Breaking Even, Inc.

Figuring Out My Commute

I love my new apartment I love my new location but I'm only okay with the thirty minute commute. Half-an-hour isn't a big deal, especially when gas prices are relatively low but as I get into my routine I figuring out ways to cut down on my driving.

There is a commuter bus but taking it would require me leaving work 40 minutes early, something I don't think my employer will allow. I've also not found anyone at work that lives near me.

But I'm certainly not giving up. I see other cars headed in the same directions at the same time as me. There has to be a way.

I've put an ad on Craigslist to find other people my situation I am also going to talk to my boss next week about working in a different office closer to my house one day a week. I have some good reasons besides saving myself some money which would actually benefit the company.

Even if I would only save myself a trip or two a week, the savings will be substantial.

Until I figure it out, I am trying to stay put on the weekends since everything I “need” is within walking distance (grocery store, hardware store, laundromat, pub, restaurants). Well, except for this weekend where I will see normally far-flung friends and family who are staying half an hour away. Hmm...I'll have to start this next weekend.

Meanwhile, have you found an inventive way to save money in your commute? They haven't been other way that I can find buddies to commute with?

Three Reasons Not to "Bail Out" The Auto Industry

The more I hear about this automaker bailout stuff, the more ridiculous it seems. A quick look at where some of the money these companies make has went previously:
 
1. Ford CEO Gets $18.5M upfront, $2M salary and an immediate payout of $18.5 million for taking the job in September 2006.(Ford lost $1.4 billion in the first half of 2006.)
 
2. GM lifts CEO salary to $2.2 M, translating to a 33% raise (The stock has dropped 10 percent since the start of the year and about 64 percent since Wagoner became CEO in June 2000. GM reported a record loss of $39 billion for 2007, its third consecutive net loss.)
 
3. Chrysler's new CEO declines to detail salary package (Chrysler lost $680 M last year.)
 
If a typical worker makes $30,000 per year, one Ford CEO equals 68 regular workers. One GM CEO equals 75 regular workers. 
 
Why can't we ever fix the problem before throwing money at it? Even people who know something about money are agreeing with me here. Even some of the auto workers themselves aren't for bailing out these guys.
 
It must have been a sad private jet ride home for those CEOs when they were not granted bailout money by Capital Hill but as my coworker said, "I wish I could make $2 million for being a complete failure."

(Thanks to Mike for some of these links!)

Book Review: How To Read A French Fry

I received this book last summer as a gift and I really enjoy the premise. Written by Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times' food editor, the science behind food preparation is explained in a lively narrative.

Okay, I know that sounds really boring but it isn't. Let me give you an example.

When you cut an onion, you cut through the onion's vacuoles and their contents combine to form sulfonic acids (as in sulfur). This is what makes you cry when you're chopping an onion. Sweet onions like the Vidalia onions contain the same amount of vacuoles as regular onions but much less of the sulfuric compounds. You can make onions further sweeter by soaking them in water or rinsing them in vinegar (as they do in Mexico) to get rid of even more sulfuric compounds. And that's just two paragraphs of this book.

Other topics tackled include (of course) frying (using a little "old" oil gives food that golden look), gluten (the differing factor in many bread products), ripening (that fruit you bought is definitely still alive long after it's picked), and marinades (oily marinades and water-filled meat do not mix).

Clearly you can't sit down and read to this whole book without your brain exploding but reading parts of it will no doubt improve your food preparation techniques. A college professor of mine always said that chemists were the best cooks, organic chemists in particular. I think there is certainly something to be said for that.

But this book isn't just for the nerdy people who want to know what's happening to their food on a microscopic level. At the end of each chapter is a bulleted list of things to keep in mind when preparing certain kinds of food. (The book is divided into chapters by food type and/or preparation technique.) One step further than the helpful hints are the recipes at the end of each chapter. The recipes reflect the ideas of combining certain foods/flavors and certain preparation techniques to showcase the best aspects of the food, which most people don't know about, myself included.

So whether you enjoy a good narrative, some science and history knowledge, practical techniques to use in your kitchen, or good recipe, you will get something out of this book. I've been reading bits of it while standing by the kitchen counter, preparing dinner. (Apparently there's a lot of standing around waiting in my kitchen!) I think this book would make a great gift, for the holidays or even just a "thanks for cooking me Thanksgiving dinner" hostess gift.

Bon appétit!

Image: If this book fits in my kitchen, It can fit anywhere!

Four Cheap Things (Under $5) That Save Me Tons Of Money

There are several objects that cost less than five dollars each that have become indispensable in my life lately.

Tide To Go Pen
Since I'm now a laundromat girl, I have to be a little bit more careful about how much laundry I'm generating. I keep my Tide To Go in my purse and now rather than washing something right away I give the pen a try. This has single-handedly kept me from having to wash it least five things this week. Bonus: I thought I ruined my sister's wedding dress two years ago but Tid To Go got the stain out. Thank goodness!

Sleep Mask
My apartment came with the essentials, among them vertical blinds. They do keep sketchy people from looking in on me but because of the sheer amount of windows in this place a(nd the fact that all the walls are whitewashed) there is a ridiculous amount of light in here at 5 AM. And while I feel like a Hollywood starlet I put on my little mask every night to cover my eyes, it's cheaper than blackout curtains and a definitely works for me.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
I thought I ruined my walls while hanging some pictures yesterday but apparently all it needed was a little Magic Eraser buffing. My mom always goes out and buys me one of these whenever I move somewhere and now I finally get why. Just for what it did in the shower alone I am eternally grateful.

Spare Key
There are times where even the most self-reliant person needs a little help. For example, sometimes I'm running late but the dog needs to be let out. And I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Ieventually get locked out. A spare key left with trusted friends is peace of mind, not to mention less embarrassing than calling the police to break into my house.

What costs less then $5 that saves your butt every time?

Image: The sleep mask makes me  look high maintenance but really it's just cheaper then window treatments.

Too Cute Tuesday: Themed Wall Art

Moving into a new apartment, you find yourself doing all kinds of little things to customize your new location. Well, at least I do.

I have had this great set of square black frames for about a year now but finally putting them on a wall has may be more motivated to actually fill them. I don't longer have a printer at my disposal and the photographs I have are a little too small for the opening in the frame. I decided to do a temporary collage to make them pretty enough until I can get some photographs enlarged.

I took out my folder called "Stuff I Like" for some inspiration. A set of Jack Vettriano prints (from an old planner) and an Yves Saint Laurent quote (from a magazine) seem to go well together. A bottle of Polka Dot riesling and the party was officially underway.

Materials:
Pictures/quotes you like (if you don't have a file like this, start one. These come in handy for projects and inspiration in general)
A frame (A small frame will be less intimidating then a larger one, plus they're cheaper. My square frame cost around $12.)
Scissors
Poster putty

Cocktail of the day: a sweet Riesling from the grocery store called Polka Dot

1. Look through a pile of stuff you like and search for common theme. In my case, the Yves Saint Laurent quote "Over the years I have learned that what is important in a dress is the woman who is wearing it." went perfectly with the vintage prints of women in dresses. No doubt some the things you like will lie along some theme usable to you.

2. Arrange the pictures face down in the opening of your frame. Hold them in place with some poster putty so they don't move around. (Poster party is that gum like substance that you can use to stick up posters, which you can buy at most craft stores. Heady stuff.).

3. Now hold up your frame and look at it. Are the photos straight? Does anything need to be trimmed? Put the frame down and make the adjustments necessary.

4. Now that you are done needing to cut straight, have some wine.

5. Repeat steps two and three as many times as necessary until you are happy with the results. For me, the third time was a charm.

6. Admire your work, knowing that you can wait a little bit longer to pony up for the photo reprints. And using putty makes your arrangement stay but not so permenantly.

Aren't you crafty!

A Container Shortage That Effects Us All

I heard a really interesting story on NPR on Friday night (I know, you were probably doing something more interesting, right?). There was a great story about how a shortage of containers is effecting the flow of everything in the economy. We're buying less which means less containers (as in containers on container ships) are coming into American ports. And the less containers coming in means the less containers coming out.

This is a really excellent piece of journalism with good facts and storytelling. It's probably the best I've heard since This American Life tackled the housing crisis a few months ago. Oh, and the whole thing is only six minutes and forty one seconds long and made me sound smart in a meeting today.

Listen to "A Strange Shortage Illustrates the Global Economy" here...

Moving Update: On my end, I'm actually dealing with an abundance of containers as I unpack. I'll post pictures soon but it's still looking too messy for me to show the world.

Yours, Mine, and Ours

I'm knee deep into my big move, and if you've ever moved, you probably have an idea what state of mind I'm in.

Everyone talks about what a pain in the butt moving is but since I've done it about 20 something times in my adult life, packing stuff in boxes is not a really a big deal to me. The part that's very difficult about this particular move is a little game I've come to call "yours, mine, and ours".

Sean tried to make this easier by leaving for the weekend which I actually really appreciate but the task is to me to go through our belongings and figure out what belongs to me. Some of it is pretty easy: stuff he had before and stuff I had before for example. But there's definitely a lot of gray area.

I don't want to have to go out and buy new stuff but I don't want Sean to have to either. I also am well aware that contents of a 3 bedroom house are not good fit at 220 ft.² apartment. Also, if I do move again I cannot afford to replace everything that I have now.

So this weekend it's about compromise. My mother is coming today to bring to her house the things I want to keep (for now) but can't fit in my new home. I am taking the opportunity to get rid of posessions I'm not using. And I'm going to be fair to a person I love and respecxt and leave him with the things he needs and loves.

I'm so nervous about not leaving enough or leaving too much. I hope I can do this right.

Stranger Stuff: Danger or Savior?

I spent a good part of today moving into my new apartment. And by moving into my new apartment, I mean moving just enough stuff here to live for a few days comfortably until my big move Sunday. One aspect of moving I had completely forgotten about is stranger stuff.

Stranger stuff is an item or items that the previous tenant has left behind for you, seemingly on purpose.

It would make logical sense to use some of these items. First of all, they are free to you. Second, it allows you to not waste as many resources when you use a product completely. It's a frugal thing to do.

On the other hand, there is a sort of creepy factor in using stranger stuff. Sure an extra roll of toilet paper is just common courtesy but there seems to be a line where it becomes weird to use other people's stuff.
 
I was unsure what to make of the gallon of chocolate syrup underneath the sink, Lysol adjacent. The tray table looks perfectly useful but the used sponge is gone.

So I'm curious to know, how do you feel about stranger stuff? Do you use it? Or do you start off on a clean slate? Bonus points if you tell me what is the weirdest stranger stuff you've ever found. For me, it's definitely the chocolate syrup, hands down.

Blogher Affiliate Advertising

Welcome to my week-long women's series. It's no secret that one issue that I'm passionate about is female empowerment. I used to answer a domestic violence hotline, coach cheerleading, lead a girls technology club in my local middle school, and met with a monthly girls book club. I'm currently on the board of our county's domestic violence program and doing some writing for the Maine Women's Fund. My point is it's certainly been a common thread in my life no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

So this week, it's about the ladies, and of course money (as usual). Enjoy!

You often hear people talking about making money while blogging. It's interesting because when I tell people that I make money off my blog, they are confused as to how I do it. When I say that one way to make money off of a blog is advertising, they half expect to go home, set up a blog, and begin making money immediately. Like many professions, blogging doesn't start to pay off until after you do it awhile.

I have found a way to jump start the money making process a little: affiliate advertising.

Blogher is a community of female bloggers (or bloggers who write for a female audience). They not only offer a forum for female bloggers to interact but also have found a way to have their members generate advertising revenue on their websites without any work on their part (well, besides writing a blog anyway).

Your blog must meet certain criteria to be considered: blog content, posting frequency, potential audience, age of the blog, and other factors determine your acceptance. After your blog meets the criteria, there is a contract agreement to be signed. (The reason I'm saying this is that you're entering into a contract with the company when you set up something like this, so it's important to know what you're signing.)

How does Blogher work? What happens is your blog is packaged with other blogs and sold to potential advertisers. In Blogher's case, they have a lot of big name advertisers, many national brands you would recognize. Point is, these companies are not interested in the relatively small amount of traffic I generate on my blog but are interested in the amount of traffic thousands of bloggers collectively generate. Power in numbers.

Blogher does the legwork out of finding the advertisers and keeping them current and Blogher members provide a sort of bulletin board space for them to use on their blogs. They take a large cut for this work but my reasoning is that the space wasn't making any money for me anyway so I have nothing to lose. Plus it makes me look a little bit legitimate to have advertising on my site.

To be honest I haven't talked about this before because I wasn't sure how legitimate this was. Then last month came a check in the mail for $35. $35 in four months is not a lot of money but it does pay for my hosting and then some. As my blog gets more traffic, I have the potential to earn more money.

The important thing to mention about Blogher is you can say what kind of advertisements you do not want on your site. I find Google Adwords and programs like it can generate some pretty random advertising that you may not necessarily agree with on your blog. But with Blogher, you can rule out types of companies or specific companies that you don't want to be associated with and to me that's pretty cool. And the other bloggers I have connected with thorough BlogHer have been a great resource to me.

Networking and making money? Now that's what I call a win-win.

While Blogher is not accepting new affiliates right now, they say on their site to stay tuned.

www.blogher.com

Don't You Hate It When...

So I wrote a blog last night (and by wrote, I mean dictated to my new voice recognition software...amazing!) and was ready to post. My first post from my new apartment, which I was quite excited about.

The town I now live in (Bar Harbor) apparently has a free Wi-Fi network and since I'm right in the middle of it all, I figured it would work. As I went to connect to the internet, I saw no evidence of this network. Oh come on!

At 10 pm (and about 30 degrees outside), I didn't have the energy to put on warm clothes and drive around looking for a signal.

Just had to vent my frustration, and my annoyance of probably having to pony up for internet services.

Look for the post later tonight, when I'll probably go to my friend's house to mooch of her internet while I figure out the local hotspots. Have a good day!