Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

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The New American Family: Flexibility and Unconventional Lifestyles to Make Ends Meet

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The following was written by my wife, Mrs. Craig.  She was kind enough to share her take on our current lifestyle.  We changed things up in our household  a couple of years ago…I’ll let my wife tell the story.

The last time I wrote a story for this site was almost 3 years ago.   Much has happened since then!  I wrote a narrative about my decision to take a leave of absence from my job, as a school counselor, to stay home and raise my 1 and half year old son and 8 yr old daughter.

[Glen: here’s the article – A Mother’s Struggle Between Work And Kids]

Many events have taken place since I shared that story with you.  It was an account of a working mother who became a stay-at-home mom.  The story changed as you will see below.

Life as a Stay-at-Home Mom

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How to Prove Your Usefulness, Keep Your Job, and Maybe Even Get Ahead: Be Indispensable

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One of the lessons many learned from the recent economic troubles is that almost no one is indispensable. You never know when your job could be on the chopping block.  You can, however, decrease the chance that you will be the one laid off when these decisions are made.  The key is showing that you are valuable — and possibly indispensable.

Here are some ways that by being indispensable you can prove your usefulness, keep your job, and maybe even get ahead:

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How to Recession Proof Your Life

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Harvard Business published an article a while ago that talked about job security and how the younger generation question if their job is secure. No matter how old you are, there is one thing that is certain – gone are the days that we leave school and work at the same career throughout our lifetime.  Well, there may be a handful of people such as doctors that may remain in the same career, but still, the vast majority of us will ultimately have two or three careers.  One thing to always keep in the back of the mind is what if you are in the midst of changing careers and a recession hits?  Or even if you are in a pretty good position but the company you work for takes a hit if another recession occurs?  Recession proofing your life should be just as much a priority as having life insurance to take care of your family.

There are some steps you can take to recession proof your life and depending on your financial situation, it may not be too difficult.
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Is Unemployment Hurting Your Job Prospects? Why You Should Accept a Job Below Your Salary Requirements

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Kelly was a lawyer making a six-figure income when she was laid off in April of 2010.  Since then she has worked to make herself more marketable by going to school to obtain a Master’s degree with the hope of becoming a college teacher.  She took out student loans to pay for both her additional education and to use the money to supplement unemployment.

Even with unemployment and student loans, money is extremely tight.  She always enjoyed her large salary and is not used to living below her means.  Now, she is still responsible for the student loan payments that have come due and car payments in addition to rent, utilities, and groceries.  Her car is in need of repairs and due to the high price of gas, she limits her trips and stays home much of the day.  She has very little in savings and has had to begin to rely on credit cards to get her through this lean time.
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College Grad? Professionalism is Critical for Landing a Job

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There are a number of people lamenting the demise of professionalism, and bemoaning the lack of formality amongst the rising generation. While few hiring managers and employers actually expect a college student to be super formal, many of them would like to see a little more professionalism.  If you are about to attempt to enter the workforce with a newly minted degree, here are some tips on improving your image as a professional: [Read more…] about College Grad? Professionalism is Critical for Landing a Job