StudioGlyphic

Category: Useful Stuff

  • File for unemployment

    This probably sounds pretty obvious to a lot of people, but if you’ve lost your job, file for unemployment benefits as soon as you are no longer working.

    I’ve known a few people who’ve lost their jobs and seemed reluctant to file for unemployment benefits. They figure their financial situation is not dire and that they can get by with their savings and severance packages until they land a new gig. I’m not sure if this is a matter of pride, an inability to deal with a highly stressful situation, or pure laziness.

    The fact of the matter is that if you’ve had gainful employment, then you’ve been paying for unemployment insurance directly and indirectly, and now’s the time to collect on that insurance. The benefits aren’t much; the maximum in California is $450 a week if you earned an annual salary of $47,000 or higher. But they should take the edge off your unemployed status and give you some breathing room until you find a new job that’s comparable to your old.

    Benefits can start the week you are unemployed; you may not get benefits for up to one week, starting from the time you file for unemployment benefits, so you’re best off filing as soon as you can. With almost 1 in 10 workers facing unemployment, processing times can be lengthy. Again, you’re best off filing as soon as you can.

    California Employment Development Department – Unemployment

  • E-file your California tax return for free

    E-file your California tax return for free

    If you live in California, you probably qualify to use CalFile, the Franchise Tax Board’s free e-file service for filing your California tax return.

    Who qualifies to use CalFile? You can if you:

    • Are filing a 2008 California personal income tax return.
    • Were a California resident all year in 2008.
    • Meet our CalFile qualifications – 6.4 million California taxpayers do.

    I’ve used TurboTax to prepare my return for the last nine years because the questionnaire will often jog my memory about something I need to put into my tax return. They also now have the free It’s Deductible website where I can track and estimate the value of my charitable donations throughout the year and import into TurboTax at tax time.

    TurboTax only allows you to e-file your federal return for “free,” charging $20 to e-file the state return.* So I’ve always opted to print out and submit my state return by certified mail.

    Last year I came across CalFile after I’d already prepared everything for mailing. This year I decided to give it a try, using the TurboTax numbers as a basis for comparison. CalFile took less than 30 minutes (faster than a trip to the post office) and was pretty easy. I highly recommend it.

    *TurboTax tried to jack up their prices and screw their customers earlier this year, as reflected in the 1-star reviews on Amazon. In response to the outrage, Intuit dropped their prices to be competitive with TaxCut and stopped trying to charge $10 for every e-filed or printed federal return. In a related bit of shadiness, Amazon allowed the earlier Turbotax reviews to get wiped clean because they were now selling a “new version” of the software.

    Image CC BY StockMonkeys.com

  • Cocktail Recipe: Sidecar

    One of the more expensive drinks you could make.

    Sidecar

    • 2 parts Cognac
    • 2 parts Cointreau
    • 1 part lemon juice

    Shake with cracked ice; strain into chilled cocktail glass frosted with sugar.

    Some notes:

    Ingredients matter. Use Cognac, Cointreau, and fresh lemons. Bottled lemon juice doesn’t belong anywhere near your shaker.

    Don’t skimp on the ice. The little known ingredient in many cocktails is ice melt (water). Don’t skimp on the shaking, either. Count to 30.

    Frosting the glass. Run a lemon wedge around the rim of the glass, then rotate the glass upside-down in a bit of sugar.

  • Turkey Recipe

    Separate skin from breast with your hand. Pour a few tablespoons of brandy under the skin. Shove fresh rosemary, fresh bay leaves, peeled cloves of garlic, sliced onions, and sliced lemons (with the peel) under the skin and inside the body cavity. Fill rest of cavity with stuffing.

    Roast turkey according to directions. Baste every 15 minutes. Don’t use an oven bag.

    NaBloPoMo 22

  • California Department of Insurance

    Soon after I bought the S2000 I started shopping around for a new insurance company. I’d been with the Auto Club for years, but I figured I could save some money if I looked. A friend of mine recommended Wawanesa, but I wanted to get more information.

    The California Department of Insurance, as it turns out, has some fantastic information on insurance companies.

    The Consumer Complaint Study ranks insurance companies “based on the number of Justified Complaints to 100,000 Earned Exposures.”

    The Automobile Premium Survey features “an interactive tool for consumers to use to obtain a premium comparison between insurance companies.”

    Wawanesa ranked third-lowest out of fifty in the complaint study and lowest in premiums for my particular insurance needs ($400 cheaper than anyone else!). Highly recommend!!! A+++

    NaBloPoMo 6