Times Really Are Tuff!

An Announcement. And Pink Slipped's Greatest Hits

From Vault.com

O, loyal Pink Slipped reader (assuming there is such a thing). We bring you today some good news, and some bad. The good news: the economic conditions that served as the founding raison d'etre for this blog increasingly seem to be waning. Recovery is the order of the day, and we're fast approaching a point—at least according to the President—where we can expect to see some 250,000 jobs created every month.
The bad news isn't really bad news at all, except for those of you who may have Pink Slipped bookmarked: in light of the improvement in economic conditions—and our determination to offer content that's not only fresh but relevant to the world around us—we have decided to discontinue Pink Slipped. Fear not: our regular content (Jobs in Your Area, Tweet Gigs, and the like) will be shifting over to Vault's Careers Blog, where you'll also find our latest takes on all things related to the challenges of finding employment today: from advice on dealing with workplace issues to tips on landing that ideal position.
We couldn't let Pink Slipped go without a little look back at some of the issues we covered, and paying tribute to some of the most entertaining and informative posts we covered over the 18 months the blog was active. Without further ado then:

• Anyone remember what The Best Job in the World was? Here's a clue: it involved laying on a beach, and this guy won it.
• Great News! You've Been Upgraded! While the economy in January 2009 was an incredibly depressing affair, with layoffs being announced and conducted everywhere you looked, we attempted to inject a little humor into the situation, with this roundup of some of the most egregious "management twaddle" out there.
• Apparently the folks at Microsoft didn't read the previous blog: if they had, they'd surely have know that laying people off via email would find them a home in our hall of shame.
• Remember how crazy 2008 was? The year that Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns went under? Well, 2009 was almost at bad. How bad? Up was down: The health care industry stopped hiring (temporarily), while Lehman actually emerged as one of the few firms that hired anyone that year.
• In an era where more were having to get by with less, we produced a definitive guide to getting by on $405 a week.
• Among those tips for saving cash: going out less. And, if you're going to be at home anyway, what better way to spend your "funemployment" than with a good recession-themed movie.
• Movies not your thing? How about a TV show. Like the one where the chaps at South Park explained the financial collapse with the help of a blender.
• Or why not get the most out of your local library. (Disclaimer: while the information on libraries is solid and well-researched, that item is included largely because of its headline.)
• As the recession (and 2009) wore on, it became clear that no group was safe from its ravages. Like older workers, who were particularly hard hit as a group. And zoo animals.
• Not even baseball was safe. Come the World Series, we uncovered solid information that a Yankees win would be better for the economy than a Phillies win. And it looks like we were on to something: look at what's happened to the economy since then!
• Perhaps the biggest trend we spotted over the course of the recession was the huge upswing in people doing crazy stuff to stand out in the job market. Some of it was amusing, while other attempts were downright ingenious, if not strictly ethical.
• Whatever else we did, though, we always sought to find silver linings, and to offer guidance wherever we could. For that reason, we occasionally called out august publications, let you know when stuff got cheaper, and even traveled to hear former world leaders give their predictions on the future of the global economy. (That's if you count going 60 blocks in the NYC subway as "travel", of course).

And there you have it: a whistle-stop tour of some of the moments we've most enjoyed bringing you over the lifetime of this blog—despite the bouts of panic and confusion that reigned for large parts of it, and the constant drumbeat of layoffs that served as the backdrop to most of our work. Much as we're sad to see it go, we're very glad that Pink Slipped is no longer necessary. With that in mind, thanks for reading, and we hope to see you over at Vault's Careers Blog soon.

A Tale Of Inspiration When The Chips Are Down

Web Coupon Sites - As Promised

http://www.clickit4deals.com

http://dealseekingmom.com/

http://www.retailmenot.com/

http://couponqueen.yourli.com/

http://livingsocial.com/cities http://deallocker.com/

http://www.groupon.com/learn

http://www.couponcabin.com/index.htm?utm_campaign=000125&gclid=CPCg_b-E-6ECFQqbnAodBUlbGQ

http://www.couponclub.com/

http://www.southernsavers.com/

http://www.weusecoupons.com/

http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/

http://www.retailmenot.com/

http://slickdeals.net/

http://www.fatwallet.com/

http://consumerist.com/

http://www.couponshack.com/

http://districtthreeed.blogspot.com/2008/03/rss-for-total-newbies.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0klgLsSxGsU

http://sqlserverpedia.com/blog/professional-development/google-reader-tutorial-video/

Motivation. Is This Video True?

Still Hanging In

Finally put info on the "net" services - messed up and allowed email address to be seen on one of them - getting a lot of spam messages. Be sure to put privacy on on your posts if you decide to do it.
I'm not much into coupons - but I have been monitoring them on the internet. There is a coupon for everything. I'll be adding coupon blogs to the site in the near future.

I started another blog - Tales From The Pulp Side.  It is supposed to be a little humorous - send me your stories if you have any.

Looks like there will be a lot of activity in the tri-county area in the next 9 to 12 months - so - keep your hopes up.

Hitting The Wall

I finally did it - hit the wall that is. I thought I was doing fine. No emotional breakdowns. This loosing your job thing was just another problem to tackle. Well, I was at a board meeting, discussion budget cuts and layoffs, and was overcome with emotion. Don't know why, but I had about a 15 minute time period where it was difficult to speak. It passed, and I was fine again, but it goes to show you just never know how things will affect your deep down emotional state.

On a plus side, my forced vacation has given me an opportunity to do things that have not been possible before - such as serving as a "Model UN" judge. I've known a little about the program, because two of my sons participated, but this was an interesting experience - watching high school students act out on the "world stage".  It made for a very long, but rewarding day. I was able to see the future, and it looked pretty bright.