Blog Posts by SavvySugar

Source: 10 Essential Steps to Take Before a Job Interview

Once you've snagged a job interview, the inevitable nerves that follow can make it difficult to focus on preparation. With a little bit of planning, though, you can bring your best business-ready self to the table. Follow these tips leading up to your big moment.

Several hours earlier:
1. It's important to have a healthy, substantial breakfast, of course, but it's just as important to eat well the night before so that you feel your best in the morning. Choose nutritious foods that fill and satisfy, and remember to limit caffeine to one or two servings. Chances are you'll already be feeling jittery, so put a cap on your coffee consumption.

2. Check the hourly forecast and grab any extra items that you may need: an umbrella, a raincoat, gloves, or suitable footwear, for instance.

3. Shoes are important: make sure your pair is both weather-appropriate and easy to walk in, because the last thing you want to do is trip your way

Source: Up Your LinkedIn Game With These 5 Networking Tips

As job hunting shifts to the online space, it's vital to know how best to position yourself online and network on the web. Not doing so can mean losing out on career opportunities and facing a harder uphill battle when competing against male job seekers for desirable positions.

To get started on workin' your web contacts, read these five dos from Krista Canfield, the senior PR manager for LinkedIn:

• Do add a photo to your LinkedIn profile. If you add a photo, you're seven times more likely to have people view your profile. Adding a photo is also important if you're reaching out to people you've lost touch with. People never forget a face. (Especially if you changed your last name when you got married. A college classmate or former boss may remember you as Karen Harris, not Karen Smith, so a photo will jog their memory.)
• Do find mentors and build out your peer network. Since you can easily search for people by

Source: 5 Simple Tips to Trim Your Wedding Guest List

From long-lost aunts and uncles to your father-in-law's best friend's cousin, it's easy to let your wedding guest list spin out of control. It's tough to pick and choose who to invite - where do you draw the line? Still, when it comes to watching expenses, cutting the guest list can be one of the quickest ways to keep costs low. Whether you're narrowing it down in hopes of a more intimate ceremony or simply doing your best to save money, here are five stress-free steps to help you trim your wedding guest list:

• Consider your budget and venue. Before you analyze your guest list, take a step back and talk to your fiancé about your highest priorities as a couple. Are you hoping for a specific venue? Worried about staying under budget? Those guidelines will help you decide how long your list can be and whether you need to cut back in other areas.
• Agree on a fair split point. Keep things equal by compromising on a guest

Source: 13 Different Ways to Get Free Books

Are books one of your biggest spending vices? You may think that great literature is worth any price, but buying books here and there can quickly add up. If you're a voracious reader, try to save money by getting some of your books for free through these means:

• Library: You won't need to spend a cent on books when you borrow from the library. And if you can't find a book you want in your local branch, you can put in a request for a book that's available in other branches to be sent to a library near you. And if ebooks are your favored way of reading, you can borrow ebooks for free from most libraries. Check out the other freebies from the library.
• Become a well-known reviewer: You can get free books from authors, even the acclaimed and famous ones, if you try this trick. A lot of times, you can even get the book ahead of its release. All you have to do is start building up a nice repertoire of really solid and detailed book reviews on

Source: 10 Fun and Frugal Bachelorette Party Destinations

It's time for some wild revelry with your gal pals! The bachelorette party is one of the many fun traditions that the bride-to-be generally partakes in. It's always a bundle of fun to get together with some of your girlfriends and spend some quality time.

Although we offered you great budget tips for a local bachelorette party, I know some of you are itching to travel. Heather Dickson, Associate Publisher of Lonely Planet, weighs in on the hottest vacay spots that will give you a bang for your bachelorette bucks.

• Washington DC: "All the best things to do in DC during the day, except shop, are basically free - including botanical gardens, art galleries and museums. At night hit happy hour at bars like Madam's Organ in Adam's Morgan or try free beginner's swing dancing at The Jam Cellar."
• New York: "Your wallet might not be able to meet all the expectations of your Empire State of mind but budget NYC can

Source: 7 Tips to Cut the Costs of Your Wedding Video

If your special day is going to be memorialized in beautiful pictures, you might want to capture it on video, too. After all, decades down the line, when you're celebrating your 30th wedding anniversary, wouldn't it be nice to reminisce and view your wedding highlights on video? If you decide to record your wedding, try not to skimp on the quality by having an amateur shoot it. Instead, here are some other ways you can save on the wedding videographer:

Wedding fair prices: Go attend a wedding fair and try to negotiate a better rate with the videographers you meet there. My friend managed to get 10 percent off the usual rate, just by haggling with the videographer in person at the fair.

Package deal: Find out if you can get a better deal if you hire the photographer and videographer together. This means that they will also be working together vs. clashing, which is also a bonus for you.

Watch the clock: Many videographers will

Source: 10 Unexpected Careers For Creative Types

When you think of jobs suited for creative people, does consultant come to mind? Probably not. But there are plenty of reasons why this - and other unexpected careers - should make the list. We've gathered some opportunities that will let you flex your creative muscle in the classroom, on the computer, and more, as well as their average salaries (all estimates courtesy of Simply Hired or Glassdoor). Have a look, and put that imaginative brain power to good use.

• Photo Stylist: Setting the mood or scene for a shoot is one of the most important jobs in commercial photography. Whether you work on a freelance basis or as part of a staff, using props and lighting to see your vision come to life is an accomplishment that's both innovative and gratifying.
  Average salary: $32,000
• Chef : A pinch of this, a dash of that. Cooking up a delicious meal requires serious know-how and improvisation. By testing out different

Source: 10 Wacky and Unexpected Job Interview Questions

Would you rather be a fork, a spoon, or a knife? Is that job interview question more or less nerve-racking than "what's your weakness?"

Most of us carefully consider our answers to typical interview questions, but some of the nation's top companies are known for throwing curveballs at interviewees that require fast thinking. We've rounded up some of the craziest interview questions that would catch anyone off guard without the proper preparation. Some are actually fun, while others have a major stump factor - read on to ensure you're prepared for anything that comes your way.

Glassdoor sifted through tens of thousands of interview questions submitted by job candidates over the past year to come up with a list of the top 25 oddball Interview questions for 2013. Here are a few:

• "If you were to get rid of one state in the US, which would it be and why?"
• "What do you think about when you're alone in your car?"
• "A penguin