(March 15, 2009) – Most folks search the Internet job sites, the state job sites, and the sites of large companies, but there may be a lot of other jobs available.

These are niche jobs that are advertised only on the web sites of small companies.  How do you find those?  Simple.

Go to Linkup.com.  You enter a location (zip code seems to work best) and a job title. The site then searches for you.  It claims the jobs displayed are all legitimate, unlike some other sites.

(March 12, 2009) – Don’t want to go to the hassle of eBay, craigslist or some other site?  Here’s another way to sell your junk.

Gazelle.com connects buyers and sellers – you, you don’t want to buy any more stuff.  Go to the site and enter your item.  Gazelle will show you an offer, plus sales history for the item.  If you accept the offer, click through and Gazelle will send you a shipping box.  After the item is inspected, you get a check in the mail, or get paid through PayPal.

If there’s no market for the item, Gazelle will dispose of it for you in what it calls a responsible manner.  Whatever that means.

(March 11, 2009) – A 91-year old grandmother named Clara is reprising her favorite recipes from the depression.  We don’t make any health claims for these recipes, but the did fill many bellies during a true financial crisis.

First, we’ll feature Pasta with Peas.

Peal and dice one large potato, and fry gently in oil.  Use a deep pot. Add a diced onion.  Add a can of peas, juice and all.  Then add warm water – enough to cook the pasta.   Add salt and pepper.

When the water is boiling, add about a cup of small pasta – any kind – you can even use broken spaghetti.  Boil until the pasta is cooked.  Or, turn off the stove and allow the heat retained in the water to cook the food.

You’ll want to watch the video to get an idea about quantities.  Like most good cooks, Clara doesn’t actually measure.   She also has some additional tips for saving even more money.

Watch Clara here.

(March 10, 2009) – What are you worth?  What should you be paid?  Before the Internet, comparing jobs was difficult.  Now it’s easy.

Go first to Salary.com for a quick look at salaries in your zip code.  You plug in a job title and get a bell curve chart for that occupation.

You can also search at GlassDoor.com for salaries from specific companies.  I, however, was not able to find anything for any of my former employers or any potential employers.

Another site is Payscale.com.  It will ask questions about your current salary, where you work, and your job title and education.  It compares salaries in your area and gives you a pay scale rank.

(March 9, 2009) – When I was in high school, I had to wrangle a ride all the way to town to do research at the public library.  In college, I had to hike across campus to visit the school library.  As an adult, I had to drive all the way to a public library and deal with the odd hours it was open.

To do research now, it’s much simpler.  I could turn to Google, but those folks don’t do any fact checking.  Instead I use LibrarySpot.com.

It’s a free site that you can search, or you can follow links to medical, law and government libraries of all sorts.  It also offers a K-12 library.  The site also features links to book reviews, thousands of newspapers in the US, and more newspapers internationally.  You can even sort by country.

Did I mention that it’s free?

(March 8, 2009 – One trouble with unemployment in the Internet age is isolation.  You apply online and end up sitting all day behind a computer.

A fellow in California, Chris Hitchins, decided to do something about the problem.  He founded Laid Off Camp – a meet up, if you will, of folks who are unemployed or non-traditionally employed.  On the Laid Off Camp website, you can find information about coming events, how to follow on Twitter and Facebook, and visit a job board.

(March 7, 2009) – I have a friend who considers herself a professional yard sale shopper.  She passed on these tips to me.

• Go through the newspaper and craigslist, then map out where the sales will be.  You’ll cut down on driving expenses and save time.

• Wear good shoes, not flip-flops.

• Carry a beverage in the car.

• Stuff a plastic grocery bag into your pocket.  That way, if you find a number of good items, you don’t have to stop shopping to look for a container.

• Take along plenty of small bills and change and be ready to negotiate prices.

• Church and organization sales frequently have lower prices than individual yard sales.

• Pay attention to the neighborhood.  Better neighborhoods have better stuff, though it may be priced higher.  If you’re looking for kids’ clothes or toys, skip the sales in retirement communities.

• Sometimes going late in the day is best – a lot of times the seller drops the price on whatever is left just to get rid of it.

(March 6, 2009) – This one is simple.  If you smoke, stop.  Both federal and state governments pile taxes on tobacco products and make them extremely expensive.  The recently passed SCHIPS bill, for instance, greatly raises the taxes on inexpensive cigars.

If you drink alcohol, cut back on how much you drink.  Again, it’s an expensive activity.

And if you live a life of moderation in all things, you may avoid doctor and hospital bills down the road.

(March 5, 2009) – Even in these tight times, with the stock market dropping, continue to take advantage of your 401-k plan.  Some folks will see this as a buying opportunity and will buy stocks.  Other folks want to preserve capital and will turn to bonds.

I can’t advise you on which approach, or if a balanced account of both, is best.

But many employers match a certain percentage of your salary.  This is free money to you – don’t pass it up.  Invest in the 401-k up to the employer’s match and take advantage of the extra dough.