Freaky Frugalite

One of the blogging communities I’ve joined, the SITS Girls, was recently exploited criticized discussed in a New York Times article.

I must mention that the New York Times is a HIGHLY REPUTABLE news story organization (emphasis on story) that doesn’t accept a DIME from any capitalist pig or corporation!

rrrrrright

Well, the article discussed the latest mommy blog conference, Bloggy Boot Camp, in Baltimore: Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy. I’m Too Busy With My Blog and Building My Brand. Gee, doesn’t that title just OOZE fair, impartial journalizing to you??

Yeah, me neither.

Teaching your baby to read? Please. How to hide vegetables in your children’s food? Oh, that’s so 2008.

The topics on that day’s agenda included search-engine optimization, building a “comment tribe” and how to create an effective media kit. There would be much talk of defining your “brand” and driving up page views.

You know. For your blog.

Yes, they had come to Bloggy Boot Camp, the sold-out first stop on a five-city tour. It is the brainchild of Tiffany Romero and Heather Blair, the founders of the Secret Is in the Sauce, a community of 5,000 female bloggers. Boot Camp is at once a networking and social event, bringing together virtual friends for some real-time girly bonding, and an educational seminar designed to help the participants — about 90 percent of them mothers — to take their blogs up a notch, whether in hopes of generating ad revenue and sponsorships, attracting attention to a cause or branching out into paid journalism or marketing.

“You’re here because you want to be seen as a professional,” Ms. Romero told the group. A summer-camp director from Los Angeles, she steered the proceedings with the good-natured sass of a sorority social chairwoman and the enthusiasm of a, well, summer-camp director. (She went barefoot for much of the day and said “You guys!” a lot.)

OKOK so maybe Ms. Romero should have worn high heels, purchased from the high heels shoe corporation that advertises with the New York Times; maybe that would have been better, sure, yep.

I don’t know why News STORY organizations have such a problem with blogs. Oh wait wait– could it be competition? No? Then what? It surely can’t ALL be that snooty New York elitist attitude!

Well, in all fairness (because THIS establishment, FreakyFrugalite.com is a bastion of unequivocal FAIRNESS and IMPARTIALITY) (OK, now even I’m chuckling) the NY Times made a relevant point, on page two:

“I wish we could go back… to, when it was just about the writing and the connecting and none of the free stuff and the vacations and the swag bags,” said Ms. Smokler, of ScaryMommy .com. Her blog recently landed her a full-time job with the Nickelodeon ParentsConnect.com social-networking site, despite her not having a résumé. “I think it dilutes the point.”

But sheesh, DUH that goes without saying. You could say that about anything– like, even about the daily news articles that are chugged out everyday.

P.S. All hail the little guy (mom) entrepreneurs who are hired without résumés!

———————————————–

Photo image courtesy of IsraelSeen.

OK Frugal Hacks, this is the PERFECT time to nab some hot deals at Buy.com! This is the season to stick up on gifts for the holidays later in the year, because the winter inventory is going out and the spring inventory is coming in. I just got my Buy.com newsletter, and am hashing through some great deals. Look what I found on sale!

Guitar Hero, Aerosmith Bundle- under $40!
Little House on the Prairie, the COMPLETE TV Series (1974)- $145 (wow does that bring back memories)
Acer 15.6″ refurbished notebook- $349!

There are a lot more deals, too. I recommend you sign up for the newsletter if you are always on the lookout. I have a list by my desk of “stuff” I’ve been looking for. As I find things that we need, I slash it off my list. As I’ve stated, I’m looking for a nice (cheap) monitor for my Mac, plus a few other school supply items. But this beautiful white gold heart pendant caught my eye. Isn’t it classy, absolutely gorgeous? It’s selling for $99 but an automatic coupon discounts it to $89. It would make a perfect pendant to wear on Easter Sunday. It’s lovely!

Truly, Buy.com is a great place to shop. And you don’t have to haul your stroller in the car, or wear makeup, or change out of your sweat pants, or manage the hectic traffic! It’s all at the convenience of your computer. And the shipping is FAST; plus many times it’s free. Buy.com sells everything under the sun (it seems that way), so I always check them first for my shopping list.

Ummmm remember how I asked for ideas from you guys, ideas for How To articles that I could write for my How To blogs and freelance writing jobs?

Holy cow, I got what I wanted.
I made my list– I have 100 IDEAS for How To articles now!! You guys are the BEST. I want to thank these folks for giving me the ideas.

Jay
Cindy
Penny Raine
Alice
Carole
Janiss
Chuck
John
Vixen
Renee
Jean
Now guess what I have to do! I have to WRITE them all!
Oh it won’t be hard. I do it alll the time! I’m sorry that things have been delayed– I had the flu last week, then I was slammed with lots of work from my writing company (not that I mind), and then more blogging….. whew, talk about feast or famine. But I do fully intend to write them (most of them, anyway) and I’ll be linking to the article and to your blog when I get them done, so you can see the answers.

I really appreciate you guys taking the time to help me out. You da best!!!

I’m a Mac owner! Woooohoooo! It’s official! I’ve been wanting a Macintosh computer for a long time. Well, actually, I WAS already a Mac owner– I have one of the original Macs, the 1984 model. I dug it out of the closet a few months ago, only to discover that the floppies (which run the operating system) are somewhere in the house, in another closet, in another box… somewhere.

GRRRREAT. :-p So I’ll probably never run that Mac again.

Well, I got a MiniMac; yes, one of those tiny little boxes– cute aren’t they? I got it DIRT CHEAP on an auction site, because it’s an older model (the G4 processor) and used. The seller threw in his old 15″ monitor, but it’s a really dim monitor. So I’m hunting around, looking for a cheapo monitor to go with this. I’ve been perusing the auction website for a used or refurbished… can you believe that the USED monitors are selling for $100?!?! That’s crazy! And that doesn’t include shipping, either (which is usually $20 to $30)! I cannot understand the logic. At Buy.com, you can get a BRAND-NEW computer monitor, and in many cases with FREE shipping, for a little over $100. Why would I pay $100+ for a used monitor from Lord-knows-who across the country, when I can get a brand-new Acer 19″ widescreen monitor with warranty, from Buy.com, with reliable and reputable service, for $10, $20 more? Moreover, Buy.com is always having some nifty sale or another, every week, every weekend, and then even more when they feel like it. Doesn’t make sense to buy used when new is better and just as inexpensive.

Well, anyway, I’m loving my Mac. I think I will love it even more when I get a better, brighter monitor!

I absolutely must visit Belgium someday. They have a capital city named after my favorite vegetable!!!

I was hopping around for Photo Hunters today (Photo Hunters is a nice Saturday morning meme I participate in at my New York Traveler.net blog), and found a lovely photo posted by Gattina. It’s of the flower carpet in Brussels, Belgium. I fell in love!

She said the flowers change every year, and that this year she thought the flowers were petunias. Isn’t it lovely?! Do any cities in the United States do anything like this? My son says Edinburgh, Scotland, may do something like this (with tulips). Oh it’s so lovely, and it must be quite the feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

I am longing for spring. The snow is *mostly* all gone, but we in Upstate New York really can’t rest easy until mid-April. A sizable snowstorm in March or early April is not too uncommon. Today, the skies are horribly angry and gray. The wind is ferocious– my telephone wiring outside my window is slapping up against the house siding. Quite annoying. I pray I do not lose my connection (DSL) or I’m in trouble. I have a slew of articles to write today!