WalletPop

My boss has approved the purchase of Blackberry phones for the entire group. We all need to be accessible anywhere; and late at night as our remote team bounces through its family and social life, emails fly back and forth. There's a big uptick after kids are put to bed, and another blast right around midnight right before team members head to sleep themselves. We're always on, and the dark circles under some of our eyes attest to the strain. Is this healthy?

Probably not, and more and more people are starting to protest their boss' strongly-worded requests that we be available after our workday is over. (Not our team. We love our work! Really! You're reading this, Brad, aren't you?) It's especially testy in jobs managed by unions, whose purpose it is (after all) to look out for their members' best interest. This month ABC News and its writers have been in a big kerfuffle over answering email after hours; the Writers Guild of America, which represents the writers, has been demanding that employees receive time-and-a-half for using their Blackberries.

The WGA spokesman quoted in a New York Times article said that a few minutes of looking at emails wasn't the issue -- it's more about writing material and coordinating guests, and the like, insisting that, "people are entitled to time off the job. BlackBerrys can be liberating ... But they can also shackle people to their jobs."

ABC responded by taking Blackberries away from three of its employees (real mature, guys, take your ball and go home, won't you?), and the two parties came to a resolution June 24th (it wasn't detailed). But there are big issues at play here.

I hadn't called my favorite pizza place in a while because I've been making my own (it's cheaper and I've been trying to eat mostly organic food). But I was going out for the night, leaving my husband alone with three boys, so I called Rudy's and ordered the best deal: the $9.99 medium pepperoni pizza.

"There's a $15 minimum now," said the voice on the other end, apologetically. "Gas is $4 a gallon, you know."

I wasn't the only one to be hit with expenses due to rising gas prices (and what's worse, my husband didn't eat the $5.99 antipasto salad I ordered). Many businesses are starting to charge for delivery, or tacking fuel surcharges on top of existing prices. The Washington Post points to a $10 increase in the cost of a mowed lawn for one woman; off-the-charts fuel surcharges at grocery delivery service Peapod; and the surcharges to ship packages at UPS and FedEx, going up by a percentage point to 9.5% on July 6 thanks to the ever-rising cost of diesel. Green Daily wrote about a fuel surcharge for traffic violations that will go into effect in one Georgia town July 1.

Naturally, not everyone is cool with the added on costs.

Late on rent? Loan shark breathing down your neck? Can't fill your car with gas to get to work on Monday? Assuming all available funds and traditional sources of credit are tapped out, here are 25 (legal) ways to
raise cash in a few days. We list them in order from least to most desperate.

In high school, I was really a whiz at money management. I had my lunch budget figured out: a chocolate chip cookie with ice cream was $1.50, and I carefully allowed a few quarters left over for sour cream-and-onion potato chips. Sweet and savory: a balanced diet! I always paid for my cheerleading uniform before school started (priorities!). And I had a great way of making extra cash: returning stuff.

My best girlfriend infected me with a serious shopping habit. We'd figured out the best bus routes to all the local malls when we couldn't beg a ride from her mom (my mom, it seems, had better things to do with her time). We'd head out with our wallets full of my meager salary from the fast food restaurant where I worked, and her meager allowance, and we'd shop for OP t-shirts and Brass Plum rayon pants and whatever else was in style that season. And when we ran out of money; when we found we needed, more than anything else, to have a hamburger at Red Robin, we'd take the purchases back.

Nordstrom was our favorite back then, and it's still great for those who have a hard time with commitment; the department store's return policy is legendary for its flexibility. Taking recently-purchased items back for cash is really one of the most efficient ways of making quick cash.

Late on rent? Loan shark breathing down your neck? Can't fill your car with gas to get to work on Monday? Assuming all available funds and traditional sources of credit are tapped out, here are 25 (legal) ways to
raise cash in a few days. We list them in order from least to most desperate.

Every year my best crafting buddy, Larissa and I sign up for our favorite holiday bazaar (the table fees are cheap and it's for a good cause) and set out to make a good bit of our Christmas money through making hats, bags, wallets and wristlets out of recycled sweaters. While some items languish on our artful table, others fly out the door (often worn by the purchaser), and I use this research as a stop-gap measure when I've totally spent all my coffee-and-yarn budget for the month.

When I'm entirely broke, I'll get out the sewing machine. My favorite quick project is little stuffed geese (I call 'em "teething birds" because babies love to chew on their little birdy heads) made out of thrifted fabric, and they sell like crazy on Etsy, an online shop devoted to crafty vendors.

Selling crafts is a fantastic way to make quick money (as long as you don't get too hung up in your hourly wage), especially for an at-home parent or someone with a lot of time gaps in your day.

As my husband was on his way home from dropping our oldest son off for his next-to-last day of kindergarten, I received a tweet from a friend in Colorado. School's out in Denver, and she noticed the number of dads was equal to the number of moms dropping their kids off at camp. Sign of the economy? she wondered.

I, too, have noticed an ever-larger number of dads dropping their children off at daytime activities and walking with their babies to the coffeeshop here in Portland. At my three-year-old's speech class, two daddies wait outside for two little boys. At the grocery store in the late-morning, I spot a number of papas wearing infants in slings. Not only are they all riding bikes (part green, part money-saving), daddies are really involved with their children's lives this summer!

Or is it that they're just unemployed? With rising unemployment rates and the economy skittering out of control, in my house the papa is involved about 20% because he's such a great daddy, and 80% because he's the one who's not earning a paycheck.



Maybe this isn't a (totally) bad thing, though -- getting both parents actively involved in a child's life will make for stronger families and better adults-to-be down the line. I'm not sure if I've seen research to suggest it, but anecdotally, the kids I knew whose dads were very involved generally grew up to be really fine, productive members of society. Hey. There's a silver lining to unemployment for you!

My friends and neighbors and I are catching on to the latest sustainability movement: farming your front yard. It's variously called "Food Not Lawns" or "Edible Estates" or "Urban Homesteading" or simply "gardening." But it's not just about growing a little food, eating local, saving money, or helping the planet; it can also be about making money.

And it's not new, or American. In fact, Cubans have been farming urban plots for decades. An AP story yesterday tells of a woman whose government job was cut back to $3 a month. She took advantage of a government program (championed by Raul Castro) that supported urban farming and took over a 1/2 acre plot. Now she makes $100 to $250 a month growing spinach, sweet potatoes and spinach, and selling them to her neighbors. Every penny she makes goes straight to her own pocket, and she's feeding her family in the bargain.

As Americans increasingly grow disillusioned with an economy that's built to work them long, hard hours, far from home, rarely spending time outdoors or with their family, never cooking their food; as consumers demand more and more locally- and sustainably-grown produce; urban farming is becoming exceedingly attractive. A friend recently contacted me with a proposal: a woman she knew was growing food in her backyard to sell to local restaurants. Might I help her?

With a huge, sunny, fertile backyard and a developing interest in gardening, I was all for it.

I swear this isn't the punchline to a joke. "Where do Pringles tube inventors go when they die??" "Their ashes are buried in a potato chip can!" When 89-year-old retired chemist Dr. Fredric J. Baur gathered his family members to discuss his eventual passing on into the great beyond, he told them he wanted to have his remains buried in the invention of which he was most proud: the Pringles tube.

Dr. Baur was working at Procter and Gamble when the iconic potato flake chip-type product was created, and he designed and obtained the patent for its tube-shaped can. According to his daughter Linda, he considered this his "proudest accomplishment."

The tube is buried (with what didn't fit in the can in a boring ordinary urn) at Arlington Memorial Gardens in Cincinnati, Ohio. Unfortunately, grave decorations at the cemetery are limited to fresh cut flowers placed in vases approved by Arlington, so you may not be able to leave Dr. Baur a bouquet of screamin' dill pickles in a Pringles can.

I was unable to discover which flavor of Pringles Dr. Baur's descendants emptied before filling it with his ashes. Which flavor do you think most represents eternal solitude?

This post is part of our series ranking the top 25 bygone products and trends we'd like to see return.

My first real job outside of babysitting was for an odd local fast food chain in Portland, Ore. called "Arctic Circle." We were famous for three things: our fry sauce, our enormous taco salads, and our milk shakes. The milk shakes were made with soft serve ice cream, seasonal mix-ins, and real milk, mixed in old-fashioned steel cups. I still remember the grinding noise of the milkshake blades grazing the edge of the cup, and working the milk machine, purposely making a shake that was far too much to fit in the cup so I could pour the leftovers into a little cup and indulge.

Unfortunately, today's milkshake is barely recognizable compared to those of the middle of the century. Most milkshakes consumed by Americans today come from McDonald's, Wendy's or Starbucks; where they are all individually "branded", Shamrock Shake, Frosty, Frappuccino, so that it's clear the milk is but a minor player. Nonfat milk solids, corn syrup solids, guar gum, dextrose, cellulose gum, vanillan. Is this progress?

Not in my book. Give me simple ice cream (maybe even made with actual cream!), a handful of berries or a teaspoonful of vanilla, and a nice pull from the milk machine. Mix it up with the original "immersion blender," pour it thickly into a glass, and give me a long-handled spoon. Now that is a milkshake.

What soda fountain treat do you miss the most?

This post is part of our series ranking the top 25 bygone products and trends we'd like to see return.

Neither my husband nor my eldest son will eat pie crust. As I believe my talents in the pie department are at least an A-, it's my theory that the vast majority of today's pies have so disappointed the two that they're helplessly pessimistic, certain that every pie is encased in the same rubbery, tasteless mess. Rather than suffer through such a simpering shell, they dig out the middle.

If only the first pie they'd eaten had been made with lard.

My mother made pie crusts with lard when I was a girl, and I grew up with the firm belief that there was no better part of the pie than the crust. I can recall vividly arguing with my siblings over who would get the piece with the sloppiest-hanging-over-the-edges-iest portion of flaky pastry. Pie experts know that lard "makes the flakiest, most flavorful crust known to man." It's due to the chemistry of lard's lipids, which form unusually large crystals.

Worried about lard's unhealthy reputation? First, you shouldn't be eating enough pie so that it's an enormous portion of your diet, anyway. But second, it's a rich dietary source of Vitamin D, and is actually only 40% saturated fat; 50% is the healthy monounsaturated fat. So if you can find a good source of lard without additives, a good pie crust with lard can make a comeback in your kitchen.

And maybe mine too. Now if I can just coax my husband to try a bite...

What home cooked foods do you remember best?

This post is part of our series ranking the top 25 bygone products and trends we'd like to see return.

Before Martha Stewart was even born; when Mid-Century Modern was in the future; before anyone had come up with the moniker "shelter mag," House & Garden magazine had already hit its stride. The magazine was launched in 1901 as an architecture journal, and was transformed into one of the first publications about interior design when the legendary Conde Nast took over a decade later.

While House & Garden would go through several rough spots (notably, being renamed "HG" when Anna Wintour, later to be the famous "Devil" and Vogue editor, was editor-in-chief), even closing down for a few years in the early 1990s, it was still always at the top of the list of venerable magazine titles. But in November 2007, Conde Nast announced abruptly that the December issue would be the magazine's last.

It was a personnel issue that prompted the magazine's closure; its publisher had left a month earlier, abruptly, after having set an awkward direction for advertisers. The declining ad revenue, housing downturn and rudder-less staff meant a turnaround would be slow and expensive; Conde Nast's management didn't have the stomach for it.

The magazine's departure, though, didn't sit well with its loyal readers' stomachs, and they've been clamoring to get the stylish title back (along with its vivid and talented editor, Dominique Browning) since the announcement was made. What will it take to give H&G one more life? We don't know, but we're certainly eager to see it happen.

Which defunct magazines do you miss?

This post is part of a series about real-life signs we're in a recession.

I was pregnant with my first son, Everett, when my family bought a membership to the Oregon Zoo. Here in Portland, obstetricians actually suggest eager moms-to-be walk up and down the hills at the zoo when they're trying to stimulate contractions.

It didn't work much, but it started a family connection to the zoo (and hilariously, a baby mountain goat was born the same day as Everett), and now that we have three children, we've upgraded to the most serious membership of all. My husband's favorite thing to do with the children is to get on the bus (we've given up our family car) and take the boys to see animals. With the $100 annual membership, all our visits are free but for snacks.

Ahem. But for snacks. Visits have been few and far between lately, because the snacks at the zoo now seem so expensive. Even though the baby doesn't ask for elephant ears, buying even one treat for every family member with a full set of teeth can set us back $20 -- more than our typical family grocery budget for a day (and we haven't had a zip of nutrition, in all likelihood). I don't mind packing snacks for the boys to go on an afternoon excursion (especially if that leaves me home alone in peace), but have you ever taken a five-year-old and three-year-old to the zoo and refused to buy them the treats offered at every turn? Umm-hmmm. Avoiding the "gimmes" when we truly can't afford to satisfy them is the reason we now spend a lot more of our entertainment time enjoying the wildlife in our own backyard.

While there are lots of opinions pro and against the Economic Stimulus Package checks (hitting your bank account beginning May 2!), the fact is: they're coming no matter what you think. We all have heard the prevailing skepticism as to whether $300 - $3,000 a family will do anything to help the failing dollar or to create jobs; in the end, who knows? But we have some ideas about how we could spend together to create the change we want to happen. And we'd be remiss as a personal finance site if we didn't come up with some ways you can truly stimulate your own personal economy.

Let's start with a couple of Don'ts. Don't use your rebate check for conspicuous consumption -- TVs, DVD players, large bottles of Champagne, imported Kobe beef, a trip to Cancun. Don't use it to create a greater need for fossil fuels; not as a down payment for a new car (if your very survival depends on a car, at least get a used one), or to trade up to a bigger gas guzzler, or for a power mower, or to put a new hot tub in. Do this and you'll help stimulate us into the worst possible direction.

Here's a better idea. Do try to spend it locally on something that will benefit your financial future! I've been reading a lot of smart people's musings about this (and coming up with some of my own), and have identified some areas of absolute crisis in our economy. Our country's farmland is being stripped by the wrong-headed over-production of corn and soy (in complete ignorance of sustainable farming practices). Our limited fossil fuel resources are being frittered away unnecessarily so we can continue to cling to our isolated, wasteful car culture. Our healthcare expenditures are reaching a panic point, while we are eating ever-more-expensive, ever-more-damaging food. Life as we know it is not sustainable, and no one seems to have the willpower to reverse the societal tide.

Doing something radical with your Economic Stimulus Package check can be both fun and good for your own financial bottom line. You'll end up with more money left after your pay your bills, you'll be healthier, and you may just spur a tiny bit of social change. At the very least, it can't hurt you. Here are some ideas:

I am one of the world's leading procrastinators. Last night I finished and hit "transmit" on my E-filed taxes at exactly 11:59 p.m. I had planned to do my taxes in February, of course, and then... all of the sudden it was April 15th, and it was nearly midnight. What some people do for an adrenaline rush, hmmm?

But in previous years I've done far worse. Last year I managed to get my Federal taxes to the post office by 11:56 p.m. on tax day... my Federal taxes for 2005. It wasn't until a few days later that I finished my Federal and state taxes for 2006, and my state taxes for 2005. So I know exactly what happens to a person who doesn't file her (or his) taxes on time.

Did you miss the deadline? Did you forget to file an extension, or just not get around to it? Are you, too, a tax delinquent? Firstly: take a deep breath. No one is going to throw you in prison for sending in your taxes a few days late. They won't even call or write, not for several months (and, if you haven't filed in previous years, they could never call or write, depending on whether or not you have had income reported to government agencies). If you manage to get them in a reasonable time frame (less than six months), you'll just be paying a small penalty and interest (if you owe taxes), as much as 4.5% and more if your taxes are more than 60 days late (at least $100, or a penalty equal to the whole amount you owe, whichever is smaller).

What if you're owed a refund?

How can you profit from Oracle CEO Larry Ellison's amazing eccentricity? Hint: the answer is not buying Oracle stock. Nope. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Ellison recently successfully gained a reassessment in the property taxes for his enormous Japanese-style home in Woodside, California. And you can too!

Ok, so you probably didn't spend so outrageously much on your home (for Larry, $12 million for the land and another $200 million to build his Japanese-style seven-bedroom palace complete with separate tea house, bath house, and waterfalls; Luxist had details on all Larry's real estate ventures). And you probably won't register a $3 million refund. But you might be able to get back a few hundred dollars, if you feel your home's worth has been set at the market's peak, while your income is slightly more down-market. And remember, as Tracy Coenen posted, you have rights as a taxpayer!

So, how was Ellison able to justify the reassessment?

I'm trying to live a slower life, and years ago I cancelled all my family's credit cards and we've now gone for almost two years without a car. A big problem with this sort of lifestyle is that it's truly hard to take a vacation -- it turns out that all of our vacations had been financed through credit.

When I saw Zac Bissonnette's post on a bank offering "vacation loans," I shook my head right along with him. (And no, vacation loans are not a solution for a family living without credit cards!) My solution has been something far more practical and with both financial and psychological benefits: I vacation in my own backyard.

Last year, I took a week off in early April to slay blackberry vines that had taken over my yard and dig up the dirt, make raised beds, and build a big sandbox for my boys. This year, my week's spring break will feature the transplanting of several varieties of tomato and pepper, the aggressive creation of an herb garden, the planting of an experiment with four new types of beans, and the digging out of a garden on the other side of my yard, to be used as a several-years rotation.

I've recently become enamored with gardening, so my upfront cost for my vacation this year is about $400 in various gardening books, fencing, plants, and a splurge on some very expensive fertilizer (kelp meal, recommended by a favorite local author; I plan to share with my neighbors). Instead of researching attractions and finding the best price for a hotel, I'll be building a pergola and trying to figure out which are the best grapes for our soil. Instead of expensive dinners at roadside restaurants, I'll go all out and buy two new blueberry bushes.