Marla Mayes
Marla used to work in a corporate office. Now she doesn t. Since the economy tanked...and 2 yrs. of unemployment...she now works as a permanent (part-time) temp, freelance writer, and other work-from-home odd jobs. A Sweepstakes-aholic (reformed Shop-aholic), she loves As-Seen-on-TV gadgets, infomercials, watching Dancing With The Stars and PanAm, Tweeting, and obviously has too much free time.....
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- Content
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- Fans
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- Contributor since
- 11/12/2011
Featured Contributor
- Politics
Education/Experience
Bachelor of Science
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Displaying Results 1 - 56 (of 56) for All Content
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Going Cheap on Wedding Ceremony Music Can Ruin Your Wedding DayHow just one wrong note, and other wedding music flubs, can ruin your wedding day. Hiring inexperienced, amateur wedding musicians can trim wedding costs, but are the paltry savings worth it?
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Warren Buffett Rescues Local Southern Newspapers, and That's a Good ThingBerkshire Hathaway Inc. is purchasing a majority share of Media General's local newspapers in the U.S. Southeast. Might Warren Buffett become a worthy rival to Rupert Murdoch's news media influence?
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Florida Voter Turnout 2012: Apathy, Suppression, or Write-In Protest?Every Florida vote counts in presidential elections as the infamous Gore v. Bush, and almost-was Kerry v. Bush, elections proved. Obama barely won Florida in 2008, so what's happened since then that may adversely affect 2012 voter turnout?
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First Person: I'm Too Broke to Go BankruptIn debt for $42K, I can't afford the $1,500 lawyer fee and court costs to file for bankruptcy. CNN Money reports I'm not alone. Estimates indicate that I'm one of up to a million people this year that are too broke to afford bankruptcy fees.
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Starting a New Office Job? Advice for College GraduatesThe transition from college life to working professional can be a rude awakening for college graduates of the competitive kind.
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Michele Bachmann's Swiss Dual Citizenship Is a National Security RiskMichele Bachmann revealed her dual citizenship, recently granted by Switzerland, during a Swiss public TV network interview Tuesday evening according to Politico. The Republican congresswoman's dual citizenship warrants a national security investigation. -
First Person: My 79-Year-Old Dad Refinanced His House for Another 30 YearsMy parents bought their home in 1970. After 40 years of first, second, and sometimes third mortgage payments, they refinanced it again with a 30-year home loan. What were they thinking?
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I Gave Up Playing the Lottery for SweepstakesGiving up a treasured luxury expense of $10 a week for lottery tickets was necessary when I lost my job. It was tough to lose my weekly dose of lotto hope. But I found the funner (and free) world of online sweepstakes and won a few small prizes too!
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Ann Romney Portrays Dumb Blonde with Fishy $1K Fashionista Fowl Shirt MomentFirst lady wannabe, Ann Romney, displayed an incredible lack of commonista sense with a 1K T-shirt choice on a recent CBS TV morning show. ABC News confirmed today the pricey, designer, off-the rack, selection. Certainly seems fishy, or fowl...
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Beautiful Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Gardening MomsIf your Mom loves growing flowers and plants like mine, you can impress her with thoughtful consideration of her favorite hobby on Mother's Day with these attractive garden-lover gifts.
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First Person: I'm Working Part Time and I Couldn't Be HappierPart-time jobs in the corporate world can be tough to find as they are often not posted on the usual job boards. This is how I got my unadvertised part-time job with an engineering and manufacturing company and how it's helping my future career options.
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Supporting Ron Paul is Naive: Small Governments Are for Small CountriesRon Paul is staying the course with his modified campaign and his Minnesota delegate award tactics have Mitt Romney's campaign staff concerned. Ron Paul continues on because his small, yet enthusiastic young supporters are inexperienced in the real world.Also published on:
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First Person: I Was Charged $2,500 After My Apartment Move-OutThe best apartment I've ever rented was the worst after move out. I had no idea what one ridiculous $2,500 fee was for until I received a class-action lawsuit notice. This is my apartment rental move out horror story.
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Mitt Romney Should Pick Jeb Bush Over Marco Rubio for Vice PresidentThe Republican VP nomination sweeps have started with potential Floridian candidates' flip-flops and Freudian slips. If Mitt Romney is looking to win over Florida Independents, Jeb Bush would do better than Marco Rubio for these reasons.
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Pinterest: Invited but Can I 'PinIt' to Earn Extra Cash?There are too many social media sites out there in cyberland to keep up with. So I need to focus my online time with sites that I can earn the most extra cash with. Blogging and tweeting for cash is viable, but can I "PinIt" for extra income on Pinterest?
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Saving on Pet Care Without Skipping EssentialsI've kept my pet from homelessness even though my budget is tight. Long-term unemployment and underemployment lowered my earnings from middle class to low income, yet I haven't compromised on quality pet care by using these money saving strategies.
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First Person: I Started a Small Business For Just $10Selling makeup and beauty supplies from home was a low cost way to start-up a small business and earn extra cash. It was fun and profitable working from home as an independent sales representative for two years until I relocated for another job.
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First Person: 3 Things I Won't Buy Used AnymoreBuying used items can be an effective money saving strategy for the right things, but there's some stuff I'll never buy second-hand again. Some things are just not worth the trouble.
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Buffett Rule Should Be an Easy Bi-Partisan Win in CongressWhat the Warren Buffet Rule means to me is millionaire's will pay more taxes, pay their fair share, or pay it forward into the American economy instead of stashing hoards of cash in off-shore accounts and investments. Works for this 99%'er.Also published on:
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Autistic Foster Girl's Drowning in Florida was PreventableA 9-year-old severely autistic foster child, who could barely speak, went missing for three hours from a child's party despite 8 adults in attendance. Divers found her body in a pond near her potential adoptive parents' home on Golden Silence Drive.
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First Person: Spring Cleaning My Financial PaperworkClearing piles of unpaid bills, debt collector nasty-grams, and other assorted paperwork clutter can be daunting - even for a professional data manager. Here's how I'm putting my day job skills to work for me at home to spring clean my paperwork clutter.
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Sarah Palin Declares 'Game On' to Katie Couric in Morning Show Guest-Host FeudSarah Palin will guest-host NBC's "Today Show" for Tuesday's primary in an attempt to counter Katie Couric's guest-hosting on ABC's "GMA" this week. Palin on TV, again? What could NBC be thinking?
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Obama Needs Olbermann to Win Re-ElectionKeith Olbermann, fired in a fury from his Current TV gig, is raging much like his firing from MSNBC in 2011. Democrats won big-time in 2008 with Olbermann at the helm of MSNBC’s presidential election coverage – coincidence? More like reverse déjà vu.
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First Person: My 5-Year, Debt-Free College DegreeI paid my own way to obtain a four year college degree without student loans or Pell Grants. A combination of planning, mentoring, saving money and a rare opportunity made it possible.
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Popular on Facebook? You’re so Vain According to New StudyA new study connects Facebook activity with narcissism. While some may think "doh" or "that’s news?" -- others counter that egotism on social networking sites is just self-promotion for a reasonable purpose. So what's the diff? -
First Person: Helping My Fixed-Income, Retired Parents Save on GroceriesLike many of the elderly, my parents lose track of what's already in their refrigerator and food pantry. Worse, they are both foodies and are susceptible to grocery sales on goodies. Using the internet is how I'm helping them save on grocery shopping.
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Is Amazon.Com’s Purchase of Kiva Systems a Brilliant Move?Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com’s eccentric bigillionaire founder, may have bigger game-changer-innovator-extraordinaire long-term plans in mind. Is it something bigger than retail warehouse automation?
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Republicans: Does the Right to Life Include Right to Health Care?The Supreme Court needs to be the adult in this Left Wing vs. Right Wing health care reform feud. In a twisted paradox, it's a Right to Choose Healthcare righties vs. the Right to Choose Life lefties political showdown.
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First Person: I'm Living on Less Than Minimum WageAffordable housing is the biggest challenge for minimum wage workers, more so for those of us making less. My housing situation is not ideal, but it's better than being homeless.
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First Person: A $10 Cell Phone Plan Is Enough for MeI switched pre-paid cell phone plans from unlimited, anytime, text, data, email, internet, and voice to a pay-as-you-go plan. I'm saving $40 a month by switching plans.
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First Person: Middle-Aged, Broke and Deeply in DebtLong term unemployment, underemployment, and family medical have me stuck near the bottom of the 99% pool. I've got to start from scratch somehow to recover from this financial mess I'm in. This is my plan for financial recovery.
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First Person: I'm Rebuilding My Savings from ScratchMy father's savings account was charged for inactivity during a recent 3 month hospital stay, despite maintaining $1,000 plus in his checking account. This is how I avoid inactivity fees by saving money using an online only bank savings account.
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March Madness at Consumerist.Com: The Worst Company in America PlayoffsThe Consumerist, a non-profit subsidiary of Consumer Reports, wants your votes for the worst of the worst companies in America. Voting is fashioned after March Madness NCAA bracket tournament with company vs. company online square-off votes.Also published on:
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No Pink Slime in Publix Hamburgers, but Hold the TomatoPublix Supermarkets, a top grocery store chain in Florida, had a major win and fail on the national stage this week. They do not use the notorius "pink slime" in their beef, yet tomato farmworker protestors were joined by Ethel Kennedy.Also published on:
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Kris Humphries Insists Kim Kardashian Return the Wedding GiftsAren't wedding gifts joint property? Why is Kim Kardashian donating double the value of the gifts, and then some, to a charity instead of returning them? Who gets the tax write-off?
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I Conquered Stage Fright and Fear of Public Speaking in a Most Unusual Way...Art ClassGetting beyond extreme shyness to become a (reluctant) art class model was the best personal and professional growth development thing I've ever done, albeit inadvertently. My stage fright transformed into a calm and comfortable me on stage ever since.
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First Person: I'm on Unemployment But I'm Still WorkingEarning up to $58 a week by self-employment or part-time work is allowed without any reduction in unemployment aid in my state, Florida. This is how I've earned extra pocket cash during unemployment.
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A Dog's Day at the ZooThis poem was inspired by a photo of a Guide Dog puppy in a training session at the zoo.
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First Person: No Retirement for Me?My parents retired early in their 50s. Now in their 70s with failing health, I'm looking at being their unpaid caretaker for many years. When will I ever be able to retire if I can't work during the next five or 10 or more years?Also published on:
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Industry Rewards Bad Behavior Again: Lindsay Lohan to Host 'SNL' on March 3Lindsay Lohan is scheduled to host Saturday Night Live on March 3. I wish the Industry would not reward her like that and here's why.
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First Person: I'm Pre-Approved For an Auto Loan But I'm Keeping My Old CarI received an unsolicited credit offer to buy a car, but I'm broke, underemployed, and $42K in debt.
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First Person: I Owe $42,000 in Hospital Bills and I’m Not PayingHow a life-threating medical emergency in 2011 put me in debt for almost four times more than my income, yet I had group health insurance. This is why I'm not going to pay.
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First Person: Forced Ranking Systems and Employee HiringHiring designated low performers is an odd management strategy some bosses use, but don't admit to. Here's why.
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First Person: I'm Now a Permanent Temp Worker ... and I Love ItTemping is not a bridge to a permanent job for me. After years of climbing the corporate ladder(s), I was laid off and outsourced -- repeatedly. Surprisingly happier as a temporary office worker, permanently, here's why I made that mid-life career choice.
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First Person: Grandma Got Ripped Off by a ScammerHelping my elderly mom identify credit card fraud, recover the loss, and report the scam. Hacker security breaches at scads of banking and shopping websites, she already had (free) identity theft protection provided by her afflicted credit card company.
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5 Single Boomer Celebrities that Should Be on 'Dancing with the Stars'"DWTS" could transform these perpetually single baby boomers personal lives for the better and why it would be fun to watch them.
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5 Single Music Celebrities that Should Be on 'Dancing with the Stars'Divorced or long - time single, these Pop - Rock music stars might benefit from a go on the "DWTS" dance floor. Here's why.
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Pantyhose is Glam Again: 5 Ways I Stretch My Sheer Tights DollarPantyhose is back in style! Cheap stockings can get expensive, not to mention the upscale brands, unless I use my easy, budget-saving, extended-wear pantyhose plan.
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New Year, New You: Start Dating Without Online Singles SitesAre you uncomfortable (re)entering the dating scene using the Singles Meet Market dating sites? I am. Effectively advertising yourself as single and available to the opposite sex doesn't require aggressive or expensive online singles marketing.
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Hot ChocolateA winter haiku.
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5 Reasons Why My Sexist, Cheapskate Manager was the Best Boss I Ever HadNot so politically correct Mr. Stan, "The Ice Cream Man", inspired career minded teens back in the day. Albeit sexist and cheap, this is why he was adored and what today's managers can learn from him.
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A Christmas Wish List for OprahA list of things to gift from the heart that honor Oprah's spirit of giving.
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ABC’s Retro '60s TV Show ‘Pan Am’ Makes the Going Glam"Pan Am" is a fun-to-watch early 60’s retro perspective of the times in full color, in a day when TV shows and movies were actually filmed in black and white. But is the show an airbrushed colorized version of the day or Reality TV 60s style?
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My Favorite Christmas ThingsA wacky and fun "My Favorite Things" Christmas poem.
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Many Presents to FindA holiday poem about the quest for the best gifts - written in the villanelle style.
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Snowflake Paws, Floppy JawsA light poem a-la- "Jingle Bells" about a dog having lots-o-fun romping through the snow.
