Facebook and FourSquare for Downtown Programs

Posted by On Filed under Doing Business Differently, Marketing
Facebook and FourSquare for Downtown Programs

On February 1st, I had the pleasure of presenting at a Vermont Downtown Networking Meeting.  Present were a dozen or more downtown programs, such as Montpelier Alive, Revitalizing Waterbury, and the Barre Partnership, along with their staff, volunteers, and board members.

I spoke about the value of social media for Vermont’s downtowns, as a way to engage citizens, neighbors from surrounding communities and tourists. Specifically, I covered Facebook events, Facebook advertising, FourSquare, and I touched on editorial calendar planning a bit at the end.

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The Day After Thanksgiving

Posted by On Filed under Pause for Reflection 3 Comments
The Day After Thanksgiving

It’s Black Friday. Or Buy Nothing Day. Or Flannel Friday. Or Block Friday. What the day after Thanksgiving is depends on your perspective. Let’s start with that last one.

There’s an amazing company, Holstee, that wrote the Holstee Manifesto and sells really great products, from clothes to cards to mounted Holstee Manifesto posters.  Check out their page today and you’ll see they’re diverting traffic immediately to Block Friday – away from their blog and even their sales page.  [Update 11/30/15: that link no longer works, sorry!]

They explain that Block Friday “started as a way to remind ourselves that even as we begin the holiday shopping season in earnest, we can still be mindful of the way we’re spending our time and money. What are you Blocking Friday for this holiday season?”

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Food Stamp Challenge: Day 7, Finances and Reflections

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Food Stamp Challenge: Day 7, Finances and Reflections

Alright, I’m crunching the numbers on this Food Stamp Challenge, called 3SquaresVT in Vermont. As a single person, I’d be eligible for food stamps if I made 185% of the poverty level, which is $1,723/month gross. I may then be eligible for up to $38/week in benefits. That would be $152/month for groceries. Here’s how it would work for my personal finances:

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Food Stamp Challenge: Days 1-3

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Food Stamp Challenge: Days 1-3

This Food Stamp Challenge, called 3SquaresVT in Vermont, has been an unique experience.

Here’s a check-in from the first few days on the Challenge:

Day 1 (Sunday) was pretty easy, considering that I (unwisely) blew money on a coffee shop visit, did the grocery shopping for the week, and then enjoyed beans and rice for dinner (actually, one of my favorite meals).

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Food Stamp Challenge: Planning

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Food Stamp Challenge: Planning

Today is the first day of the Food Stamp Challenge, known as 3SquaresVT here in Vermont, in which I live on $38/week, the average weekly food benefit of a single person.

It took me about an hour yesterday to plan my recipes and grocery list for the week. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take me long to shop for the grocery items pictured to the right. Here’s the start of my menu for the week, along with costs.

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The Food Stamp Challenge

Posted by On Filed under Health, Money 3 Comments
The Food Stamp Challenge

3SquaresVT is what we call food stamps in Vermont. And from November 11-17, I’ll participate in the 3SquaresVT / Food Stamp Challenge, living on $38 in groceries for the week.

Here’s the deal:

“The 3SquaresVT / Food Stamp Challenge seeks to highlight what it is like to eat on the average 3SquaresVT benefit — approximately $1.80 per meal for a single person. The many people who have taken the Challenge have learned first hand what it is like to try to make ends meet on the average benefit.

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Getting Rid of 100 Things of Clutter

Posted by On Filed under Voluntary Simplicity / Minimalism 4 Comments
Getting Rid of 100 Things of Clutter

As a New Year’s resolution, I pledged to get rid of 100 things of clutter in my life. I figured there must be 100 useless things tucked away in drawers or closets, although I also worried that getting to 100 would be difficult.

Surprisingly, around March, I breezed past the 100 point mark! Some of the numbers were easy to come by: a big purge of cassettes, CDs and VHS tapes added up pretty quickly. As of today, I’ve gotten rid of 195 things and I have another 38 that I may donate to ReSOURCE in Barre.

Here are some examples of things I got rid of:

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