frugal_living

http://frugalliving.about.com/b/2009/12/09/featured-reader-brenda-bc.htm

Name:

Brenda, British Columbia

Your Favorite Source for Bargains:

Thrift stores, dollar stores, flea markets, Craigslist and craiglist-like websites.

Your Best Bargain of All Times:

I had to have brown pants to wear as a part of a uniform. At the Salvation Army, I found two designer pairs for $1 each.

View the rest of Brenda's profile

Featured Reader: Brenda, BC originally appeared on About.com Frugal Living on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 09:00:29.

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saloncom

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/12/09/jobs_initiative/index.html?source=rss&aim=/opinion/feature

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2009/12/09/jobs_initiative/index.html

saloncom

http://www.salon.com/news/2009/12/09/eu_russia_nightclub_fire/index.html?source=rss&aim=/news

http://www.salon.com/news/2009/12/09/eu_russia_nightclub_fire/index.html

saloncom

http://www.salon.com/news/2009/12/09/ml_israel_palestinians/index.html?source=rss&aim=/news

http://www.salon.com/news/2009/12/09/ml_israel_palestinians/index.html

motherjonesfeed

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/motherjones/main/~3/IJOvVYOjV70/religious-rights-potty-paranoia

The next big culture war battle is about to be waged in an unlikely place: the restroom. After many years, Congress may finally have the votes to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA). The measure, which the Obama administration views as key to advancing gay rights, would ban workplace discrimination against gays, lesbians, and transgendered people. But Christian right groups are fighting the legislation—on the grounds that it would force businesses to allow transgendered and "transitioning" men and women to use opposite-sex restrooms or face lawsuits from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Traditional Values Coalition, a major foe of ENDA, has written a lengthy report on the potential dangers of the legislation, and the bathroom crisis is high on the list. As proof of the coming bathroom integration, it cites a Seattle incident in which two women who were taking male hormones were thrown out of a men's room at the Washington convention center. The women were staging a "pee-in" as part of a Gender Odyssey Conference, but TVC sees "she-men" invading the hallowed confines of men's restrooms everywhere should ENDA pass.

In talking points issued to ENDA opponents, Liberty Counsel, the conservative public interest firm associated with Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, warns:

ENDA mandates that employers give access to shared facilities, such as restrooms and other similar facilities for those who are of the same sex, but have an opposite gender identity (i.e. a male identifying as female), or of those who have notified their employer of an ongoing gender transition (i.e. a male transitioning to a female). Those employees would be allowed to share restrooms and other similar facilities with members of the opposite sex.

Continue Reading »

     

lifehacker

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/lsYHNt57yqk/ustream-streams-live-video-from-your-iphone-3gs

iPhone 3GS: It's been a long time coming, but Apple's finally approved a (notable) live video streaming app for the iPhone 3GS. Ustream is one of the first out of the gate, and it seems to deliver on its promise.

Ustream already has an app in the Store that lets you record video and upload it to Ustream, YouTube, or other locations—but not live, and that's kind of the whole point of Ustream.tv. After another phone-to-phone live video app was approved last week, Ustream's potential has been fully unlocked, allowing for live record-and-stream on 3G or Wi-Fi connections.

Lifehacker East lacks a 3GS to try the app out with at the moment, so if you've given it a shot, tell us how it's working in the comments.

lifehacker

http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/Csavs2NmQXE/google-docs-now-lets-you-export-everything-at-once

Google Docs already has an option to export every document you check off, but checking them all off is a time-wasting pain. Now it's much more simple to grab everything, 2 GB at a time, in zipped-up files.

The Digital Inspiration blog points out the new addition to Google Docs' export options. Simply select any file by checking the box to its left, then hit the More Actions menu and select Export. In the box that pops up, there's a check box at the bottom to "Export all your files (up to 2 GB)," which, for most users, covers just about everything. Those with more will be prompted with a list of the files that couldn't be exported, so you can grab them next. You can also choose what format your files are downloaded in, which is mighty helpful as well.

moirarogers

Exciting news! We have the cover for Crossroads (I know, two covers in one week, Christmas came early to Moira Rogers!)  I can not express in words how much I love this cover, so I’m not even going to try.  I’m just going to let everyone else marvel over it!

( Read the rest of this entry » )

Originally published at Moira Rogers = Bree + Donna. You can comment here or there.

getrichslowly

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2009/12/09/job-loss-got-a-financial-game-plan/

http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/?p=7680

This post is from GRS staff writer April Dykman.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed was 15.4 million and the jobless rate was 10 percent in November. While those numbers “edged down” from previous months, there’s no doubt that job loss and unemployment are hot topics, and people are worried.

Some of those lucky enough to hang onto their jobs have experienced salary reductions, reduced hours, or withheld bonuses.

Even if your income has remained unaffected, hearing stories on the news and witnessing friends and family members experience job loss can make a person nervous. It’s why car dealerships and travel companies are offering job loss insurance, reassuring consumers that it’s okay to buy a new car or book a cruise.

But wiggling out of a major purchase means little if you still can’t afford to pay your mortgage after job loss.

Worst-case scenario planning
This made me think about what my financial situation would look like if I lost my job, if my husband lost his, or if somehow we both found ourselves unemployed. What is our worst-case scenario? Could we cover the essential bills? And for how long?

This is the process I used to create a worst-case scenario snapshot of our finances. I’ll use fictional couple Michael and Kay as an example. Their combined monthly income after taxes is $5,000. Michael makes $2,000 per month, and Kay brings in $3,000 per month. They have an emergency savings fund of $10,000.

Step one: Assess current expenses
First, they’ll look at their current monthly budget:

• Mortgage: $1,100
• Food & Dining: $500
• Bills & Utilities: $325
• Gas & Fuel: $300
• Vacation Savings: $200
• Massage Therapy: $150
• Gym: $100
• Property Tax: $100
• Health/Prescriptions: $140
• Clothing: $100
• Auto Insurance: $45
• Home Insurance: $30
• Donations: $30
• Netflix: $18
• Personal Care: $25
• Misc: $120
• Retirement Savings: $834
• Other Savings: $883

Step two: Cut expenses
Next, Michael and Kay examine their fixed and discretionary expenses and determine where they could cut back, if needed. They eliminate savings and clothing from the budget right away. They decide that they could cut back on food by $100 if they quit eating out, and they could live without massage therapy and gym memberships. This lowers their monthly expenses to $2,633.

• Mortgage: $1,100
• Food & Dining: $500 $400
• Bills & Utilities: $325
• Gas & Fuel: $300
• Vacation Savings: $200
• Massage Therapy: $150
• Gym: $100
• Property Tax: $100
• Health/Prescriptions: $140
• Clothing: $100
• Auto Insurance: $45
• Home Insurance: $30
• Donations: $30
• Netflix: $18
• Personal Care: $25
• Misc: $120
• Retirement Savings: $834
• Other Savings: $883

Step three: Evaluate possible scenarios
If Michael lost his job, their monthly income would be $3000. With monthly expenses of $2,633, they’d have $367 left at the end of the month and wouldn’t have to dip into the emergency fund except in case of emergencies.

If Kay lost her job, their monthly income would be $2000. They’d either need to cut back more, or use the emergency fund to make up the $633 difference. If they used the emergency fund, it would last for about 15 months — barring any unforeseen expenses.

If both Michael and Kay lost their jobs and had to live off of the emergency fund, their savings would last for about three months.

Other expenses and income
In a real-life scenario, you’ll also need to account for health insurance. Whether you’d get coverage under your spouse’s plan, an individual policy, or through COBRA, you’ll need to add the premium into your financial game plan.   

Unemployment benefits, if you qualify, are another factor in your worst-case scenario budget. Don’t forget that unemployment benefits are taxable. To avoid a ginormous tax bill on April 15, have federal income taxes withheld or pay quarterly estimated taxes on your unemployment income.

Next steps
Depending on your outcome from this exercise, you might decide it’s not time for a new car or a cruise because you need a bigger emergency fund. Or maybe you can relax because you’re right on track with your savings goals.

Either way, it’s a good idea to know where you stand and what your game plan will be if you were to experience job loss.

Have you created a worst-case scenario budget? Do you feel prepared to weather a job loss (either your own job or your partner’s)?

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Related Articles at Get Rich Slowly:

• links for 2007-01-06
• The Grocery Game
• Tax-Loss Harvesting: How to Use the Market Downturn to Save on Taxes This Year
• The Young Money Stock Market Game
• links for 2007-05-03