I only just heard about Amazon Mom, which is "a free membership program aimed at helping parents and caregivers, from the prenatal days through the toddler years, use Amazon to find all the products their family needs." Although the special discounts on diapers, wipes, and other recommended products are certainly enticing, what draws me to this program most is the FREE 3-month membership to Amazon Prime. I have been an Amazon Prime member for 1½ years now, and I LOVE the unlimited two-day shipping and the fact that you can share your membership with four other people. With Amazon Mom, you get an additional month of Amazon Prime for every $25 you spend within a single order in the Baby Store (up to...
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I always said that a six-figure salary doesn't mean much in Manhattan — it seems like everywhere I turn I run into 26-year-olds making at least $150k a year, or people younger than me buying $1.2 million apartments. (And yes, these are real example of my friends and acquaintances!) According to the White House, the $250k salary is the mark of wealth in the U.S. However, it is obvious when taking into account cities like New York that $250k does not have the same effect in different parts of the country. CNNMoney has compiled a Google Map to show just that — in Manhattan, you would need to make $545k/year to maintain the same lifestyle as someone making $250k/year living in...
Continue readingJ is very fortunate to be working for a company that seems to be bucking the dismal state of the economy. In fact, he is currently looking for a full-time employee to work directly under him, in addition to an intern to help with smaller tasks. The media tells us that the recession is getting better, and that recovery is well underway. However, J still receives hundreds of applications — every day — for these open positions, a great portion of them from those who have more education, more experience, and are even more qualified than him for his own position! image source Yesterday, I read that the NYC unemployment rate for May was 9.6% — down from April's 9.8%. An improvement to be...
Continue readingEarlier this week I was helping out at my mother's dry cleaning store when a woman threw a hissy fit at me. She had brought in some slacks and a women's shirt. As I entered these items into the computer, she held up the shirt and said, "I would like this to be charged the same as a men's shirt." "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. This is clearly a women's shirt...
Continue readingYesterday, I received some good news and some bad news. Let's go for the good first. A few months ago, I wondered to myself why we couldn't get a lower mortgage rate. J and I had purchased our condo at the height of the housing boom (and just before the giant dip in mortgage rates), so our 30-year fixed rate was quite high at 6.5%. Since applying for that loan and purchasing our home, our financial situation has changed (we went from 2 full-time income to 1 full-time and 1 measly freelancing) and we have a baby on the way. So I took a full day to get all our financial information in order, took a deep breath, and called our mortgage lender. It took...
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