Donna Freedman - Surviving and Thriving

Black Friday 2012: A near-minimalist approach.

December 13, 2012November 23, 2012 by Donna Freedman

If I were a true minimalist I wouldn’t shop at all, or I’d specialize in experiences over Stuff. But I came pretty close to skipping the madness this year: one online order late Thursday night and one small ($3.99) purchase this morning.

Not without a bit of danger first, though. My niece and nephews and I had spent about an hour looking through the ads from the biggest newspaper of the year. I’d hesitated to bring them out, fearing the site of all that swag would turn the boys (ages 6 and 11) into Monsters of Acquisition.

Surprisingly, that didn’t happen. Even more surprisingly, the only person who got a little monstrous around the edges was me.

How you gonna keep ’em down on the content farm?

November 23, 2012November 21, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Recently a commenter left this message:

“Donna, is it possible for you to write more thoughtful posts instead? All you are doing is writing simple posts on ways to try to make you money and giveaways.

“That’s nice and all, but the writing quality is really low. There’s not much insight or value added.”

My first response was, “Feel free to skip the stuff that doesn’t work for you.”

OK, that’s a lie. My first, visceral response was, “Feel free to kiss my ass! Even when I’m doing a quick-and-dirty piece the writing quality is higher than you’ll find just about anywhere else on the Internet.”***

My second response? She’s right. And I know it. Not about the low-quality part, but about the fact that I haven’t been doing enough substantive writing lately. That’s because the work-life balance continues to elude me.

Specifically: How do you balance work and life once you’ve gotten a glimpse of what life could be like if it didn’t have so much work in it?

Not a Swagbucks member? Get a bonus if you join by the end of the day.

December 13, 2012November 18, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Yesterday I took part in an online chat at CompareRewards.com, a site specializing in news and reviews of rewards programs. One of the guests was from Swagbucks.com, my favorite rewards site.

She gave us a promo code, good only through this weekend, that will provide new members with 70 Swagbucks upon joining, instead of 30.

I intended to put up a post last night — but I lost my Internet connection. (Moral of the story: Don’t intend. Just do.)

So if you aren’t a Swagbucks member yet, I hope you’ll do the following:

Black Friday giveaway: Two $25 Amazon.com cards

December 11, 2012November 13, 2012 by Donna Freedman

You don’t have to use them on Black Friday, of course. Use them on Post-Turkey Thursday or Cyber Monday. Or just hoard them until you see something you want to buy.

6 things to do while you’re on hold next weekend.

November 13, 2012November 12, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Planning to shop online between Black Friday – which is increasingly more of a Post-Turkey Thursday – and Cyber Monday? A company called STELLAService has determined that the merchants with the shortest phone-support hold times are Nordstrom.com (18 seconds), Overstock.com (44 seconds), LLBean.com (46 seconds), Zappos.com (1 minute, 9 seconds) and Target.com (1 minute, 18 seconds).

That information is based on the 2011 shopping season. I bet it’ll be just as good this year, since retailers are scrambling to stand out among the din of the busiest shopping weekend of the year.

And if you’re buying from a place that leaves you languishing on hold for lonnnnng minutes? Here are six things to do while you wait:

Giveaway: Yet another TSA-friendly travel kit.

November 2, 2012 by Donna Freedman

TSA Screener with Checkpoint Friendly Laptop Case © by Mobile Edge Laptop Cases

Show of hands: Who else hates paying $1.44 an ounce for toothpaste?

That’s what I thought. No wonder I get a ton of comments every time I put a TSA-friendly toiletries kit up for grabs.

This time around it’ll be delivered in time for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas travel.f

Here’s what you’ll get if you win:

5 ways saving for retirement is like a marathon.

March 4, 2022November 2, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Recently ING Direct did a survey asking about saving for retirement vs. training for a marathon. (The company sponsors the New York City Marathon.)

More than half the respondents think retirement is harder. I disagree, mostly because I do not choose to run.

Actually, I hate running. Walking is fine. Walking fast is OK. I even plan to learn cross-country skiing when enough snow falls to permit it. (Which could happen any minute: The sky is fluffy and gray and the temperature is inching into the high 20s.)

I’ve automated my retirement, living carefully so that I can save as much as possible. My work history does include an 18-year stretch of full-time employment, but I’ve spent about 14 years working only part-time (and earning very little indeed during five of those years).

But frugal living is a lot easier for me than running. I just don’t have the inclination. The only way I could ensure that I would run for health would be to hire someone to chase me.

Help for would-be bloggers.

October 27, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Interested in not just starting but also “monetizing” (ugh — hideous neologism!) your own site? You need this week’s giveaway.

It’s a copy of “How I Make Money Blogging: The Beginner’s Guide to Building a Money-Making Blog,” an e-book by Crystal Stemberger. The author, who owns or co-owns eight sites, offers how-to advice on everything from choosing the right title to how much you should charge for ads.

Giveaway: Send your supervisor soaring.

October 20, 2012 by Donna Freedman

Last week was National Boss Day, but I’m just now getting around to commemorating it. This week’s giveaway is for anyone whose supervisor makes him a little tense.

Call it “revenge of the cubicle dweller.”