julia_h's Dollarish

I Will Make a Will

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:14:59 GMT

My mom left for vacation to Prague yesterday, and amongst our goodbyes, she told me, "There's a copy of my will in the dining room cabinet... you know, just in case anything were to happen."

I laughed it off because she's only 51 and I've never really thought about anything happening to my mom.

But then I started thinking. What if something did happen to my mom? And I wonder how I'm listed in her will...

When do you think the right age is to make a will? I'm wondering if I should make a will. Or what I would even put in my will.

Even though it's scary to think about, it's important to have a will so that all of your belongings go to the right place and that your family and loved ones are taken care of.

What would you put in your will? If you already have one, when did you make it, and what kind of things are stated in it?

The Life of a Chicken Taste Tester: How I Make Extra Money at School!

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:16:06 GMT

It's getting to the time of going back to school. For me, it's about to be my last year in college. I'm fortunate enough this year to have a job on campus, and I finally feel like I'm ready to manage school work and a job at the same time. It's just what I need to have to extra spending money.

It's difficult to manage working and studying, all while having fun and being social at school. A good tip for making extra money is to check out your school's website where they most likely have a page posted on good ways to make money.

My freshman year at college, my friend found a link on the website to the Purdue Chicken Factory (located in Salisbury, MD, just a 10 minute drive from my campus). The opportunity sounded weird, but luckily I had her to bravely try it out and then pass on the message that it was a great way to make money.

So I decided to try it! I went out to the Purdue Chicken Factory and discovered that there were about 20 other testers at any given test time, which are scheduled at many times throughout each day. All you do is go into the test room where you are given a few different samples of one product (a lot of which are tasty chicken nuggets or seasoned grilled chicken). You try a few bites, and then rate them. It takes about 5 minutes and you walk out with a $20 bill!

Doing this at school is an easy way for me to make some extra spending money. It's not much, but for getting free food, it isn't bad! Every little bit helps, right?

How do you make extra spending money while you're at school?

My Best Friend's Million Dollar Wedding

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:48:31 GMT

My sister's best friend from high school just got married. The friend comes from, well, let's just say, a ridiculously wealthy family. So, as expected, the wedding was a ridiculously lavish event. It was a black tie nighttime wedding, and my sister told me all about it afterwords.

After the ceremony, the guests went to the reception area where it started off with a cocktail hour. There were stands of every type food including a fresh sushi bar, pastas, salads, freshly carved meats, chinese food, and people walking aroudn with plates of h'our dourves. There was also an open bar with made-to-order cocktails, as well as people walking around with glasses of champagne. More Here...

My Dad's Broken Sink Has Helped Me Save Water

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:09:52 GMT

My dad's kitchen sink recently started leaking, so he's been using a bucket to catch the water until he gets it fixed. By using this temporary fix, he's come to a revelation. He's finally able to see just how much water goes to waste!

When he turns on the kitchen faucet, the water drips from the pipe into the bucket. He realized just how much water he uses by doing simple things like washing his hands or washing a few dishes. Just by doing his dishes from dinner, the bucket fills up in no time, and he has to go pour out five gallons of water! So, as you can imagine, as he relies on this bucket trick until he gets the pipe fixed, he has become much more aware of the need to conserve water.

I have never been one to pay attention to how much water I use. I know that I use much more water than necessary when I leave the faucet running while I wash dishes. I also have a terrible habit of leaving the bathroom faucet running while I brush my teeth (I know, I know, I am the person environmentalists want to kill).

But now I am making a goal: I will not waste so much water. Not only can conserving water help the environment, but it will certainly lighten up your water bill.

Do you pay attention to how much water you use? Are you concerned more about environmental or financial reasons?

Household Chores

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 19:48:00 GMT

Image Source

I recently got into a discussion with my friends about doing household chores. We were talking about someone we know whose mother still makes them do household chores when he's home from college-- and not just standard things like taking out the trash, but re-painting the walls, waxing the floors, and scrubbing the carpet.

When I was a kid, my siblings and I each had different chores to do around the house. We alternated between setting the table, taking out the trash, walking the dog, and "pooper-scooping" (scooping up our dog's poop from the backyard, the most dreaded chore of all). But these were all contributions we had to make to our household, and we earned worthwhile weekly allowances.

What household chores did you do? Do you think it is expected for all kids to have chores?

Go Ahead, Rant About Your Co-Worker!

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:28:35 GMT

Image Source

Do you need to rant about a co-worker? Classmate? Anyone?

Unfortunately, the world of work and school involve the occasional annoying person-- those people you just can't stand to go to work or class with. I've had many of those people in various classes throughout college, and it's only worse when you're working with them.

At my job this summer (I lifeguard), there is one person who I just can't stand to work with. I dread the days when we're scheduled for the same shift or even overlapping shifts. Just 10 minutes with this person is simply intolerable. The most annoying quality about this person is their inability to stop talking. They will run their mouth for endless minutes without letting me put a word in, and the worst part about it is that it stops them from doing the work they need to do.

One day I was stuck working with this person and they wouldn't stop telling their story (one of their many completely and utterly pointless stories) to go sit in the chair when it was their turn to watch the pool. It had already been a long day of listening to them talk at this point, so I just got up and said I would go sit in the chair. I had enough!

Do you work with anyone who simply downright annoys you? Please, go on and rant!

What Do You Have to Offer?

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:07:13 GMT

One of the most popular questions of job interviews is "what are some of your strengths?" There are many common replies to this question, such as hard working, creative, motivated, and energetic, to name a few.

Now is your chance to be conceited... What quality of yours are you most proud of? What would be your first reply to the question "what are your strengths?" in a job interview?

Woman Sues Her Alma Mater For Her Unemployment?

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:51:12 GMT

Image source

For those of you who think you're doing poorly in this economy-- can't find a job, etc. Read this article and maybe you'll feel a little bit better about your ability to deal with your problems.

Basically, a recent (Spring '09, to be exact) graduate of Monroe University decided to sue the University for her current unemployment. The graduate's argument is that Monroe University is falling short of their promise to help students find jobs.

As the CNN article reported, "She suggested that Monroe's Office of Career Advancement shows preferential treatment to students with excellent grades."

Well, yeah, if you graduate with a 2.7 GPA, what do you expect?

Do you think this woman is crazy? Do you have sympathy for her?

Cheech and Chong's Solution to the Economic Crisis

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:26:02 GMT

A recent interview with stoner stars Cheech and Chong on PopEater.com featured their explanation on how to fix the economy. Tommy Chong says:

"Pot puts the population into a nice, mellow mood. And no one shops harder than someone on pot. I've bought stuff that I've still never took out of the package. So potheads are not only mellow, they spend money. That's what the economy needs. You don't need bankers hiding money in Switzerland and offshore. You need consumers, and that's what pot does. Pot makes everyone a consumer."

What do you think about this?

College Planning in the Economic Crisis

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:18:20 GMT

A recent statistic posting in the Kansas City Star says:

"Four in 10 teens have altered their college plans because of the economic slowdown, while one in five had to either go with their second choice of college because of cost or attend a state school instead of a private one to save money."

When I was applying to colleges, financial reasons were one of my largest factors. While most of my friends could pick and choose any college to attend, I had to strongly consider the cost. I know that I was lucky to even have the given option of going to college in the first place, and for many people it's a lot harder. More Here...