Apr 5, 2012  •  In Blogging, Bloggy Thursdays, Finance, Personal
6 Comments

Bloggy Thursdays: (Not) Raking in the Moolah

Welcome to this installment of Bloggy Thursdays, where I share with my fellow bloggers tips and tutorials to maximize and better your blog. While I do not consider myself an expert, I do like to think that after 10+ years of blogging — in addition to my technical knowledge — I know more than the average blogger when it comes to making your blog more appealing to readers.
Do you have any comments, questions, or topics you’d like to see covered here? Please send me a message via my contact form. Enjoy!

Today’s Bloggy Thursdays will not feature a tip. Rather, it will answer…

Jan 6, 2012  •  In Finance, Personal
18 Comments

More Thoughts on Money, and Small Steps Forward

As stated in an earlier post, 2011 was not the best year — financially — for my family.
This does not only apply to my parents. While J and I are by no means poor, we have been on a very tight budget. Yes, we were able to hire a part-time nanny for a few months. Yes, we are able to dine out once in a while. But these luxuries do not come easily, as we have made numerous sacrifices to achieve them (e.g., not purchasing clothes for ourselves for the entire year).
And as much as it pains me…

Jan 2, 2012  •  In Finance, Personal, Relationships
16 Comments

Financial Hardships, and Being a Child of Immigrants

The media keeps telling us that the economy is getting better, that the unemployment rate is decreasing and that there are brighter days ahead.
In my parents’ circle, this is not the case.
Because from what I can see, 2011 has been the most difficult for small business owners, especially immigrant groups who rely on dry cleaners, nail salons, delis, and grocery stores — previously some of the most stable small businesses  — for their livelihood.
My mother tells me that in the 20+ years she’s been in the dry cleaning business, she has never seen it this bad.
Two of…

Dec 21, 2011  •  In Finance, Marketing/Advertising, Personal, Relationships
25 Comments

The Big Red Bow Event

We’ve all seen the commercials. A doting spouse surprises his or her significant other with a brand new car for Christmas, complete with a big red bow on top.
A screenshot from this year’s “A December to Remember Sales Event” commercial
And if you’re anything like me, you’re probably thinking, “Does anyone actually do that?”
Apparently, yes — there is even a warehouse in California that stockpiles the iconic oversized red bows because the demand for them is so high! Granted, the article referenced is a bit old, but as Lexus’s annual “December to Remember Sales Event” is ongoing, I highly…

Nov 23, 2011  •  In Career, Finance, Guest Posts
No Comments

Guest Post: It’s the Economy, Ladies

Today we welcome back guest blogger Susan. I have always admired her professionalism and diplomatic approach to feminism, and this post certainly does not disappoint.
What do you think? Do you believe the financial crisis may not have happened if women had been in charge? Do you think that women need to take a more proactive and entrepreneurial role in this economy?

After the financial crisis that put this country in it’s current mess, I saw lots of speculation floating around that if women had been in charge of our financial institutions, this would never have happened. Interesting. Now women are being looked…

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