Work + Money
By Teal Pelish, Cheapism.com
American consumers expect to shell out, on average, about $750 for gifts, décor, and other holiday items this year, according to a National Retail Federation survey. But is all that spending the true essence of the holiday season? More often it's the family time, rather than the trappings, that yields long-lasting memories. Here are five ways to experience Christmas on the cheap.
Christmas is a time to get together with family.
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1. Rethink Gift Giving. Perhaps the most obvious impediment to cutting costs at Christmas is the gift giving that lies at its core. But must all those presents come from a mall? Making and giving homemade gifts is one way to celebrate Christmas on the cheap. An abundance of DIY gift ideas awaits on the web; at Cheapism we found inspiration on Pinterest for Christmas. Necessary supplies range from household items to craft-store fare and typically cost little. Best of all, many loved ones may prefer such gifts over store-bought alter
...Read More »- Source: Never Make These 5 Major Regifting Mistakes
SavvySugar
There are many that think regifting isn't rude; I've never done it myself, but I think I might have received a regift or two along the way. If you choose to wrap something up from storage and put someone else's name on it, be sure not to make these mistakes that give regifting its sometimes tacky reputation.
- Not Thinking About the Recipient : Is it better to give something than nothing at all? When all you have in your stock of regifts are things totally unrelated to the person in question, get a card and supplies to make a homemade gift instead. Giving a random gift that wouldn't necessarily appeal to the recipient is thoughtless.
- Giving a Used Gift : You might be able to convince yourself that the recipient will never notice a gently used item, but don't take any chances. Commit to the rule of never giving one that's already been put to use by you.
- Giving to a Friend of a Friend : The last thing you want to do is off
- Thu, Dec 13, 2012 4:50 PM EST | CommentsMeredith Melling Burke, Vogue
See what Fashion Assistant Emma Morrison wore to the office last week, and then shop her look.
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- Lying is a funny thing: We all know honestly is the best policy, but we tell, on average, two fibs a day. The upside? We're less likely to lie when we're at home.
Here's why most of us lie at work.
By Meagan Morris
So, where are we lying? The only other place we spend a large amount of time: Work.
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Researchers at the University of Oxford and Bonn University came to the conclusion after conducting a random study of nearly 750 people. In the studies, researchers asked the volunteers to flip a coin and report what it landed on-if it landed on "heads," they got nothing; If was "tails," they received money.
The results? Nearly 56 percent reported that their coin landed on "heads," meaning no cash. On the flip side, participants in a tightly controlled lab study that felt like a work environment were more likely to fib about the coin flip to get the cash.
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The researchers concluded that people are more likely to lie if they felt they had...Read More » - By Lylah M. Alphonse, Senior Editor, Yahoo! Shine | Work + Money | Fri, Dec 14, 2012 3:53 PM EST | CommentsA second KTBS-TV employee was fired the same day as meteorologist Rhonda Lee. But while the TV station says that, like Lee, longtime crime reporter Chris Redford lost his job for violating the station's social media policy, one source with ties to the station tells Yahoo! Shine that Redford was fired without warning for responding to a personal attack on his own Facebook page.
Crime reporter Chris Redford was also fired from KTBS-TV on the same day as meteorologist Rhonda Lee. (Photo: …
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"He is an openly homosexual man that denounced gay slurs left on same KTBS site," the source, who requested anonymity out of fear of retaliation, wrote in an email to Yahoo! Shine. "The only difference is he did not write on the KTBS Facebook page, he responded on his own PERSONAL FB page and was given NO prior warning."
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Redford, whose twin brother is a New York City police officer, was defending a straight coworker who was being harassed online, the source wrote. KTBS station manager George Sirven told Yahoo! Shine in a...Read More »
Myths we tell college grads
I'm sure you've heard the news: Millennials are the worst generation in history. We're "deluded narcissists," not to mention unprofessional, entitled, and unemployed.
Or are we? I'm here to tell you that-just like the critique of past generations-this isn't true for the majority of us. In fact, many of us value hard work, getting ahead, commitment, and even philanthropy. This criticism is a myth-and sadly, only one of many we are told as we enter the working world.
As I embarked on my graduation (almost a year ago now-yikes!), I heard a lot of well-intentioned advice and comments that, in all reality, haven't been true of my experience. Here are a few of the other myths we're often told as recent or soon-to-be college graduates-and why you should take them with a grain of salt.
Myth #1: You'll Only Get a Job Through Your Connections
I heard this particular myth during every single one of my internship searches in college and the eventual full-time job hunt.
...Read More »- It seems people are in either one of the two tax camps: those that have their taxes done by January 31st and then there are those who are barely scraping by on April 15th. Are you getting a refund and if so, what are you doing with it? Stashing it under the mattress? Squirreling it away into a shady overseas bank account? Investing in Silly String?
taxes
Though these are all fine ideas, for sure, there may be other that will put your extra cash to better use. For what you should be doing with it, or what we'd do with it at least, check out the following 5 ways to maximize your tax refund.
1. Take a Vacation
Yes, seriously. Take a vacation. If you're burned out and not enjoying life, you're not going to be able to make the best decisions in your everyday life. Use your tax refund to recuperate, relax, and get a little enjoyment out of life. It's not all about working non-stop.
2. Pay off Your Debt
Depending on the size of your refund, pay off an entire credit or an
...Read More » By Lauren Le Vine, REDBOOK.
Yesterday was Equal Pay Day, which marks how far into 2013 women have to work to earn as much as men did in 2012. Might I remind you that it's April, meaning that women earned in 16 months what men do in the usual 12. The Huffington Post marked Equal Pay Day by quoting a startling statistic from the Center for American Progress: "As late as 2011, 97 percent of full-time working women were in jobs that typically paid men more."
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What's more, certain professions have a higher wage disparity than others. Female personal financial advisors earn only 61.3 percent of what their male counterparts do. Of the 534 professions listed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women out-earn men in seven of them. Yes, seven out of 534.
The wage gap starts at the very beginning. Sarah Jane Glynn, senior policy analyst at American Progress, told HuffPo that research shows women are less likely than men t...Read More »- Most of the time when I hear about a college coach overstepping his bounds and striking a player, I think the concern is a little overblown. Mike Montgomery of Cal pushed his star player early in the college basketball season. Tommy Tuberville, formerly of Texas Tech, ripped a headset off one of his graduate assistants. The head coach of Virginia Tech, Frank Beamer, once got in a bit of trouble for striking a player. None of those situations were ideal for a coach and student athlete situation, but none of them were that egregious either. I saw a video this past week, however, where the coach was way over the line, and I'm sure most of you have seen the same video.
Why Mike Rice should never coach again
Rutgers head basketball coach, Mike Rice, was caught on video throwing basketballs at the heads and crotches of his players. He was also caught shoving, kicking and hitting his players. He yelled at them and he berated them as well. It wasn't like someone sneaked a camera into Rutgers practices and happened to cat...Read More » 
Aries (March 21 - April 19)
Your earning ability is not a thing of permanence. Unfortunately it fluctuates with everything else in life. But as long as you can count on the basics, you should be able to talk yourself down from the ledge today -- and any other day your income takes a dive.
Today's Aries Reading: Free Sample Chakra Reading
Taurus (April 20 - May 20)
If you've been feeling weak and uninspired lately, then you're in for a pleasant surprise. You should begin to feel some of your former strength returning today. It's faint at first, but then it's unmistakable. You'll be back in the saddle in no time, though being in the black may take a while.
Today's Taurus Reading: Free Sample Life Path Reading
...Read More »
Gemini (May 21 - June 21)
You still have some catching up to do, but a
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