Blog Posts by SavvySugar

You've prepared and practiced all of your interview p's and q's, but hiring managers are no longer settling for taking what you present at face value. They're digging deeper and using any information that surfaces to determine your worthiness as a candidate for the job. Find out if your bases are truly covered when you discover the tricky ways some hiring managers evaluate applicants below.

• They Watch Your Waiting Behavior - Your interview process begins well before you actually meet the hiring manager in person, and it includes your behavior as you wait your turn. Mind your mannerisms as you wait (sit up straight instead of slouching and lay off the nail-biting) and patiently review your notes and resume. Be courteous to the receptionist and try and be conscious of how often you check your watch.
• They Contact References Outside Your List - Employers can and do reach out to personnel at your previous employers who may not have been included on the list of references you

Finding more money for fun stuff can be as simple as making subtle changes to your everyday habits. Without making any sweeping compromises, there are a number of ways you can save money on things like your grocery, energy, and even your credit card bills. Adopt a few new changes after checking out my 12 ideas for spending less on your bills.

• Make Friends With the Freezer - Put the days of wasted leftovers to an end. Instead of packing up your dinner leftovers and putting them in the refrigerator where they're often left until they go bad, stick them right in the freezer. Same goes for the remaining fresh bread you ate on the side, or any loaf of sliced bread that's nearing its best-by date.
• Fill Up Your Dishwasher - You're paying for the water and energy used by running the dishwasher regardless, so wait until it's full before you turn the dial to start. Your favorite mug is dirty? That's not enough reason to run the dishwasher; just take a minute and wash anything you

It's often said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Assuming you submitted a cover letter, your résumé is your chance to make a second impression, which means it needs be perfect or it could cost you the job. If your aim is to create an impressive resume to sell yourself, you must ensure you don't slip up on the little stuff. Find out which "little" résumé mistakes to avoid.

• Don't Share TMI! Brevity Is Key: Don't overshare. Explain in concise and persuasive sentences why you are the right person for the job. The hiring manager doesn't want to know about your high school internship, details of a job you had 10 years ago, or that you like to leave the office at four to pick up your kids. Use your resume to share the important details and prove they should meet you.
• Name the File Your Name - Not "Jessica Simpson New Resume": It might sound nitpicky, but hiring managers prefer when attached resumes are labeled with the applicant's name. Instead of

Making a calculated effort to snip your expenses isn't easy. While there are things you can do to ease the pain of cutting back, tracking spending requires daily budgeting and discipline. Clearly, some days are better than others. Most of you agree that weekends are the hardest time to keep your wallet in your purse, but there are some simple ways you can bank on time of day discounts throughout the week. How can you save by spending on the right days?

• Remember Payday Determines What's Offered to You at the Grocery Store:Some things work in mysterious ways, but grocery store promotions are pretty straightforward in their scheduling tactics. Everyone knows most people are paid at the beginning or end of each month, and grocery marketing teams smartly push particular deals at these times. It's called the paycheck cycle, and it assumes that people have more disposable income to spend at the start of the month than they do toward the end - otherwise known as living paycheck to

Your grandparents might have stashed emergency cash in boxes of cereal and under the mattress, but there are more clever options these days for those who keep some reserves on hand. You can spend as little as $5 on diversion safes. See nine clever contraptions under $30 to buy you peace of mind.

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Professional resume services aren't the only places to find help on updating your resume. Objective advice can be had without paying for it, if you know where to look. Take your chances by bringing your resume to one or more of these places recommended by The Wall Street Journal - they're free, so you have nothing to lose.

1. Library: According to the WSJ, your local library might offer classes on resume basics or one-on-one sessions with a staff member to help with revisions.
2. Alumni career services: Your alma mater's career center could be a resource for resume advice. Some will interact with you in person, over the phone, or via email.
3. Government-sponsored job centers: There are more than 3,000 One-Stop Career Centers across the country that give free career advice; find your local center at ServiceLocator.org.

Minor bogus credit card charges are usually the fault of identity theft or a simple business mistake, but imagine how you'd react if you found a $23 quadrillion bill on your monthly statement!
An 18-year-old Johns Hopkins University student recently returned home from a trip and received her first overdraft email ever. She suspected identity theft, but was shocked to find a $23,148,855,308,184,500 charge on her statement from what she thought was a $10 train ticket purchase. Plus a $20 negative balance charge from Wachovia Bank, of course.
After she Googled how to pronounce the sum, a call to Visa reversed the charge. The company had suffered "a temporary programming error" during a system upgrade that resulted in some pretty wacky and inflated transactions. A spokesperson told the NYT, "No one was actually charged $23 quadrillion."

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In the middle of the Summer, when the weather is beautiful and the beach is beckoning, it can be hard to even drag yourself into the office - let alone to stay organized and productive while you're there. If you're finding yourself in a mid-Summer slump at work, check out the following tips for effectively organizing your workday.

• Plan Your Day on a Curve: View your workday as a bell curve: Start with easy, pleasant tasks as you're working on your first (or second) cup of coffee. Once you're warmed up, tackle the most difficult - or most loathed - tasks of the day. Then plan your most mindless tasks for your after-lunch slump, and finish the day off with something you actually enjoy doing.

• Reward Yourself: When you've got a particularly hectic schedule or are tackling an unpleasant project, give yourself small rewards as you accomplish tasks. When you finish putting together that PowerPoint, run out and grab a latte. After you've dealt with a difficult client,