SavvySugar

Where to Find Father's Day Freebies and Deals

SavvySugar — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 06:30:42 -0700

Share your love for free stuff with Dad this Father's Day. Get out of the house on Sunday while keeping your wallet in check - just head out to one of these businesses offering freebies and deals in honor of your awesome pops.

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10 Father's Day Gifts Under $25

SavvySugar — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 06:30:36 -0700

The last thing your proud pop would want is for you to overextend your budget on a present for him. Time together is the best way to spend Father's Day, but when you don't live near your dad or just want to do something extra, a gift is a good way to express your appreciation. Check out these gifts that won't bust your tight budget with their $25 price point.

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Your Two Cents: Like Father Like Daughter?

SavvySugar — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 11:04:44 -0700

My dad can take credit for many of my Savvy ways. I watched him patiently clip coupons for weekly grocery trips and work long hours without complaining. His actions taught me that money isn't everything but doing the right thing is, and supporting your family and giving the gift of education are good investments. His nonstop days showed me that balancing a full life takes perseverance but you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

Have you taken after your dad in the way you handle your career, money, or work-life balance?

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Would You Want a Stay-at-Home-Husband?

SavvySugar — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:59:49 -0700

Father's Day on the horizon has prompted a lot of interesting discussion about modern fathers and their struggle to achieve a work-life balance. Working moms and dads have to work together to create a schedule that juggles all the aspects of their lives, and it's a more delicate balance than if one parent is able to stay at home.

Two incomes are necessary for many couples to build the kind of lives they imagine, and especially if kids are involved. Instead of women wondering how they can have it all, more and more couples are taking on that predicament together.

If you had the income to support a family, how would you feel about having a stay-at-home-husband?

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Golden Beer Mug: Guess How Much?

SavvySugar — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 05:30:18 -0700

This is one Father's Day present that definitely doesn't fall within my under $25 gift suggestions. Japanese jewelry manufacturer Ginza Tanaka has released a solid gold beer mug, made of 850 grams of gold, as the centerpiece of its newest collection. Can you guess how much this mug costs?

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No Cobbler in Town? Send Your Shoes Out For Repair

SavvySugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:30:07 -0800

These days, it's all about making the best of the things you already own. Americans are embracing this mentality, and the shoe-repair industry has seen a major boost because of it - one third-generation cobbler told The Wall Street Journal his business shot up 50 percent since the economy started its downward spiral.

Many places no longer have a local cobbler, so the 20-something son-of-a-cobbler, Ilya Romanov, created an online shoe-repair service as an extension of his father's existing cobbling business. People from around the country mail in worn-down shoes to AmericanHeelers.com, and then the shoes are repaired by Romanov's father's shop.

Save money on shoes by taking them to your local cobbler if you have one, but if your town is without, why not give American Heelers a try? The website says they offer free shipping both ways. It seems like a great alternative to buying new when you don't really need to be shopping.

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Interview With Celebrity Apprentice's Annie Duke, Part I

SavvySugar — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 07:15:16 -0800

The second season of The Celebrity Apprentice premieres this Sunday and the previews have made me excited to watch. It's a diverse crowd of candidates this year, and I was lucky to chat with Annie Duke of professional poker fame. She's a sharp, funny, mother-of-four, and for a highly successful woman who has coached other celebrities like Matt Damon and Ben Affleck on their poker games, she is incredibly down to earth.

Annie said that she had huge hesitations about saying yes to the show because she never had interest putting herself out there on national TV more than she already does, but once she found out that she could raise money for charity by playing a game, she couldn't say no. As the co-founder of Ante Up For Africa she said, "Here’s a chance, because people know who I am, to do something really good. Not just for my charity but for other people’s charities. Every week of that show, some charity is going to benefit. I just thought it would be a really cool thing to be a part of. I would have been more enthusiastic had I known that in advance, but I’m really glad that I did it."

To see some of Annie's responses to a couple of Savvy questions and learn what Donald Trump is looking for, read more.

SavvySugar: Did your ability to read people come into play?

Annie Duke: The structure of the game is really interesting. On a game like Survivor, your teammates vote, on Dancing With the Stars, America votes. In this situation it’s one guy. You don’t have to worry so much about whether or not your teammates like you because in the end it just matters if Trump is pissed off at you. It’s a game of competence. In Survivor, it’s important you don’t appear too competent. But on The Celebrity Apprentice it's extremely important you appear competent for two reasons: Number one, Trump needs to think you’re competent, and number two, if your team wins you don’t face the board room and no one on your team wants to face elimination. It’s a very unusual game because you don’t have to hide your competence, in fact you have to show it off. After I found out I'd be on the show, I watched the entire first season - I didn’t just watch it, I paused and went backward and forward, analyzed everything. Watched how the challenges went, what part of the challenges tended to get you on the chopping block. If you do too much or not enough, it can get you there. I watched how bad it was not to defer to your project manager. I really strategically analyzed the first season and I was extremely regretful I hadn’t watched it because it’s an extremely interesting show - because it’s a show about competence.

SavvySugar: What else is Trump looking for?

Annie Duke: Controversy. But if you're controversial for no apparent reason you’re not going to win the game. Omarosa is a good example – all she did was pick fights with people and that was a good strategy to get her to the middle of the game. Take someone like Piers, he was controversial because he was direct and spoke his mind, but he backed it up every time. And that’s the better kind of controversy. If you’re a quiet little mouse, you’re going to be in big trouble on that show. Trump likes fireworks. He eggs people on. I saw situations in the first season where it seemed obvious that one person was wrong, like when Omarosa reamed at Piers the whole day talking about his kids and talking about what kind of father he was. That was a situation when there was one person clearly in the right and one clearly in the wrong. I was impressed that he kept his cool, but when they went into the boardroom Trump was like, 'Why are you such a jerk Piers?'. He certainly knows what makes good TV.

Check out what Annie had to say about the other candidates and her feelings about the show's March 1 premiere in tomorrow's post on SavvySugar. For more information on Annie Duke, check out her website.

Photo courtesy of Charles William Bush

Something to Think About When You're Watching the Olympics

SavvySugar — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:30:07 -0700

I've always been kind of obsessed with the Summer Olympics - not in a sporting-an-Olympic-torch-t-shirt kind of way, but I wholeheartedly enjoy and appreciate watching the athletes whose careers are, in fact, sports. The competitors have spent most of their lives working toward the ultimate event that is the Olympics, and many would not have been so successful without their parents' emotional and financial support.

Here's how dedicated one Olympian's parents have been to her sport: Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Craig's father is building a house which he's hoping to sell to help finance her participation in taekwondo. Charlotte's parents spend $400 every month driving the 130 miles round trip to her lessons, four days a week. They've also shelled out about $15,000 a year traveling to taekwondo tournaments. Charlotte's success can be attributed to her dedication to the sport, but her parents certainly deserve a shiny medal for their steadfast support.

Source

Guide to Hiring Women, Circa 1943

SavvySugar — Sat, 10 May 2008 11:01:06 -0700

Transportation Magazine came to terms with the fact that women would be part of the workforce in 1943 when the war caused a shortage of manpower. In order to help companies use women to the best of their advantage and adjust to the integration of women workers, the magazine published "Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees." Their tips are pretty amusing and frank, and while number eleven is a timeless tip, it is obvious that times have certainly changed!

Pick young married women. They usually have more of a sense of responsibility than their unmarried sisters, they're less likely to be flirtatious, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it, they sitll have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.
When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked out side the home at some time in their lives. Older women who have never contacted the public have a hard time adapting themselves and are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.
General experience indicates that "husky" girls - those who are just a little on the heavy side - are more even tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.
Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination - one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit, but reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job.
Stress at the outset the importance of the time the fact that a minute or two lost her e and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely slowed up.

There are six more "tips" so just read more

Give the female employee a definite day-long schedule of duties so that they'll keep busy without bothering management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them, but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.
Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be less nervous and happier with change.
Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. You have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.
Be tactful when issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way men do. Never ridicule a woman - it breaks her spirit and cuts off her efficiency.
Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.
Get enough size variety in operator's uniforms so that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too much in keeping women happy.