As I got older I realised the value of that statement and that value is ‘understanding the means of money’. We had a weekly allowance that was handed down to us every Sunday morning and to get that allowance we helped out with house chores, made sure all our homework was completed on an evening basis, got gold stars in our Friday spellings and tables test etc. I think the allowance was £1 at the time and that was ALOT of sweets! Having achieved this allowance also gave me a sense of accomplishment, freedom and independence. This is what money meant to me.

I started working in my mid teens and I have to say I loved my part-time job! Mixing with new people, learning new things, doing well in my job, being rewarded with a weekly pay check and earning that paycheck with hard work and determination was the best feeling!!! For me I felt grown up, independent and with that paycheck I could reward myself or simply start saving for a bigger prize. I continued working and since then I’ve always worked.

It’s not all about receiving either, giving back comes into play. I paid my way at home (mammy and daddy don’t do everything!) and I felt great for doing so. It was about being responsible and grown up that encouraged me to think about money in a different light. Money brings a feeling of having and giving and providing instead of going without. When you get that feeling you are in the vibe and understanding of money. You’ll know how to be wise and never go without.

I would consider myself wise with money, I know my limits and I won’t go beyond that. But I work hard and sometimes, as a treat, play hard and reward myself. I’m also abundant when it comes to finances, I know it will all work out. What you put in is what you get back.

I’ve also made mistakes, watch others make mistakes and learn from them.

I have put together some tips for all you teens to help you think wisely about money. Think smart and play smart!

Document for Making the Pennies Last Here

Check out the article here

Aural App: The app has a complete selection of Irish, French and German aurals available for both Higher and Ordinary level exams, testing the students’ listening skills.

Honestly if you’ve got a smartphone download this through iTunes.

I love it when I find an article that grabs my interest. Initially seeing this I thought ‘are you bloody crazy!’.

I started to read. And according to statistics (wait for this), a quarter of British women feel ‘over the hill’ when they hit 29. It continues  to describe how this narrator has a stable job, long term relationship, property, comfortable bank account and savings, and overall she is very content. However is this too comfortable?

I found myself ticking all the boxes here. Yep I have the exact same. Partying every weekend has been substituted with one night out a month (simply because I don’t so hangovers), restaurants as opposed to nightclubs and back home by 11pm, Sunday mornings reading the newspapers followed by cleaning and washing to get set for the week ahead. God even writing this I am sounding ‘settled’.

To continue on about the article it discusses should be down-age to fit it? Are we past it in our late twenties? Do we miss out on opportunities or fun because we’ve had our early twenties? Times have changed, new generations are coming through and their life seems much more interesting? To be honest my answer is NO.

I can recall two periods of my life when I felt crappy at birthdays. One was when I turned 19, simply because it is the last year of your teens and 20, to me, meant grow the hell up and take responsibility! The other was 25. Let’s face it-you are mid way and my early twenties were great fun, definitely my party times (we all have them). Hitting your late twenties is great! I’m in my dream job, have a great relationship, nice home and overall I don’t worry about ANYTHING as much as I did. You also get this sense of calm. Everything finally fits.

Please note: I still party and definitely have great times!!! (just realising how boring the above paragraph may sound)

So unlike the reader in the article I will not be down-aging, I am 29 (although recently I was told I looked 23, it really made my day) definitely not insecure about it and no one should be!

My advice: seize everyday. Life comes with many tumbles and falls but you’ll always get back up. Enjoy it!! New generations will always come, and always go…………..

I have never ever been the type to diet; complain about my weight, body size etc but what I have noticed is that over the past couple of years, as I have gotten older, it becomes harder to keep your 21 or even 25 year old shape. I love food!! Love it……but my metabolism has definitely changed, and my life has changed. I work hard, travel frequently (hotel lifestyle), eat late at times, am addicted to dipping chocolate into a hot cup of tea (I have about 5 cups a day), love a Saturday night in front of the TV with a Chinese take away. I don’t go to the gym (hate it) or look like the crazy person in her apartment working out to a fitness DVD.

BUT I do need to exercise for a couple of reasons:

1. I sit at a laptop all day and I find that taking a walk or doing a quick jog clears my head and gives me some energy.
2. It makes you feel good. I went for a long jog last Sunday morning and I personally felt great for doing it plus I had one of the best nights sleep in ages!
3. I need to burn off the chocolate

I am an anti-diet person. It has never been something I wanted to try (there are so bloody many out there) and I firmly believe you can moderate your meals and you know when enough is enough (except on a Sunday as this is pig out day).

I am challenging myself! I want to do a 30 minute jog 2-3 times a week on my lunch break at work and over the weekend  I want to do a 1 hour brisk walk. I don’t want to give up chocolate, but I will cut back a tiny bit.

I am not 21 anymore. But I am happy, and that is all that matters.

Who can forget this movie? Words to describe this include passion, ambition, drive, motivation, happiness, fulfillment, exhilaration and many more.

This makes you strive for what you want! Love it

And I don’t think I am alone.

I read this article this morning on the Journal news site and as a home owner it is crushing. And to also say that Ireland’s property market has not yet bottomed out is a complete sad face

I purchased a property 7 years ago. At the time I did not borrow a 100% mortgage. I had a lump sum saved and I borrowed the additional amount from the bank. At the time I was overly eager to get on the property ladder-everyone was!!!! If you were on that ladder, you’d be at the top in no time and you’d have no fear of falling. I put a deposit down on a property at the age of 19, and pulled out soon after. 3 years later I had purchased (with the lovely assistance of AIB) a 2 bedroom apartment. As the value of the property climbed I felt rich (not literally) but you did feel as if you’d won a piece of a small lottery (not the euromillions). The question was-would you sell or sit? I sat……………

I love my home and I have worked very hard to pay the bills. With the current market situation you cannot help but feel stuck. My property is my own personal investment, it is part of my future. As hard as the situation is for me, and for plenty of other people, my plan is to ride the storm and see the light at the end of the tunnel.

My perfect home will come-2 storey house, massive garden, swimming pool, amazing chef style kitchen, bay windows in my bedroom with a view of the beach……….fabulous. But until then I’ll love and manage my first buy.

My Advice: If I was not on the property ladder now would I buy? Maybe but I think I would explore all avenues in absolute detail and renting is not a bad option at all. Would you get a mortgage, for how much? Do you have future plans to travel or live abroad? All things to take into consideration………can you pay the bills?

I would love to hear some thoughts from you. Are you on the ladder? Stuck? Thinking of getting on it or simply happy to rent. Please share.

The word and statements associated with credit cards for me have been the following: unnecessary bills, temptation, it’s not really your money, cash on tap, leads to debt, cut them up with a scissors, declines when you go to pay for your newest pair of shoes, the colour red etc…………

I think you can see from the above what my perceptions have been. I would consider myself very diligent and wise when it comes to managing my finances. I have never been someone that lives beyond my means (the occasional splurge and treat is fine). So why is it that for some people having a credit card is a very bad thing??

The first thing I did when I received my card was pop it into my wallet. I know what that card is for and I know when to use it. I have signed up to a 100% payback each month to the bank therefore I can manage my outgoings accordingly. When ticking that 100% box on the form I noticed options of 5%, 20%, 50% etc and I couldn’t help but wonder is this where people have been losing their way with the repayments of credit? I understand each to their own and you must simply pay back what you can afford.

I’ve chatted to some people who I would see as ‘sensible’ when it comes to credit cards. Here are some of their tips:

• Spend only what you can afford and pay back within a month or two.
• Determine your own acceptable level of debt
• Shop around! Look for the lower interest rates or waivers of late payment fees
• Apply for credit cards that don’t have an annual fee, as well as cards that offer rewards to members.
• Carry a limited number of credit cards in your name and on your person
• Don’t go way beyond your means and really regret it!!! Be sensible

O2 launched a Money Card this month. It is almost like a prepay visa card. You top it up and use it anywhere you see the visa sign. This could be a great option?

One thing I do feel is reassured by having the credit card. With travel you never know what could happen and it is nice knowing that you have the credit card there as an option, in case of emergencies etc.

Well here I go………….happy with the latest addition to my wallet.

Please share your tips and advice for credit card users. Love to hear happy and maybe not so happy stories, we can all learn!

My most peculiar question was ‘how many pizzas are there in London?’. My response was stunned silence, followed by a little laugh and then my approach was to get my analytical brain in gear now! This question was used to through me off the path of the interview and to see how I think in a situation that is unplanned (got that job so must have come near enough the answer).

I was emailed this link (not from a candidate of course) and I am a huge fan of Oatmeal. The subject of the post is ‘The 6 Crappiest Interview Questions’. As I read on through the article I found myself saying ‘yep I ask these questions’. However I need to be clear, they are not crappy!!! These questions give huge insights into candidates expectations, aspirations, opinions and views, and honesty.

But a light piece of humour goes a long way!!

Also enjoy the clip below.

Interview Fun!

I can see the shift to immensely into the online world of job seeking and recruitment and this shift will continue to develop and go deeper online! But there is so much to know! I’ve spoken in detail previously about your online brand and within the age of the app this is how you are creating that presence.

My dad asked that I put his CV up on the job boards. Together we sat down and started to upload his data and to my surprise it was refreshing (slightly overwhelming for him) to see the job boards adapting to the new times of recruitment. Monster in particular, as a job seeker, gave the options to connect with your social networks, add your photo, add any presentations, give information regarding your key achievements and elaborate or highlight more relevant experience than what a 2 page CV would. Job sites are growing rapidly now a days. Those companies which were already running job sites are moving towards redesigning it in web 2.0 for more usability. Essentially Monster is giving you an opportunity to show your professional brand in an online capacity to the best of your ability. There are plenty of other job boards adapting to that mentality:

• CareerBuilder, VisualCV, SimplyHired and IrishJobs.

Also please see this recent article here on how top employers in the USA are transforming the online recruiting industry.

But we’ve gone way beyond the job boards. For my dad the job boards for now are enough, let’s see how we get on there first before we go to the networks! LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, AboutMe, Weedle, Brazen Careerist and the list can go on……..

Please keep one thing in mind through this post-’Your online professional brand’. Essentially with apps this is what you are building and it is assisting people to connect with you to showcase you and your talents. Web 2.0 applications consist of:

• RSS syndication, job boards, CV databases, social networks, blog boards, job podcasts and job aggregation.

In a nutshell-more interaction and more engagement!

Hands up who has a smartphone? (my hand is up). If I look at my smart phone I use my apps for all my social networks, email, task lists, local and international news, tech news and staying on top of trends within my industry sector. If I was a job seeker I would be signing up to job feeds, having new jobs sent to my email and sending out my CV. All at the click of a button.

Here are some tips for putting all the pieces together with apps and web 2.0 in your job search:

• Have a clear goal
• Understand and use networking properly
• Market your professional self
• Choose the right social networking tools (LinkedIn should be number 1)
• Know your target audience
• Aim for the right job match and connect to the right people
• Work on your approach and practice
• Invest the time as it takes time!
• Don’t get frustrated-it will all come together!

One step at a time-it can be overwhelming! We need to embrace it and learn to grow with the change in technology when it comes to recruitment and job seeking! I promise it will all be worth it!

How has web 2.0 and the age of the app changed or assisted in your job search?

Related articles

• 20 Best iPhone Apps for Job Hunting (vasilestoica.wordpress.com)

A couple of weeks ago I read an interesting article from the guys at Simply Zesty about a new ‘online business card’ at About Me and of course my curiosity always gets the better of me when anything new profiling sites come online so I clicked through. At the time I arrived at just a landing page with a brief description. I took the option of registering my About Me username. It was then followed by an email stating that the site would be up and running soon and to await the arrival of the invite. The invite came and I’ve started to build on my profile.

About Me is an online custom profile and personal analytics dashboard. If you’ve always wanted your online single identity this may be it. Bring all your Twitter, blog, website, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles under one roof on a really cool, customised splash page. From my perspective I think it would be great for your CV. You can showcase your online profile with one link for the recruiter/employer to view. I think it is an online business card.

In addition it will analyse the amount of visitors-almost acting as an analytics tool.

On most CVs I receive links to the candidate’s Twitter, LinkedIn or Blog profile will be at the top of the page with their personal information. If you added an About Me link it would give all your information on one click and under one roof. Plus you could add this to your email signatures.

I started mine here although it needs work!

What are your thoughts? Do you add all your professional online networks to your CV currently? If not, is this something you would consider doing?