We recently posted an article on LockerGnome that “RSS Readers suck”. As a blogger who relies on RSS feeds to inspire new ideas on a daily basis, I completely disagree with the article, but it was linked to in another article to support the proclamation that RSS is Dead.
My question – if RSS is really dead, why are they so many third-party RSS apps supporting the use of RSS beyond use of the (completely ugly and totally hideous) web-based Google Reader? People obviously want to use RSS to read blogs via their desktop, mobile, and even offline.
I find it hard to believe a core function of the internet is dead when a marketplace is thriving for people who want to use that functionality.
Several years ago I started cutting coupons as a way to save money while scrounging for ramen as a broke waitress. While high density cheap carbs sufficed as food, sometimes I still needed essentials like razor blades, allergy meds and other necessities. Coupons made buying things like toilet paper less painful on my wallet, and relieved me of the guilt for not buying awful generic paper products. (Seriously – generic toilet paper is the worst.)
A few weeks ago, Groupon ran a deal for the Sunday paper here in the Seattle area. It was a decent deal, but before clicking through, I thought hmm, I can do better than that. After a little Google magic, I found a coupon code on a local mommy blog that offered the Sunday paper at just 26 cents per week. That’s right – just 26 cents! The code apparently should have expired last summer, but I tried it anyway on the Seattle Time’s website and presto! – I now had access to hundreds of dollars in coupon savings every week. (The best part? I live in rural USA and my Sunday Paper actually is delivered to in my old-fashioned mailbox. If you can imagine me in uggs, leggings, an oversized sweatshirt and a sideway ponytail walking out to the colllective mailboxes down the street around 11am, that’s my typical Sunday morning. And you wonder sometimes why I’m single….)
Anyway, so now I have all these coupons for basically free. And oh, let me tell you how worth it they are.
First, there was my shopping spree at Kohl’s a few weeks ago.
That’s right – more saved than I spent. I managed to hit “early bird” hours the day after Christmas, which meant I was already saving 50-75%. On top of that, I’m signed up for mailing list to stores like Kohl’s, and had a coupon for another 20% off for that day only. The great thing about technology is that many stores now allow you to present coupons via your smartphone, so I just pulled the coupon up on my iPhone at the register. You should have seen the look on the woman in line behind me. She literally said “how the hell did she do that?” I felt like I was on a reality TV Show. (You know….that one?)
Today was another successful day of super savings. I managed to catch the last day of this weeks’ sales at Rite Aid, which is known to be a GREAT source for savings – even without coupons. This week’s Sunday inserts were especially good, and I also managed to find a few printable coupons to stack with the other coupons. I only needed a few things (read: NEEDED) but managed to save nearly 50% on essentials that will last several months!
I don’t use coupons for things I don’t need, or use them to hoard dozens of boxes of cereal in the garage. I also try to match coupons with ongoing sales – sometimes I’ll buy duplicates of things I always need (like eyedrops) if it means saving money and doesn’t hurt my bank account too much. I definitely don’t use coupons to buy something just because it’s a great deal – unless of course, I know at some point I will need it and it may cost more in the future when I will need it. And if I know I need something that I don’t have a coupon for, I try to find a coupon for it online. Manufacturers often offer coupons for their products on their websites and Facebook pages – that was actually one component of today’s massive savings, as Clean and Clear had a $5 printable coupon on Facebook.
Do you cut coupons? What’s your strategy? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
2011 was a big year for me. I secured a contract gig that I love, freeing me from the chains of a corporate lifestyle. In that process I learned what kind of luxury life as a freelancer can bring – and the disaster that a financial dry spell can cause. I learned how to “hustle” – and in the process, learned that I can make as much money as I want. Somewhere in there I made a few poor decisions, which led me back to my parents’ house.
This, though, is not a bad thing.
I’m now living rent free and pay for very little of my own food. My expenses are greatly reduced. My lifestyle has also finally stabilized, enabling me to seek out more contract work. See where I’m going here? Less expenses than before and even more work.
I initially wanted to be able to move out of the house by early summer. This would, however, still leave me paying minimums on credit cards and with enormous student debt. After setting a few goals and making a few lifestyle changes (which will all be future blog posts) I realized I could set a bigger goal: be Debt Free by December 2012. That means no consumer loans, no credit card balances, and no student loans. The total amount is a pretty big, scary number (I won’t lie) – but the benefit of walking away from this in a year without those bills will leave me the ability to afford a better quality of life at this point in time next year.
Will I be able to do it? Stay tuned to this series for how I’m protecting my credit, paying down each credit card, saving money and still enjoying life. And as always, I’d love to hear your stories. Have you paid off all of your debt? Feel free to share in the comments!
Like to win things? ME TOO! If you’re ready to rock social media in 2012, I’m giving away a copy of Eric Harr’s new book, “The REAL TRUTH About Social Media: Confessions of a Social Media CEO”. The book is an inside look about social media from the CEO’s perspective, designed to help you understand the basics of social media in plain language: what it is, how it works, how we got here–and how you can benefit from it. Harr addresses key social media mistakes, discusses tools and resources to help you get the most of social media, and highlights real-life success stories that you can apply to your own business – regardless of its size.
Want to win a copy of this awesome book? (And I know you do!) Entering is super easy – just leave a comment below and tell me why you want the book! If you want an extra chance to win, use the Rafflecopter widget below! The giveaway is open now and will end on Tuesday, January 17 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
Update: Congratulations to Afdzal Aamirus for winning this giveaway, and stay tuned for more contests and prizes in the future!
Can you believe 2011 is almost over? I hope you have enjoyed this year as much as I have. My last Friday Favorite is oh-so-appropriate: a very cute YouTube video by two of my favorite people (at least, whom I’ve never met) – Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt:
So…What Are You Doing New Years Eve?
There is been some debate about whether the era of tech blogs is dead. Of course, there is always some debate about whether things are dead or dying, such as the mouse, the keyboard, Starbucks, photography, even Justin Bieber. (This happens on Twitter at least twice per day.)
I won’t re-hash what the original blog post argues, other than that essentially Jeremiah Owyang thinks there’s been too much turnover and too many acquisitions, which will lead to the golden era of tech blog dying.
Instead, I’ll just point you to an exceptionally eloquent response from Sarah Lacy, who recently left TechCrunch. Her most poignant statement reflects the essence of my thoughts, too:
But there are still plenty of people who love to write– not just share, Tweet and comment– for a living, and blogs are still the best platform for that. In many ways, professional blogging is just getting started. It’s a time when new entrants are jumping into the field with bold, fresh ideas, standing on the shoulders of the blogging giants that came before, taking a second stab at reinventing the new media landscape.”
This is what I do. I am still just getting started, with fresh ideas and vision. I’m wrapping up the end of the most exciting year of my life which has been filled with amazing people. I’m not the type to name-drop, but I can’t express my gratitude for each person I have met and spoken with, from the C-level execs of Time-Warner who held my water bottle as I nearly had a meltdown at CES to tweeting with Jason Calacanis during SXSW about the skanky promotional girls outside the conference hall. I’ve met rockstars, actors, and celebrity bloggers, amongst other tech bloggers and YouTube stars.
Yes, these people ar giants. But they are also people – people who have bigger dreams than me.
I can only hope that these giants allow me to stand on their shoulders, as Sarah said, and reinvent what they have only started.
I’ve been working from home for a year now. I’m planning on doing a much more elaborate recap of this past year later this week, but I was reminded of what working “from home” is like upon seeing a retweet of Oatmeal’s classic post, “Why working from home is both awesome and horrible.” Here’s a quick summary (which was actually contributed by my other favorite, Allie Brosh from Hyperbole and a Half).
For more insight into what it’s really like working from home, visit Oatmeal. I demand it from you.
I’m a natural brunette. I have some serious red undertones, but there is nothing “blonde” about this girl. That said, I have envy of girls like my little sister and a few of my friends who can pull off platinum like they were born that way. Recently, I decided to undertake a mission to gradually go a little more golden. In September, I spent some cold hard cash on a bayalage treatment, which still left me more brown that blonde. Last week, though, I went to a different stylist on the advice of a friend, who not only didn’t do a great job, but left me looking a little washed out and not that great.
And then I started having the worst histamine reactions of my life. My eyes itched, my nose ran, and I could barely wear contacts without wanting to cry.
A few years ago, I had a few highlights and had the same reaction. I’ve dyed my hair several times before – I once even went red. But I’ve only had an allergic reaction to the bleach process – and once we dyed me back to brunette, the allergies almost instantly subsdided.
The problem? I’m allergic to Ammonium persulfate
Ammonium persulfate is a chemical used to “boost” peroxide hair bleaches. From the Archives of Dermatology, it:
produce a variety of cutaneous and respiratory responses, including allergic eczematous contact dermatitis, irritant dermatitis, localized edema, generalized urticaria, rhinitis, asthma, and syncope. Some of these reactions appear to be truly allergic while others appear to be due to the release of histamine on a nonallergic basis.
I’m sure some blondes have plenty of fun, but this girl apparently does not. I’ll stick to being brunette. If it works for Leighton Meester, who can rock a brunette hairstyle with class, fashion, and a bit of that you-know-what, it can work for me.
Flashmobs are quickly becoming the key indication that your brand is big – everyone from Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga has been immortalized by flashmobs directed and executed by their fans. Even a volunteer chorus directed by the Seattle Symphony burst into Seattle’s Nordstrom last year.
Last week, T-Mobile surprised their own customers, and other shoppers, with their own (extremely well-designed) flashmob slash flash campaign. With director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and Musical Director Paul Mirkovich at the helm, the company surprised shoppers at the Chicagoland area’s Woodfield Mall with a performance of an updated spin on the holiday classic, “(There’s No Place Like) Home For The Holidays”. Dozens of lovely ladies dressed in the signature T-Mobile pink dresses sang, danced and clapped through the shopping center, dazzling shoppers and adding a little bit of extra sparkle to the holiday shopping season. Even Carly – the girl from the T-Mobile commercials and ads – made a cameo towards the end of the performance!
What a fun surprise for those shopping at Woodfield Mall! Are you expecting (or hoping for) a surprise this holiday season?
(Disclosure: This post is sponsored by T-Mobile.)
I’ve got 99 problems, and they’re all because of Pinterest. Is it the next big thing since Facebook? Is it the solution to all of your “delicious” problems? Should Twitter be shaking in their venture-funded pants?
YES.
Pinterest is essentially a way to share interesting anything with other Pinterest users. You can categorize the things you share (or “pin”) by creating boards devoted to the topic. I have boards about apartment design, vegan and gluten free food, and quote. Other popular topics are fashion, weddings, and cake (who doesn’t love cake?) When you share a blog post, or a website, or other form of media, Pinterest shares a thumbnail, while the article is included really really tiny in the top right corner if you click on the pin. This basically means it’s not really the topic that people love to see and share, but the picture.
I dont necessarily follow those rules – I click on through to things to read recipes, how-to articles for fitness tips and the components of a fabulous furnished rent-controlled apartment somewhere I’ll never actually live. Here are a few of my favorite things on Pinterest at the moment:
I love this workspace. So open and fresh!
Source: unplggd.com via Pinterest
I must learn how to cook quinoa. This salad looks delicious!
Source: eating-for-england.com via Kelly on Pinterest
This is the story of my life 
Source: someecards.com via Kelly on Pinterest
…And finally, something I have to try to do. These are so pretty!
Source: blissimagesandbeyond.blogspot.com via Kelly on Pinterest
Are you using Pinterest yet?
If you’re not convinced, check out this blog post I wrote for LockerGnome – you’ll be hooked! And then, follow me. I promise I’ll try to keep things, um, Pinteresing 
Kelly is a 20something blogger and social media and marketing type based in Seattle. She loves good products that solve real problems, good design...and a good cup of coffee, too.
