Tips For Finding Housing on Craigslist

If you have spent any amount of time on Craigslist looking for your next apartment, chances are you have encountered at least one fraudulent ad. These ads are usually believable, in that they provide beautiful photos, and in a lot of cases a legitimate address that you could drive by and look at. They are written in perfect English and can even offer details on school districts that the home is located in.

The point of these ads is to get you to respond expressing your interest in this unbelievable deal. Once you have responded the poster will get back to you explaining that the unit is still available and all you need to do is send them money to some faraway land that they happen to be located in because of some misfortune that they are experiencing. Once you send them the money they will send you the keys and the place will be yours. How AWESOME is THAT?!

Just thinking about the people who post these ads makes my skin crawl. The worst part about it though is that people are falling for this every day! I have actually met people who have sent thousands of dollars to some friendly stranger and then been shocked weeks later when they realize that they not only don't have a place to live, but they just got cheated out of the money that should have gone to finding a real place.

Here are some no fail guidelines to using Craigslist to find your next dream home without getting robbed by these disgusting thieves:

1. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. There is no such thing as a 5 bedroom for $900, no matter how pretty the pictures on the ad are, simple as that.
2. If there is no phone number listed, don't bother. This is one rule that I stick to pretty religiously. Anyone interested in legitimately renting their home out is not going to limit their inquiries to people with email access.
3. If there is a toll free number, I usually don't bother... This one isn't so much related to the scam as it is to another problem on Craigslist which is people trying to get you into a "Rent to Own" property which ends up costing you more in the long run, or they try to sell you a list of foreclosed properties that they claim you could buy with the amount you would be spending on rent.

So yeah, I guess those are my three main tips on avoiding wasting time on Craigslist. It can be a valuable tool in locating your next home, but only if you can dodge the scammers.

Got Free Time?

If you like to help people and have some free time on your hands, volunteering is great. Not only does it give you a great feeling, but it can actually benefit you during a job search because volunteering can (and should!) be added to your resume.

While I was between jobs I spent two afternoons a week volunteering in the kitchen at CityTeam Ministries in San Jose. They always have plenty of spots available, and the people there are absolutely amazing. I don't think it's possible to leave there in a bad mood!

So if you are looking for a constructive way to pass your time, could use some more "meat" to add to your resume, and like to help people in need, CityTeam Ministries is a great volunteer opportunity!

Finding a Job in 2012

Unemployment is a huge problem right now, and not to mention one of the most stressful and frustrating situations to ever find yourself in. Below I have outlined a few of the resources that I found to be valuable during my time in the "unemployment line":

• The first thing that you should always do is apply for Unemployment, I know a lot of people who assumed that they weren't eligible, only to find out that they actually were once they applied. The easiest way to start a claim is online.
• Get registered for Job Seeker Services. I know I focus a lot on programs and things that are available in Sunnyvale, it's because not only am I a current resident, but even when I lived elsewhere in the Bay Area I would make my way out to Sunnyvale to take advantage of the great programs that they have available. One of the programs is the Job Seeker Center . It's located at 505 W. Olive (by the library) and the programs that they have are awesome. They can help you resolve issues with the Unemployment Office, they have classes on interviewing and other skills, they have a bunch of computers available to make a resume and search for jobs online, and you can meet with a job search counselor who will review your resume, assess your goals and help you determine a plan of attack in finding a great job that makes you happy.
• Get registered with a temp agency... Actually, let me just be completely honest, don't register with a temp agency, register with Kelly Services. When I was unemployed I literally spent hours registering with every staffing agency that I could find online and in the Yellow Pages that I kept in the passenger seat of my car. And out of all of the companies I registered with, Kelly was the only one that provided me with steady work, which ultimately ended up resulting in the full time job that I currently have. You can start by emailing your resume to: 1421@kellyservices.com , once you've sent it to them give them a call and set up a time to go in and register. Their phone number is: (408) 392-9369. (All of the contact info that I provided is for the San Jose location, since that is the office that helped me out so much.)
• Look into other free programs available. For instance Goodwill has some great programs available, and CalWORKs has a great program that helps get people back to work.
• Find out if you're eligible for CalWORKs. CalWORKs is a state program for people with children. They provide childcare resources, job seeker services, and will help you with college. To find out if you are eligible, you will need to meet with a worker at the Social Services office. Generally if you call and set up an appointment it can take at least a month before you are seen. Your best bet is to arrive at the office by 7:30 one morning and ask to get on the waiting list, you could be seen that day. The best Social Services office, in my opinion, is the one in Mountain View (100 Moffett Blvd.) the staff is friendly, I've never seen a line out the door, and they just seem to have it together. You can also reach them by phone at: (650) 988-6100
• If you are considering applying for college and think that you might be eligible for financial aid, you can find out by filling out and submitting the FAFSA

I know there are things that I'm forgetting, and I will continue to add them as I remember, but the bottom line is just stay busy! Don't let yourself get into a funk because it's going to set you back. The best advice that I read about getting employed was from someone who said that "being unemployed needs to become your new job, you need to spend eight hours a day working on it, the same way you did at your previous job. You need to keep the same 8:00-5:00 hours, dress to impress, and just always be on the lookout for a potential opportunity."

If anyone has anything else to add, please don't hesitate to share!

Pretty Much the Best Idea I've EVER Had...

So this Christmas is going to be my first Christmas as a single mom where I am not relying on my mom to make it magical.

Usually on Christmas Eve my brothers and I bring our kids over to my mom's house and spend the night there. Once we manage to get the little ones to go to bed we all stay up and fill stockings, arrange presents, etc. Then in the morning all the kids get up at the crack of dawn and wake us up and run downstairs and there is a big Christmas fiasco with shredded paper flying up in the air and fights between them over presents, and then a huge Christmas breakfast courtesy of St. Grandma.


Unfortunately, this year Grandma is having surgery on the 22nd and the rest of us are being forced to pull off Christmas on our own. At first I was kind of bummed... Our "house" is about 500 sq ft and barely holds the three of us, let alone a Christmas tree and presents. I was racking my brain trying to figure out where the kids would hang their stockings and how I would make Christmas morning any different from every other chaotic morning of the year...


Then it hit me! We could stay in a HOTEL! Not just any hotel of course, a hotel with a fireplace for them to hang their stockings, and a separate bedroom where I could put the kids to bed and then sneak out of to leave proof of Santa's visit.


So I called The Grand Hotel in Sunnyvale and booked one of their "Bungalow Suites" which is like a one bedroom apartment, complete with a kitchen, a separate bedroom, and of course a fireplace! Not to mention a complimentary breakfast buffet, which beats having to cook and then do dishes! It did cost me $129 for the night, but that actually isn't that bad and plus, can you really put a price on a great Christmas?


I'm going to get there an hour or two before I bring the kids over and set up a little Christmas scene, with a pre-lit tree, some garland, etc. I'm so excited about it and I think (depending on how well it goes) that this may be a tradition that we keep... At least until we get our own place with a fireplace!

Don't Make Me Call Santa!

One of my favorite things about December is that my kids only need to be reminded once that "Santa is watching!" to whip them into shape real quick any time their behavior is less than desireable. I can't tell you how many times I have texted one of my brothers a heads up that "Santa" was about to get a phone call to report bad behavior. Two minutes later their phone would ring and they would know to answer, "North Pole, Santa speaking" in their jolliest old man voice...Right now there are some free Santa communications available that you can use to get your kids in the Good Behavior Spirit:

• Go Here to download your free letters to and from Santa
• Go Here to send a free call from Santa to your phone (you can send three calls a day, and you can choose from three different messages. My favorite is: "You better watch out!")
• This site lets you upload a picture of your little angel and then it creates a free video to show your child where Santa lets them know whether they've made the Naughty or Nice list this year!
• And Here is another free video builder

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas, and a month of well behaved children!

Know Why I Smile? Cause It's Worth It...

I love to laugh... Sometimes when my kids stress me out, or I feel overwhelmed by my situation, the only way to keep myself upbeat and positive is to watch something funny on the internet.
Last night my boys were having an unstoppable Kung Fu session on the pull out sofa bed, and no threat or increase in volume in my voice could get them to chill out and just sit down. So rather than let my spike in blood pressure give me a stroke, I went out front and sat on our patio chair and watched "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" on my phone... Afterwards I was able to approach my Karate Kids with calmness and serenity...

I remained in my state of harmony for about four minutes, at which point the cushions from the pull out sofa were dragged into a pile in the middle of the living room and my two and seven year old were using them as a target for their spin kicks and front flips as they launched themselves off of the arm rests of the sofa.
So I returned to my meditation spot in the front yard and was very relieved to know that "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" had a sequel, and that I could count on it to be the silver lining of my evening...

143 To Do List!

If you are anything like me, you are probably somewhat familiar with To Do lists... In fact, if you're anything like me at all, you and your To Do list just might be BFF's...
There is never a moment in life when I don't have a To Do list running. I have one on my desk at work, one in my car, one in my purse, one at my house... You get the point. I need to have it that way because if I ever have an ingenious idea, realize that there is some looming homework assignment that my son has due sometime in the near future, or remember that super important food item that needs to be purchased immediately, and I don't have a notebook within arms reach, the moment will pass and so will the important thing that I needed to do.
When I meet people, or even just witness people, who just shift effortlessly from one priority to another, without ever staring off into space for a few moments randomly, or slowly spinning their desk chair around in a circle while they try to figure out what they had been doing just moments before, I don't like them. In fact, I find them a bit creepy, but then that's just me...
Do you keep a To Do list? Do you have some other method of keeping your "crazy" at bay? If so, I would love to hear them! Maybe you have some tools that I can add to my mental tool shed!

Daily Adventures

Until I became the sole provider and only parent of my two sons, there were several things that I had never experienced or even thought twice about having to do.
I had never picked up a tool, thought about an oil change, or had to worry about finances. I don't think I had ever even taken out the trash (don't judge me!).
Once a household dynamic changes as much as it does when a two parent family suddenly becomes a single parent family, all of these things become a harsh reality. This page is where I share those realities and attempt to shed some light on what you can do if ever confronted with a similar situation.
As with every other page on this blog, I hope that others will share their wisdom, funny stories, or plans of attack, so that we all walk away a little more empowered!