Pandemic Crisis How to Battle Unemployment

The global Covid-19 pandemic crisis which started this early 2020 is affecting a lot of people around the globe.  It affected the first world countries as well as the third world countries, regardless of race and status of life it dawned to anybody a surprise whether affected by the virus itself or been unemployed.  Most companies, big or small companies declared bankruptcy from the recent months.

Face mask for personal use

Face mask available at Simplyoj Redbubble Store 

                          

Due to this crisis, unemployment rate increased.  Are you one of these people who got unemployed?  Hope may seem uncertain but a positive outlook in life can be done to battle the unemployment.  Here are things that you can do to move forward during this pandemic:

• Health is wealth.  This pandemic has given us a lesson to go back to basics.  Previously people tend to abuse self by working so hard neglecting health.  In order to move on, the physical health should be a top priority.

• Evaluate skills and self. If you want to get a new job, evaluate and list down the skills and interests that you have.  Your previous experience should not limit you for getting other opportunities beyond your working experience.  

• Improve skills and knowledge.  Getting unemployed is a challenge to improve skills and knowledge to be enable to be more marketable and be able to get a new job.  The Internet is a venue for learning and being in lockdown in the house means you have more time to learn.  Learn the latest trends in career development and the application tools might the prospective employer may require including the conferencing tools such as Zoom, Webex, Google Meet and similar tools.

• Update your resume or online profile.  Be creative and use current online tools to improve your data.  

• Freelancing and other online work opportunities. Remote online jobs increased after the pandemic, more and more companies are giving opportunities to work at home jobs to augment the unemployement and fill their vacancies.

These are basic tips that you can follow and the success will always depend on how you want the new job and do what you have it takes to get it.  

Shopping for the Christmas Season

Shopping for the  Christmas season starts even before the month of December. The Black Friday and Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving Day are double shopping events that most shoppers are excited about.  From these two big  events, retailers and big merchants are full of their stocks expecting a large number of shoppers.  Starting with these events and up to the whole Christmas season, traditional and online stores are full of discount offers and other great deals.

So how do you schedule your Christmas shopping?  Some people  do their shopping months before the season.  If you are shopping in advance, items are cheaper and you will avoid the holiday rush.  Others still enjoy breaking into the crowd of shoppers for a shopping spree day.

If you are a budget shopper, plan your Christmas shopping by creating a list for gifts, decors you want for your house, the food for your celebrations, the costumes or clothes for your parties, and other Christmas celebration needs.  You can save money if you plan in advance.

Tips in Preparing for the Christmas Season

Christmas season is fast approaching and for moms who will be the busiest for the season preparing early will make a great deal for your holiday celebrations. Planning in advance and creating a shopping checklist would be the first step.  

During Christmas season, the house is usually renovated or having a new look with Christmas decors. Do you have an old Christmas tree or you need to purchase a new one already? For the Christmas eve, you may check new holiday recipes that you have not tried from previous years. Try to browse recipes from online or existing cookbook.

When we talk about Christmas season, shopping is another big activity. Budget your Christmas expenditures. Start checking possible gifts by canvassing in advance. Write down ideas for each person and look gifts from online shopping stores. Check available discount coupons to save money.

Proper planning in advance can spare you from having too much during the Christmas season. This year 2020, will the pandemic Covid19 stop the Christmas celebration and Christmas shopping?  It maybe a different one for each family this year, but definitely, Christmas  will be celebrated and the spirit will always be in our hearts.

Updated August 31,2020

Controlling Yourself in Using Credit Card this Christmas

Credit card is a convenient way of shopping through traditional or online shopping. Nowadays, credit card is heavily used in Christmas shopping. It is so tempting to buy what you want in the convenience of simply giving the credit card to the cashier and swiping it out in the machine. A simple signature finishes your transaction and you are done. Buying online is even more great where you can shop at the tip of your fingers by just filling out the credit card number and other required shopping details. Your product comes at your door the way you want it.

Now comes the billing time, the bill arrives at your door and see the huge amount of your shopping expenses. You realized that overspending hurts your wallet and your income. You might even get from your savings just to pay for your holiday expenses. So think of your budget first this holiday season and control yourself in using credit card before spending too much.

Giving Christmas Corporate Giveaways to Customers

One of the busiest months for businesses is the Christmas Season where the demand for supplies and services related to the Christmas celebration is increasing. Aside from the Sales activities, Marketing to customers is also important. This is the time where companies distribute corporate giveaways to customers as a way of gratitude for loyalty and continued business relationship.

The type of corporate giveaways depends on the budget of the company and the number of customers on the list. As early as September, it is advisable to start planning and canvassing for corporate giveaways. Common giveaways are fruit baskets, wine, calendar, office supplies with company logo, apparel, bags, and more.

For a limited budget, sending a simple free e-card or email campaigns to all customers will be a good idea to thank them and also one way of informing them of any promotional programs this Christmas.

Online Shopping for Christmas Gifts

December is the busiest month for those who are preparing their Christmas list and Christmas events. Christmas gifts for family and friends who are dear to us while for companies usually gives corporate giveaways for their customers and business associates. Giving gifts need not be too expensive, there is always a saying “it’s the thought that counts”. For family and friends, be sensitive about their interest to find what is best for them.

When the “ber” month starts with September, planning starts with the Christmas season. Plan and buy in advance to avoid rush and the high cost of items. As the Holiday approaches, prices tend to increase because of the high demand during the Christmas season. Browsing the Internet for deals and coupons can give you big savings. Most of the online shopping websites include categories by prices. Be patient to check out good items which are within the budget.

How to Choose the Right Christmas Gifts

December is the busiest month for those who are celebrating the Christmas season. Shopping for Christmas gifts is one of the busiest activity for people. Christmas gifts for family, friends, office colleagues, and business associates.

Gifts to your children
Either you have a son or daughter, choosing the right gift for them should be carefully thought of. They are the ones who are dear to us and we do not want to fail them with our gift. For kids, toys or clothings are the usual gifts while for teens includes the latest gadgets.

Gifts to a friend
Friendship is one of the greatest gift that we can enjoy and cherish. They are friends that is why we know them well, we know their interest. It is much easier to think gifts for them.

Gifts to an officemate and business associates
Since we do not have much emotional attachment to work colleagues, general items will do. Wine, planner, and business related items are the most common ones.

Challenges of Working at Home as Freelancer

While there are advantages of working at home as freelancer, there are also disadvantages. Even if you are working at home, It is not an easy job at it may seems there are a lot of challenges to take to become successful.  Here are three challenges you may experience:

The need to establish yourself to prospective clients. It takes time to become successful in freelancing, usually at least two to three years before one can truly earn a big amount of money. This will also depend on your skills and knowledge acquired for a period of time.  Part of it is establishing your online presence by creating your own social media accounts, portfolio website, and creating your own online network. 

Income is not stable. Unlike with a regular job employed in a company, there is no stable income, it only depends on the completed work per project basis. Also, if you are sick and cannot work there will be no income too except for those jobs with residual income.  Passive income as you may read it many times, it is one way of creating an income even though you are only working for few hours or you are earning while you sleep.  Affiliate programs, monetizing your blog, creating content at YouTube, selling digital content, and a lot more.  It takes a lot of hard work at the start but if you do it right, you will reap the rewards later.

Requires self discipline. It takes a lot of self discipline if you are working independently as a freelancer. You decide on how you will work and the amount of work to be done. If you need an increase in output, you need to work hard and practice self discipline.

Personal and workplace in one.  Do you happen to see a vlogger doing a live video or a newscaster doing report at home while his kid suddenly appears on screen?  That is what you call the "work at home" scenario.  Your bedroom or living room becomes your workplace, you might be finishing a project while waiting for your food to be cooked in the kitchen.  

Find an appropriate small area or room as your workplace and specific hours for your work.  Although these can be in one place, you can still separate personal and work.  Be focused since  there are a lot of distractions at home (I bet, you need to finish a project while the rest is watching Netflix in the other room. Is it too tempting?).

Writing Ideas for Freelance Writers

There are many articles written about “writer’s block”. If you are trying to start a writing career, you need various topics to begin with. Here are some ideas to write about:

1. Start with standard topics that you are comfortable to write with depending on your knowledge and skills.

2. Creative Writing. If you are not ready for articles that requires 300 words or more, you can also start with creative writing such as poems. This is easier to write than full length articles.
3. Seasonal topics are excellent topics such as Christmas, All Saints Day, Mother’s Day, and more.

4. Write more about topics that relates to you. If you are a parent, write about the challenges of being a mother of father, raising kids, cooking, and more.

5. Write about topics that interest you such as things that you love to do. Hobbies such as photography, cooking, gardening.

Writing is fun and it is a double bonus if you are earning from it.

Reduce your House Bills

The cost of house utilities such as water, light, communications, cable, and other house expenses are increasing. Your income should atleast cover the cost of living and have some savings for emergency situations or save some money for the future. Being frugal in spending and reducing your house bills are ways to save money. Here are some things your family can do to save:

1. Conserve energy by turning off the lights in the room if no one is using. 
2. Buy energy saving lights.
3. Make sure that you consume all the prepared food, no wasted food. Just think of the people that do not have food on their table.
4. Teach kids of the value of money and how money are earned. Even children can be taught on how to handle money on an earlier age.
5. It is not enough to teach your children, the best way to teach is to be a good example to them.
6. Control your expenses and budget your money.

Shopping Tips to Save Money

Are you an impulse buyer?  Are you the type of person that spends much whenever you are out?  If you want to save money, you better think of ways to do it.  Evaluate your income capacity so that you will be able to budget your spending habits.  Prepare a list before shopping so that you will be able to prioritize the things that you need.  In doing so, you will also save time in shopping and do other activities. 

Schedule your shopping so that you will be more prepared doing it.  When buying, compare prices from different stores you just need to be patient looking around.  If you are into online shopping, the temptation to buy more may come easily but if you are determined to buy what you need you can do it.  Discount coupons also helps in saving money.

Basic Reminders for Bank Tellers

Bank tellers are the front liners who handles the main services of the bank which requires them right attitude, knowledge, and skills to perform the job efficiently. Here are some basic reminders for them:

Follow the bank standard and policies. Being an employee of the bank, bank tellers normally undergo training. If you are a bank teller, it is advisable that you learn from the training and apply it on actual. 

Be alert always. Before a bank teller accepts the job, she/he knows the risk at stake since money is the main product or services of the bank. 

Be detailed oriented. Be careful on accepting cheques, deposit slips, and other bank documents. Make sure that all standard counter-checking are done .

Wash hands frequently since virus are handed down through the dirt of money.

Writing Articles with Paper and Pen

Being a writer for various topics is like a 24/7 job where writing inspirations are everywhere. I usually write on my laptop workstation but there many times that I am out but ideas still coming out of my mind. A good title for an article or an outline of ideas to create a new one. While waiting for someone, waiting at the airport, in a restaurant, and many other places where I have idle time. 

Using a traditional paper and pen I make use of the time to be more productive. I write a few drafts of my articles instead and later encode them when I got home. My mobile phone is too small and difficult to use so I would just stick to paper and pen which would make me faster to write. How about you, how do you write your articles away from your pc workstation?

Do you think you can save money?

Money talks a lot and it is serves a different purpose to man. Some becomes greedy about it since money can do a lot to a persons life. It gives comfort and speaks for the status in life. For those who are trying to earn through employment and working as freelancers, earning a lot is a goal in order to support the family, to support a lifestyle, and so on. Income earners do try to save money, are you one of them? Or are you the type of person who spends money once earned? 

Some people find it hard to save money, their usual reason is because their earnings is small and it is just enough for the expenses. Do you think if you are earning a huge money, you can save money? But sometimes as the income increases, expenses also increases. It is a decision to save money whether earnings is small or big. Likewise, savings can be either in a small or big amount of money . 

How about you? can you still save?

Sharing and Learning through Online Writing

Online  writing provides a great opportunity to earn as well as learn from others. Through writing online, you will be able to share a lot of things in various categories depending on your field of expertise, experiences, and interests. Tutorial articles are one of the best ways that a writer can share his/her talent and expertise especially with hobbyists who are knowledgeable on certain skills. The good thing with sharing through writing is to be able to earn from it. 

Through researching for the articles and reading other articles, one can learn so many things. Interacting with other writers is also one way of exchanging ideas, techniques, and developing writing skills. 

Do you have multiple Credit Cards?

I am typically a frugal person and I try to manage my funds as much as I can. I am not a big spender either trying to buy only what I need and sometimes reward myself of what I want from time to time. I know how hard to work and earn for a living. For more than ten years I only keep one Visa credit card which I only use for supermarket, buying house furniture, appliances, and electronic gadgets that I need. I never missed a deadline and put expense ceiling so as not to overspend. I try to control the use of credit card since most credit card users fall into debt because of overspending more than the amount of income. 

This week my bank offered me a MasterCard credit card (pre-approved and waived annual membership), I accepted because It offers some perks that are not offered to my other credit card. I intend to use the two cards one at a time, for now I will keep the first credit card for the holiday season and use the second credit card. 

How about you? How many cards do you have and how do you manage them?

Do you Shop Online?

eBay is a popular online shopping site where all walks of people do buy and sell. I sometimes buy clothes from eBay and one of them is the GAP black coat. It is perfect fit for me and I am happy since we bought it online without fitting the item first. The price is right and I am a happy buyer.

Buying from online always takes a risk such as your order did not arrive, items is not exactly what you ordered, your order is defective, and so on. Shopping online is fun but make an extra effort to find established sellers with positive transaction record.

Online Sources for Shopping Reviews

The Black Friday Shopping (after Thanksgiving Day) and Cyber Monday events in the US is the start of the Christmas shopping where huge sales discounts are being offered by various traditional and online shopping retail merchants. 

Whether there are holiday sale events or just shopping in ordinary days, it is a good practice to check product reviews online about the merchants and products in your list. Product reviews help consumers on their buying decisions, able to get personal recommendations from fellow consumers, other shopping experiences, and buying tips. 

Here are some online sources for shopping reviews:

Epinions
Top Ten Reviews
Bizrate

PayPal Account Hacked!

A friend of mine told me that her PayPal account was hacked. She received an email from PayPal that her password was changed. She has been inactive with her account so probably stagnant accounts are the target of hackers. She is trying to get in touch with PayPal support to atleast cancel her account permanently.

Have you been hacked? Any idea on how to deal with this account problem? PayPal is so important to us who are earning through this payment process. This is supposed to be a secured payment processor. It is quite alarming regarding this hacking internet problems.

As for my personal experience so far I do not have problem with PayPal, I am more active with my transactions. Maybe in any of our online accounts, if we are already inactive with the site we can already cancel our membership to protect our data.

Have you heard about Pickjack Website?

Pickjack is the first and foremost online website that I joined before writing to various content sites. You post questions as quizzes and answer questions to get paid. A friend referred it to me and helped the ins and out of online freelancing work. I started enjoying being a freelancer working online although the earnings through PayPal that time was too little. There was a referral program too but the website offered a low earning scheme until the website closed down maybe due to lack of funds or members that would continue to run the website.

That was four years ago, looking back, I am still working online and had various experiences from different websites. Along the way, I have been paid and some being scammed, gained some online friends, and more. I know I still have a lot to learn, but everyday is a learning process. Although it can be stressful at times, I am enjoying it to the fullest.