This post is courtesy of Trent Hamm of The Simple Dollar. He has some great advice for anyone who wants to start cooking or improve their cooking skills.
I love cooking at home.
I used to hate cooking at home, though. I was awful at it. I burnt things. I messed up scrambled eggs beyond all recognition.
But over time, I got better at it. I started figuring out lots of little things that made the entire process smoother and made my results much better without necessarily improving my skills.
Now, I vastly prefer what I make in my own kitchen over what I can get at most restaurants. What I make at home is tastier, usually healthier, and quite a bit cheaper, too.
Along the way, I’ve picked up lots of little techniques for making home cooking much easier and faster. Here are ten that really changed things for me.
I love to make things with hamburger meat. Hamburger is cheap and easy to cook with. Chili is just one of the many, many recipes you can make with hamburger. Chili is great because you can start with a simple recipe and make it your own. Besides, I’m a native Texan and we love our chili! Here’s my Mom’s chili recipe.
You start a new job and eagerly await your first paycheck. Is it less than you expected? Taxes can put a large dent in your paycheck. If you understand what these taxes are and why they are taken out of the paycheck, you can budget more effectively.
Gross Pay – This is your base pay. It is your hourly wage times the hours you worked.
Example: You earn $10 per hour and you worked 40 hours. Your gross pay is $400
Net Pay – This is your gross pay minus taxes and anything else your employer takes out of your paycheck.
Example: Your gross pay is $400 and you had $70 in taxes taken out. Your net pay is $330.
FICA Taxes - These payroll taxes support Social Security and Medicare benefits. Each employee must pay in a portion of their paycheck.
Federal Income Tax – This payroll tax is paid to the Federal Government. The amount you owe depends on if you are married or not and how many exemptions you claimed when you filled out your W4 Form. If you overpay during the year, you can receive a refund when you file your Income Tax Return.
State Income Tax – If your tax collects income tax, this amount will also be taken out of your paycheck. You can also receive a State Income Tax refund if you overpay throughout the year, but you have to file a tax return to get it.
If you think the taxes out of your paycheck are too high, check with your employer. Make sure you marked the correct number of exemptions on Form W4.
Your resume or application will get you in the door, but you need these 10 Tips for Job Interview Success to impress during the job interview.
Tips for Job Interview Success – Timing is Everything
1) Be flexible. If you receive a call for an interview, don’t make it difficult to schedule the job interview. If you really want the job, you should say “yes” to any time the manager wants to interview you. If you have a prior appointment during the same time, do everything you can to reschedule the other appointment so you have time for the job interview.
2) Be on time for the job interview, but don’t show up too early. Arrive about 15 minutes before your scheduled interview. This shows the manager that you are punctual, but is also respectful of his or her time.
3) Be friendly, but don’t be chatty. You should focus the discussion on your skills and why you are perfect for the job. It’s all right to talk about the weather or your fishing trip for a few minutes, but get back to business. The manager probably has several people to interview and will appreciate someone who stays focused.
There comes a time in our lives when we have to finally build an adult wardrobe. While people shouldn’t judge others by their appearance, they do. This means you have to get some essential wardrobe items so you can start building a professional looking wardrobe. Once you have these essential wardrobe items, you can build from there.
Some of you have already begun filling your closet with these essential wardrobe items. However, others may only have a few items. That’s okay. While I was building my wardrobe, I just bought a piece here and there as I could afford it. My wardrobe has grown far beyond this list, but this is where I started.
Here is the list of essential wardrobe items for men and women, along with examples.
If you are like most Americans, you have debt. The best thing you can do is stay informed about collection law and fair debt collections practices. Don’t become the victim of unlawful debt collections. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act protects people like you from being harassed and abused by collectors.
What debts are covered by the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act?
This collection law covers personal, family, and household debt. This means your credit card debt, auto loan debt, medical debt, and mortgage debt are covered. The Fair Debt Collections Practices Act does not cover business debt.
A dentist visit can prevent small problems from becoming large problems. Image credit: Peter Skadberg, sxc.hu/profile/plex
This is a little embarrassing, but I used to think people only went for a dentist visit if they were experiencing tooth pain. I had no idea anyone ever went for a dentist visit just to have their teeth cleaned. I mean, what was all that brushing for then?
Why Schedule a Routine Dentist Visit?
Brushing and flossing are great, but for a deep clean you need a dentist visit. The dental hygienist will scrape off all the plaque and tartar that has built up on your teeth. No matter how good you brush and floss, you will have some build up that you can’t reach without dental tools.
According to the American Dental Association, your dentist will also check your mouth for signs of oral cancer, tooth decay, and gum disease. It’s better to prevent these serious complications than try to cure them.
Looking for an easy, filling meal you can make with the hamburger in your freezer? One super easy meal is chili. Chili is great because you can cook it for dinner and warm up the left-overs for lunch the next day. So, it’s not just an easy meal, it’s a money saver!
Here is an easy chili recipe that anyone can make.
Telephone etiquette isn't just for your grandparents' generation.
We all use the telephone. We use it for work and in our personal lives. Whether you are using a land line or cell phone, basic telephone etiquette should always be used. Proper telephone etiquette makes you and your employer sound professional.
Telephone Etiquette When Answering a Call
Personal Telephone:
“Hello.”
That’s all you need to say. Just “hello” and then wait for the caller to speak. It is no longer proper telephone etiquette to announce your name when someone calls your home telephone. Announcing your name can actually be dangerous. You should never volunteer information over the phone until you are certain of who the caller is.
Business Telephone: If you are the receptionist, you should say:
“Good morning/afternoon, XXX Company. How may I direct your call?”
Surprisingly, many people don’t know how to load a dishwasher. Oh, sure, they know to toss the dirty dishes in and turn it on. However, people are often surprised that dishes should be rinsed off before being loaded. Dishes should also be loaded a certain way so that everything comes out clean.
Watch the video below to see how I load a dishwasher.
Here’s a post on Start Cooking: How to Load a Dishwasher. Kathy really explains the details and has some great advice, so make sure you check it out. I really love that she agrees with me on loading forks and knives into a dishwasher pointy side down. I don’t think I could do a better job of writing a detailed guide about how to load a dishwasher.
