time.com tha... -
Advice: Any Good Consignment Shops in NYC?
Shopping for vintage/used/already loved clothin... -
What Do You Do When Your Parents Sponge Off Of YOU?
What do you do when your parents Sponge Off of ...
