|
|
|
 |
|
Week of October 2 |
|
Friday, October 6, 2006
Push His Money Buttons: A
Financial Survey to Take with Your Man
Are men
attracted to women who are financial whizzes? What is their biggest
money-related fear? Do they think women make effective bosses? If
they were head over heels in love, but didn’t have more than a dime
to their name, would they propose—or wait?
For
an exclusive MAKING BREAD survey, last summer we polled men around
the country to uncover their attitudes about women and money, asking
them those questions and more. What we found was refreshing: Almost
to a man, they agreed that women who are knowledgeable about their
finances are “a turn on”—and that was a turn-on to us. Read more
surprising revelations in “Men Dish on Women & Money,” first
published in the July/August 2005 issue of MAKING BREAD. Along with
the story, you’ll find the 16 questions we asked our respondents.
For a little fun this weekend, try using them to jumpstart a
conversation with the man in your life about how money is affecting
your current relationship. Share your findings by writing
gail@makingbreadmagazine.com and I’ll post them here.
CLICK
HERE to download the complete story and the survey
questions.
Prosper & enjoy,
Gail Harlow |
|
|
Read More |
Add Your Comments |
Send to a Friend |
|
Thursday, October 5, 2006
How to Afford Almost Anything
Books are cheap
fun. For a quick, amusing read on your lunch hour or on the train or
bus or subway to work, pick up a copy of Nora Ephron’s “I Feel Bad
About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.” When the writer
who gave us “Sleepless in Seattle” and “When Harry Met Sally”
confronted the face in the mirror and didn’t like what she saw this
is the book she sat down to write—in between hair-coloring sessions, Botox injections, exercise workouts and visits to Bloomingdale’s
cosmetics counter. A favorite quote of mine from the book, here’s
how she rationalized buying an apartment in New York after her
divorce: “I don’t normally use the word ‘amortize’ unless I’m trying
to prove that something I can’t really afford is not just a bargain
but practically free. This usually involves dividing the cost of the
item I can’t afford by the number of years I’m planning to use it,
and if that doesn’t work, by the number of days or hours or minutes,
until I get to a number that is less than the cost of a cup of
cappuccino.” Using that method, you can afford almost anything your
heart desires.
For
some harmless political voyeurism, check out
www.newsmeat.com, where you can find out to whom your favorite
celebrity (or even your neighbor) is making political donations.
Prosper & enjoy,
Gail Harlow |
|
|
Read More |
Add Your Comments |
Send to a Friend |
|
Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Relax, Working Moms—Your Kids
Don’t Hate You!
In this
predominantly dual-income economy, a majority of mothers (55
percent) work outside the home and then return to feed their kids,
help them with their homework, do their laundry, and tuck them into
bed, before they have a minute to themselves. In each issue, MAKING
BREAD had a column called “The Working Mom’s Shrink” to help these
harried moms find balance in their lives. A roundup of some of the
best of those columns has just been posted as a SPECIAL FEATURE on
this site’s home page.
I hope you get a chance to check them out.
Start with this one, in which our columnist, Dr. Marcia Eckerd, a
working mom herself, got up the courage to ask her daughter how she
felt about being raised by a mom who wasn’t exactly June Cleaver.
This revealing mother-daughter dialogue is by turns funny, touching,
and, ultimately, empowering. What Marcia discovered: Relax; working
moms, you’re not ruining your kids’ lives! Download
“All’s Well That Ends
Well: Take Heart from This Mother-Daughter Heart-to-Heart About What
It’s Like Being Raised by a Working Mom” here.
Prosper & enjoy,
Gail Harlow |
|
|
Read More |
Add Your Comments |
Send to a Friend |
|
Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Think
Pink!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month,
and the editors at Self magazine have produced a terrific “Breast
Cancer Handbook,” filled with inspirational stories and must-know
information to save your own or someone else’s life. Articles tell
how to “Lower Your Risk Instantly,” “Take Charge of Your Exam,”
“Help a Friend with Breast Cancer,” and much more, including a
special report on “The Stealthiest Cancers.”
Best of all: It’s free and available in
a convenient, downloadable, digital edition, so you can pass it on
to multiple friends with via e-mail—and keep it on your computer
desktop for future reference, instead of throwing it on top of that
pile of magazines you’re always tripping over in your bedroom. Get
it by
CLICKING HERE. Then check out the October issue of Self on
newsstands for a list of “Pink Power” items you can buy to help
fund breast cancer research.
For information on your chances of
getting affordable life and health insurance coverage after you’ve
had a bout with breast cancer, take a look at Mass Mutual’s
brochure, describing what that company is doing to keep insurance
costs down for survivors. A leader in providing insurance coverage
to breast cancer survivors, the company says it’s continually
revising its underwriting guidelines to reflect latest medical
advances, allowing it to qualify more breast cancer survivors for
coverage, as well as offering shorter waiting periods for
eligibility and lower extra premiums.
CLICK HERE to get the brochure and pass it on to a friend
who might need it.
Prosper & enjoy,
Gail Harlow |
|
|
Read More |
Add Your Comments |
Send to a Friend |
|
Monday, October 2, 2006
Notes from a Graduate on the
Trail of That Elusive First Job
From time to time, Danielle Bullen,
who graduated with a Master’s in Writing Studies from St. Joseph’s
University in May 2006, will contribute notes about her ongoing
search for her dream job. Below is her first dispatch on the trail
of that elusive ”foot in the door” position.
Offer advice, commiserate and compare
experiences by e-mailing
gail@makingbreadmagazine.com, and we’ll post your comments here.
—Ed.
Catch-22: Overqualified Before I
Begin?
As an English major, one of the most
frustrating refrains I heard in college was, “Oh, are you going to
be a teacher?” People were surprised when I answered, “No, I want to
be a writer and an editor.” Nothing against the noble pursuit of
the classroom, but that’s not where my heart lies.
Even before graduation, I threw myself full speed into
that pursuit. I was fortunate enough to have two
internships—one for MAKING BREAD, where I researched stories,
interviewed people, wrote and edited articles and got to see my work
in print, with bylines, no less. No coffee fetching or photocopying
for me! Then I continued my education, completing my Masters degree
in 12 grueling, yet satisfying months.
But all those feats came with a price.
My goal remains the same, a full-time job involving writing in the
Philadelphia area. At first, one might think it would be difficult
to start such a career in the shadow of the New York publishing
empire. But the problem isn’t finding interesting opportunities.
The problem is getting in the door.
I find a slew of jobs geared towards English majors with
three, four, or five years’ experience. Yet when I’ve gotten
interviews for the rare, one-year-or-less, entry-level position, the
barrier I face is the same: I’m “overqualified.”
Yes,
I have a graduate degree. Yes, I realize this is an
entry-level opening. Yes, I’d be willing to come in at an
entry-level salary and work my way up. No, I don’t mind.
One
company told me they were concerned I’d be bored, that the work
wouldn’t be challenging enough, based on my resume. My feeling is
that I should be able to decide whether I’m mentally stimulated or
not. Making the workday interesting is just as much about having a
can-do attitude as it is about the task. Like the theater adage
says, “There are no small roles, only small actors.” Everyone in an
organization contributes to the finished project. I just want my
chance to make a difference!
Onward,
Danielle Bullen |
|
|
Read More |
Add Your Comments |
Send to a Friend |
|
If you like the blog, you’ll love the book.
For more savvy
finance advice, buy
“Making Bread: The
Ultimate Financial Guide for Women Who Need Dough,”
by Gail Harlow and Elizabeth Lewin, available on
Amazon.com and at your local bookstore |
|
|
