Tattoo You

According to the Christian Science Monitor, contrary to conventional wisdom, one non-essential expense Americans are not choosing to forgo is a tattoo:
"Just last week one of my coworkers tattooed an 83-year-old woman getting her first tattoo."

So, if you're looking to pick up a new trade, consider skin-inking recession-proof. But if needles make you squeamish, consider these other alternatives. [from MSNBC.com]


[Photo by King Taco]

Recessionist Nirvana

Thousands of people are unemployed or underemployed thanks to the recession. If you are one of the many who are scrabbling for a new job, we at Recession This! feel for you -- many of our friends and loved ones are out there with you.

However, if you are out there struggling to replace the job you had with one at the same salary, you might want to read today's post at The Simple Dollar. It explains that "...the magical amount of 'enough' income is much lower than many people think."

While this is not a tip on how to, say, save money by using your freezer*, hopefully it will help you stress less while on the job hunt and help you decide on a job you want to do, versus one that pays what your last (probably crappy) job paid.

*Like how we snuck that tip in anyway? From NYTimes via Lifehacker]
[Photo by J. Star]

TONIGHT: Free Learning Annex Teleconference + Planet Money

The Learning Annex, purveyor of random seminars of all kinds, is offering a free 14-day trial of their classes.

Tonight, they are offering a free, 45-minute teleconference: "Get Out of Debt Now with Dave Ireland." Ireland is allegedly offering tips on paying off all your debts in 1-3 years, and even paying off your 30-year mortgage (if you have one) in 4-5 years.

Hey, it's free!

From the Learning Annex web site:
"Dave's financial techniques make perfect sense. He has taught thousands how to become debt free and, in this economy, Dave can help you avoid the "debt disaster" that is plaguing millions of Americans.

Dave Ireland is a retired Eastman Kodak Executive with a Master's Degree in Accounting from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He has written numerous books, newspaper and magazine articles on personal finance, including The Monthly Payment Trap and Invest in Your Debt. "

And if you need any more impetus to sign up, listen to last week's This American Life, "Bad Bank" another collaboration between them and the Planet Money people. (You know, the same team who taught us all we needed to know to intelligently freak out last fall.)

[Photo by Jessamyn]

Get Yer Nerd On for Free

For the rest of January and February, you can browse the content of Edinburgh University Press's journals to your nerd heart's content. [via About.com's Medieval History guide -- I'm a huge nerd too, obviously.]

Photo by Kevin Rosseel via morguefile

Recession Reading

Running Girl found this great article from the Daily Mail about Frugalistas in the UK.
Read on:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1033903/The-Frugalistas-Meet-women-beat-credit-crunch-style.html