Clipmarks | Perkalicious11's 'tips' clips

Greening the Not-So-New House

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:15:21 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: Happy Earth Day!

tips with varying costs and payoffs. See original article for classifications.

Clip Source: www.greenhomeguide.org

45 tips to green any home, rent or own

you don’thave to buildfrom scratch to turn your not-so-newhouse into a dwelling that’s eco-friendly and more economical to run

cleaning your clothes dryer’s lint trap before every load

using human-powered appliances

washing full loads instead of partial loads

washing and rinsing clothes in cold water

turn off computers and peripherals at night

Recycle your old cell phones

Think globally, buy locally

Nix the night lights

try not to overdry your clothes

composting food scraps

install weatherstripping

sell or Freecycle

use your bathroom and kitchen ventilation fans

programmable thermostat

Audit it

Check out great bamboo alternatives for floors, cabinets, built-ins and furniture

Energy Star-qualified appliances

Plant deciduous trees

Solar-powered attic fans

beefing up insulation

choose double-pane windows

Radiant floor heating systems

living roofs

Harvest the sun

Solar electric systems can offset some or all of your home’s electricity use

install dimmer switches

Tags: home improvement, construction, renovation, green, sustainable living, tips, earth, planet

I'm Dreaming of a GREEN Christmas!

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 23:37:11 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: So many great ideas! Every little bit of conservation helps!

Clip Source: www.affordableservices.org

Try buying gifts that require less or no additional wrapping

Go for gifts that involve life experiences such as tickets for a show, airplane or sports event

Send Christmas e-cards

Recycle: Buy it and Do it

Like the Christmas cards, try to buy recycled gift wrap, gift bags, boxes, and other packing material

Switch to Low-Energy Lights

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

Faux Fir

Make A List, and Check it Twice

Plan your routes so that you don’t have to double back

consider buying rechargeable batteries

Did You Know?*

If every American family reused just 2 feet of holiday ribbon, it would create 38,000 miles of recycled ribbon. This is enough ribbon to tie a bow around the entire planet.

If everyone in the U.S. replaced their regular holiday light strings with LEDs, in one month at least two billion kilowatt-hours of electricity could be saved. This is enough energy to power 200,000 homes for a year.

Tags: christmas, holidays, green, environment, money, save, tips

How to Haggle Like a Pro

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:03:19 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: This makes me want to go out and try this stuff! Damn my shopaholic nature...

Clip Source: www.bottomlinesecrets.com

What you need to know to haggle successfully

There is room for negotiation in virtually every purchase

Good hagglers always carefully inspect items that they're interested in

it's a good idea to go to several places first to make price comparisons

check on-line to see what comparable merchandise sells for -- that's the price you want to beat

find out how much the dealer paid for the vehicle

HOW TO HAGGLE

Pretend to be only mildly interested

If you and the seller can't agree on the price of an item, ask the seller if he's got anything that he can throw in on the deal

Ask automobile dealers to throw in floor mats

with computer and stereo equipment, ask the seller for free cables and free installation

If you are willing to pay $100 for an item, offer $80 or even $60

Merchants lose about 2% when a credit card is used, so they may be willing to take a 2% bite if you pay cash

Politely point out any flaws in the merchandise

WHO BEST TO HAGGLE WITH

Small-town merchants

Jewelry stores

Car dealers

Banks

Chains

OBO

Tags: shopping, haggling, bargain, deals, price, tricks, tips, money

How To Negotiate A Starting Salary For A New Job

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:52:51 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: Good for anyone you might know graduating at the semester break coming up here!

Clip Source: blogs.payscale.com

Five simple starting salary rules:

Rule #1) Postpone talking about starting salary until there's an offer on the table
Rule #2) Let the other person name a figure first
Rule #3) Repeat their starting salary offer and be quiet
Rule #4) Share your researched starting salary range and establish your individual value
Rule #5) Clinch the deal and deal some more

Starting Salary Rule #1 - When to Discuss Starting Salary

Starting Salary Rule #2 - Who Goes First

Starting Salary Rule #3 – Repeat The Offer And Be Quiet

Starting Salary Rule #4 - Share Your Researched Range and Establish Your Individual Value

when a company wants to buy your time and effort, remember it's a human being who makes the decision

Starting Salary Rule #5 - Clinch the Deal and Deal Some More

Tags: compensation, employment, income, office, raise, salary, tips, work

2007 Tipping Guide

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 19:30:56 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: the original link has a great chart on the percentage of a workers' income that comes from tips too. That's really interesting! (I thought many were on the low side.)

Clip Source: blogs.payscale.com

PayScale Salary Survey Tipping Data for 2007

we pulled together a list of the most common jobs held by people who reported tips of $10 or more per week in 2007. Sure, $10 doesn’t seem like much - but it can add up to a lot of money. For instance, someone who makes $30,000 a year without tips, could make an additional $250 a month in tips or $3000 a year.

Tipping Guide - Who Gets Tipped:

People involved in weddings and other events: Disc Jockeys, Catering Managers, Meeting & Convention Services Managers, and Musicians and Singers.

People who get us from point A to point B: Chauffeurs, Taxi Drivers, Boat Captains and Mates, and Corporate Jet Pilots.

People who make us pretty: Manicurists and Pedicurists, Cosmetologists, Estheticians and Hairstylists.

People who love your pets as much as you do:

everyone else behind the scenes: Busboys/Girls, Restaurant and Bar Managers, Chefs, and Hosts, since your tip gets distributed amongst the entire team that helps you.

Tags: tips, waitress, waiter, bartender, service, gratuity, salary, employment, work, income

How to Score an Upgrade

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:43:36 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11

Clip Source: www.aarpmagazine.org

Score an Upgrade
(Peter Greenberg, NBC travel editor)

Don't be the putz who asks for one. Instead, chat with the gal at the gate about sports. Hobbies. Anything but the upgrade. Eventually, without asking, you'll hear the magic words: Let me see your ticket. Post-trip, mail your gal a thank-you. Next flight, look for her. Jo's AWOL? Repeat the steps. You now have something in common with the new gate gal. You both know Jo. Get it?

Tags: advice, tips, airline, flying, upgrade, first class, coach, economy

The Dangers of Bird Feeders

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:39:42 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11

Clip Source: www.bottomlinesecrets.com

t isn’t hard to attract birds to your yard in the winter -- just fill a bird feeder with seed. Unfortunately, some bird feeders can be dangerous to our feathered friends

Windows. Most bird feeders are placed near a window to facilitate bird-watching, but this makes it likely that some birds will fly into the windows

Cats. Position your feeder six feet or more from the nearest shrub or other ground cover so that cats can’t hide and pounce on birds

Squirrels. If squirrels are an issue in your yard, place your feeder on a pole at least five feet

Diseases. Salmonella can be transferred among birds when droppings mix with feed in the feeder, and other bird health problems can result from birdseed that has begun to mold

The best way to attract interesting birds to your yard is to have more than one bird feeder

Mixed birdseed often contains low-quality fillers that birds might discard onto the ground

Black oil seed, a type of sunflower seed, is the single most popular choice among most birds

Tags: birds, feeders, bird feeder, home, safety, seed, ideas, tips

Home Security Alternatives

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:36:18 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: Believable fake security cameras for $30 and other ideas.

Clip Source: www.bottomlinesecrets.com

f you live in a low-crime area and do not keep large amounts of jewelry, cash, art or other valuables in your home, paying $25 to $50 a month for monitored security may be more than you need to spend.

Motion-activated outdoor floodlights

Wireless indoor motion-detector systems

DIALERS

PICTURE-TAKING ALTERNATIVE

Fake security cameras

ALARMS TO AVOID

Independent door and window alarms

Glass-break alarms.

Tags: home, security, homesecurity, alternatives, tips, safety

Increase Your Salary: Six Easy Tips

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 18:58:33 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: a really helpful website

Clip Source: blogs.payscale.com

If you’re ready to start earning more, here are six easy ways that you can use PayScale to your advantage

Know more than your manager knows. Maintain your PayScale Current Job Profile to find the typical value for your work in the marketplace.

Review Anonymous Profiles monthly. See real salaries for others with similar jobs and experience in your city

Manage your performance. As you gain experience and skills, update your PayScale Current Job Profile to get a sense of your new value.

Read PayScale Advice from others in your industry or job. Or give advice about your specific job, industry or topics like Work-Life Balance, Fair Pay, Negotiating Higher Pay, I Was Fired, and more.

Use PayScale data to make better decisions. Compare salaries for your job around the country and the world - and prepare for promotions and job offers.

Learn how education can boost earning power. Use the PayScale Research Center to see how education can affect your income.

Tags: advice, compensation, employment, lifestyle, salary, tips, work

Communication Rules in the Workplace: Secret Salaries?

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:45:41 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: good to know

Clip Source: blogs.payscale.com

as money.cnn.com recently reported, it can be dicey for employees in the same office to share information on salary and payment among themselves. Salary information discussions can be a touchier subject than politics or religion

keeping salary information lists "secret" actually hurts more than it helps. He says that secret salaries breed distrust among employees

He also notes that secret salaries are often not that "secret," thanks to office chatter. Kjerulf suggests that if someone discovers they are being underpaid, they cannot tell their boss that they "know for sure," without admitting that they violated company rules by obtaining salary info.

if companies pay their employees what they were worth, then there would not be a need to keep salaries a secret

companies cannot ban salary discussions between employees in the US

Smart people listen, but don't talk about their own salary

Only one person is the most productive worker for your company, and it likely isn't you :-)

full salary survey.

Tags: work, employment, salary, tips, compensation, secret

Management Tips: Gen X vs. Gen Y

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 14:49:14 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: Finding what motivates Gen Y and Gen X is key to effective management strategies, experts say.

Clip Source: blogs.payscale.com

Managers must discern the different working styles of Gens X and Y, and tailor how they work with each group,

Because many Xers work well independently, Cam Marston, a Mobile, Ala.-based consultant specializing in multigenerational communications, suggests giving them projects and assignments to do on their own.

"Gen X, with their carpe diem mentality, decided that enduring a poor manager isn't worth the effort, and they will search to find the right person with whom to work. They have an intrinsic need to identify with this role model or hero, and they will actively change jobs until that person is found,"

"Make sure Gen Yers have a line of sight to the customer. It's a way to help people find meaning in their work-if someone senses they're serving another person, it makes the job more meaningful."

"They've been managed and organized throughout their entire lives, so they're not very good at structuring their work day and prioritizing," he said.

Tags: advice, employment, work, management, generation x, generation y, lifestyle

Shrewd Way into a "Booked" Hotel or Restaurant

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:53:20 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: check full article for more complete information.

Clip Source: www.bottomlineinternational.com

Anyone can get a last-minute reservation at a popular restaurant or a room in a hotel that is booked solid -- if you know what to say and how to tip.

RESTAURANTS

You call at the last minute and are told no tables are available. What to do...

VALET PARKING: KEEPING YOUR CAR UP FRONT

When your waiter hands you your check, hand him/her your valet ticket stub, and ask him to give it to the valet, so that your car is waiting up front by the time you pay the bill and leave the restaurant.

HOTELS

You are told no rooms are available. What to do...

Tags: restaurants, hotel, valet, service, tips, advice, tricks