Adriene Hill: Adriene is Chicago Public Radio’s business and economy reporter.

Sara Sargent: After receiving her master’s from the Medill School of Journalism in December, Sara began interning at Chicago Public Radio. With a background in business and economics reporting, she assists Adriene on the Hard Working series.

Lauren Talley: Lauren comes to Chicago from Michigan, where she’s familiar with the local effects of the recession. After a semester in Valencia, Spain, Lauren returns to the Midwest to assist Adriene on the Hard Working series. She studies journalism and Spanish at Michigan State University.

Mary Gustafson: Mary is alarmed to find herself newly without a job in an industry facing a bit of an identity crisis. With her journalism brethren dropping like flies at daily newspapers, alternative weeklies, consumer magazines and trade magazines (from which she formerly hails), she remains optimistic that the perfect job is still out there. And, depending on the cover letter she’s writing, she is either “at heart a print journalism girl” or “an early convert to digital journalism.” Truthfully, she couldn’t live without either. In the meantime, she takes some comfort in blogging her misadventures on her blog entitled My Year Of Living Dangerously.

M Hunter: M is a techie trapped in the body of a creative. Originally a West Coaster, he came to Chicago for school, met the girl of his dreams, and hasn’t managed to leave yet. With almost 10 years of experience in IT, he was unexpectedly laid off by one of Chicago’s premier media properties. Now he, along with his wife, try to navigate unemployment, keep the marriage together and keep their senses of humor through it all.

Eddie Lakin: A culinary school graduate, chef, and restaurant manager with more than 15 years of restaurant industry experience, Eddie’s work experience also includes two years in Spain and Italy. With a resume that includes scooping Beluga caviar at Tru, rolling maki at Roy’s Chicago, and slinging hash browns and over easy eggs at Uncommon Ground, Eddie brings a wealth of culinary knowledge and real-world experience to his current kitchen gig–cooking at home for his wife and two young children after being laid off in October of ‘08. He blogs at Cooking and Eating in Chicago and writes for web-based food and wine magazine Off the Vine.

Erica Lipper: Erica recently moved to Chicago and was promptly laid off! She holds an MA in English literature from Georgetown University and has worked as a teacher and writer.

Reid McCamish: A social science researcher by day, this Chicagoan fancies himself an artist, musician, futurist and firebrand philosopher. Reid is planning to write about viewing work as a choice instead of an obligation and about employment negotiations. “I mean to talk about how most employment negotiations, especially job interviews are conducted as if the employee/job seeker has no negotiation power, essentially as if they’re begging for a job, when I’m reality, they’re negotiating the sale of a valuable commodity – their time or labor – that they have control of.”

Nia Williams: With degrees in anthropology and journalism, Nia is torn between two loves: Media and academia. She has spent nearly the entirety of her 10-year career with one foot in each world, hobbying one when the other pays the bills. Until January she was a media professional, watching nervously as her industry hemorrhaged thousands of jobs due to a worsening economy. Now she’s a job-seeker eyeing that bloodbath from the sidelines, trying to land a new gig before severance from the old one runs out. She’ll be writing about unemployment from the young single’s perspective–job-hunting, spending, and living when there’s no other income to rely on. She blogs about frugal-yuppie living at dollar out of 15 cents, and writes a budget decorating column for the Chicago edition of Examiner.com.

Twelve financial blogs are collaborating on a project they call “12 Things Every Teenager Needs to Know About Money (And How to Teach Them).” Sure, teenagers and college kids root around on the Internet all the time, but  how often are they Tweeting and how often are they seeking monetary advice? If your teen is more fond of the former, then be sure to share some of the posts in this series:

1.Spend money based on needs not wants

2.Money doesn’t grow on trees

3.Delay gratification to succeed

4.Two words: Compound interest

5.Living on a budget isn’t an option

6.Credit cards will steal your lunch money

7.Should you earn a college degree

8.Taxes are a necessary evil in life

9.Do what you love, love what you do

10.Don’t be a tightwad: Give generously

11.There is more free money than you realize for college

12. Living on your own isn’t cheap

Today, friends, is my last day at Chicago Public Radio. I was recently offered, and accepted, a job at a literary agency in New York. That means I’ve reached the end of this blogging road.

As you read my posts about applying to jobs and getting jobs and enduring the grueling job-search process, perhaps you were thinking to yourself: This girl has a job, what does she know? Well, I had an internship but at the same time I was also sending out resumes, drafting cover letters, going to interviews. It was not fun. Still, it did teach me some things. Below I list what I learned about finding a job in the recession. Hope it helps and good luck!

1. Too clever by half

For a while–a while that lasted 3 applications–I was the poster child for what not to do in a cover letter. I told employers they had to hire me, they would be so lucky to have me. Did I get any responses? No. Don’t be a crazy cheerleader. Sound informed, passionate, knowledgeable; do not sound like you just chugged a liter of Coke and then sat down to write. The best advice I’ve ever heard is to open a letter with the biggest recent news about the company, or something that you recently read about them. That’s a good way to show you care without seeming desperate or sassy.

2. It’s true what they say about connections

Email every single solitary person you have ever met; include a resume. Do not send mass emails, mind you, but surely you can devise a general email that can be sent repeatedly. It was not until I made a list of every former employer and colleague I’d ever known, then proceeded to email them, that I finally got a job. If you have been a hard worker, solid performer, impressive employee–people remember that. Accordingly, there is no reason they would not reach out to you when they hear of openings. And don’t waste their time by emailing and asking if you can send them a resume–just send it. Also, I am going to give it to you straight here: I did not get one response from an HR rep at a company where I did not know someone. That’s the sad truth.

3. An interview is a test–so, study.

For a while, I thought I could root around on a company’s website for 30 minutes and go into an interview with a pretty smile and some cute ideas. WRONG. I spent several hours researching, taking notes, devising pitches for the last 2 interviews I had. It was well worth it. Not only was I less nervous because of my preparedness, but my interviewer was impressed by my ability to toss out bits of info on the company and be conversant about their products.

4. You have to do better than “I sent faxes”

You can bet that your interviewer is going to run down your resume while you sit there and answer questions about what you did. Make sure you have bullet points ready for each item on your CV. How did your former positions prepare you for this new opportunity? These answers should vary based on the job you’re applying for. Obviously we’ve all had jobs we didn’t love, and if you’re not prepared to put a nice spin on those jobs, you will sound crabby. Have positive things to say about what you did and how it will make you the greatest new employee at ABC Co.

5. Get someone else on the Me Bandwagon

It occurred to me that including a letter of reference in applications might be a good tactic. So I asked a former employer to send a letter to me in PDF form and then I proceeded to attach it to all application emails; I also brought copies to my interviews. Even before they call to check your references, it’s a good idea to let employers know that you have been a model employee in the past. It sounds a lot more impressive coming from someone else than from you.

This recession has witnessed the return of the piggy bank, the money-filled shoebox, the savings account. With employment dipping and credit tightening, people are not terribly keen to spend terribly much. So how are retailers going to wrestle away money from the hoarding hordes?

The money-back guarantee, of course.

According to this New York Times article, if you lose your job, JetBlue refunds plane tickets. Virgin Mobile USA will waive up to three months of cellphone charges. Walgreens will allow in-store clinic members to remain enrolled for free even if they lost their health insurance. The Minnesota Timberwolves will refund season tickets for basketball games not yet played. Builder Bigelow Homes will pay the mortgage while the homeowner is out job hunting.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it’s not, really–it’s all possible because companies don’t take a particularly big hit with these sorts of promotions. “The programs are not as expensive to companies as they might seem, retailing scholars said, since the offers are usually for a limited time and few people wind up taking advantage of the offers,” Stephanie Rosenbloom writes in the NYT article.

Companies offering the guarantees — which often require documentation to verify job loss — said they are a response to studies indicating more and more consumers are worried they might be laid off.

April is a confusing time for Chicagoans:  One day I am wearing flip-flops, the next day I can’t walk three feet without needing gloves. So in the spirit of can’t-make-up-its-mind weather, I am sharing a recipe that’s equally confused. Asparagus soup, which would appear to be a hearty cold-weather dish, actually features a vegetable that’s in season from March to June. Please enjoy this simple meal from Elise Bauer that uses in-season ingredients but will keep you cozy until the weather figures out what it wants to be.

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 lbs asparagus

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

5 cups chicken broth

Leaves of 2 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp dry vermouth

A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

1. Cut tips from 12 asparagus 1 1/2 inches from top and halve tips lengthwise if thick. Reserve for garnish. Cut stalks and all remaining asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces.

2. Cook onion in butter in a 4 or 6-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add asparagus pieces and salt and pepper to taste, then cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Add 5 cups broth, thyme, and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. While soup simmers, cook reserved asparagus tips in boiling salted water until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes, then drain.

4. Purée soup in batches in a blender until smooth. If you want a very creamy texture, you can put the purée through a food mill or press it through a sieve. Transfer to a bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids), and return to pan. Stir in cream. Stir in vermouth and a squeeze of lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It’s one thing to blow a few paychecks on a sightseeing trip to Europe with your family. It’s quite another to spend $2,000 on a trip to Antarctica if you’re going to fight climate change. At least, that’s what the down-and-out travel industry wants you to think.

In this week’s Practical Traveler c0lumn, New York T

imes journo Michelle Higgins observes the newest trend in recession travel: agencies who think travelers will be more willing to fork over the big bucks if a trip is less self-indulgent, more philanthropic. Luxe travel company Abercrombie & Kent offers tours that feature volunteering or giving back to the visited community, including a jaunt to Antarctica. Or, you can book with Sierra Club Outings, whose “service” trips allow volunteers to help eradicate invasive plants in Channel Islands National Park in California or maintain trails in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.

“Even people who have money to spend are feeling somewhat a sense of guilt in spending money when reading and hearing of difficult times for so many other people,” says Edward Piegza, president of Classic Journeys, in the NYT article. “But if they can see their spending is actually having a positive impact in some way, they are more able to justify to themselves that their travel is doing good.”

When it comes to making money-conscious decisions for your kids, the picture might not always be black and white: Should I start saving for college now? How can I plan for their future when mine is so unsure? What do I tell them about the recession? Michael McAuliffe, president of Family Credit Management, has recommendations for how to get your family through this tough time. McAuliffe, a former branch manager for a national credit counseling agency, oversees all operations at FCM, which offers pre-purchase and foreclosure avoidance and provides credit counseling and debt management plans.

1. For parents who are tight on funds, what is your recommendation for how they can start to save for their kids’ college tuition?

The first thing that needs to be done is to make sure your spending is under control. (We have a great booklet called “100 Small Ways to Save BIG!” which most families can use to find areas to save from their monthly spending.) Then you need to look at your age and how prepared you are for retirement. The old saying is that you can’t borrow for retirement. If you are not saving for retirement, start now. If you can start to put some money away you may want to look at the College Illinois program which is a pre-payed tuition plan. I did this for my two girls and am glad I did. At this point I like to tell people about the economic theory of Opportunity Cost, which basically means every dollar spent cannot be put towards anything else. Spending $5 per day on coffee is $1,800 per year that cannot be put towards your stated goals like saving for college. The real decision is, what are your actual priorities? It’s important to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk.

2. When is a good time to start a Roth IRA for my kids? Is this something you recommend?

This question is beyond my expertise, so I asked our company CPA who responded with:

“A few general details, The child must have taxable compensation (i.e. W2 income not just interest/dividends) and the contribution cannot exceed that compensation amount for the year. Given that limitation, whether or not the parents should gift their money to fund their child’s Roth IRA depends on the parents’ overall financial plan, goals, cash flow, etc.”

3. Should we be talking to our kids about our financial difficulties? And if so, how do we broach the subject?

Yes, but make sure you don’t tell your children anything you do not want the neighborhood to know. Kids are hearing the bad economic news on TV and can tell when there is stress in the household. Make conversations age appropriate and try to alleviate any fears they may have. Allow them to ask questions and try to give honest answers. Let them know they are loved and the family has contingency plans to deal with and problems that may arise and there nothing for them to worry about. If changes are going to be taking place, let them know most people in the country are making changes to their spending and finances and your family is no different. Some changes may be made and everyone in the family needs to understand. It should be made a family project to figure out ways money can be saved, i.e. cancelling cable TV.

4. What is your best recommendation or method for teaching kids about money, savings, credit especially with things the way they are?

First make sure they understand where money comes from and how hard it is to obtain, but easy to spend. Make sure they are aware of the benefits of compound interest on savings accounts but the dangers of interest when it comes to taking on debt. Also make sure you are being a good example with how you are handling your money. No credit card debt, no home equity loans, and NEVER a Pay Day Loan. Only buy what you can afford and teach your kids that they cannot have everything. This will help them to understand realistically how things work. It is an important lesson in life. If they have income or get an allowance, open a savings account for them and encourage them to put away for long term goals (for
kids, this may be during the summer).

5. I was going to get my teenager a credit card, but now I’m not so sure. Is a credit card a good lesson in managing credit or a disaster waiting to happen?

You never want to co-sign a loan for anyone…ever. This is for many many reasons. You may want to add your child as an authorized user on your credit card. This can help them establish credit (as long as you are not over limit or delinquent on any payments now or in the future in which case it would hurt their credit.) Also, you need to have complete trust in them as they will have the ability to charge this account up and their spending could get out of control.

When I forget about those bananas sitting at the bottom of my fruit bowl, there’s only one thing to do: make banana bread. I like mine warm, with a glass of milk, and perhaps a smear of butter for good measure. Below is my friend Cara’s banana bread recipe (courtesy of the Food Network), which is the best I’ve tasted. This recipe means brown bananas are no longer an eyesore.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. fine salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan

1 cup sugar

3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup toasted walnut pieces

1. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.

2. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. 3. Lightly brush a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

4. In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with an electric hand-held mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

5. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated.

6. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled, so don’t worry), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

7. With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.

8. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Turn the bread out of the pan and let cool completely on the rack. Wrap in plastic wrap. The banana bread is best if served the next day.

College acceptances are about to start rolling in and, for some parents, that might not be good news. Even if your sons and daughters get into the first university on their wish list, the current economic climate might mean they can’t matriculate without some hefty financial aid–which might mean not matriculating at all.

Enter: the harrowing request for more money.

Luckily for parents dealing  with this very problem, Gail Marks Jarvis, the Tribune’s business columnist, writes today about asking colleges for increased aid. She outlines a list of 7 recommendations for how to go about requesting, and successfully getting, much-needed funds.

If you have lost your job since the date when your kids applied, be sure to update the financial aid office on this development. “You should re-submit your request for aid or file what’s called ‘an appeal,’” writes Jarvis. ” That’s simply a letter in which you tell the college that your finances have changed and they need to adapt your aid to match the circumstances.  The more detail you provide, the better.  And include documentation like a letter of termination from your former employer.”

And if your daughter is a gifted oboist and your son a star soccer player: “think of your child’s attributes and perhaps solicit help from a specific department in the college to plead your case if someone has shown an interest in the student.  The admissions staff might also put in a good word for you at the financial aid office if they have noted a particular talent or attribute.”

She also writes that you should do your homework on the colleges before you contact them and make sure you know what kinds of students they usually accept and whether your child falls within the average or somewhere above or below–that will give you a sense of your bargaining power and the likelihood you’ll be successful in the bid for extra support.

With summer on the way–it is, I promise!–you’ll soon be able to capitalize on the season’s cheapest staple: salad. Salads are never at the top of my list in winter, but I come around in May when the wool turtlenecks find their way to a box under my bed. Plus, since I have finally given up on bottled dressings, it gives me a chance to flex my seasoning and oil/vinegar muscles. Below are some of my favorite dressings, which are sure to make anyone a lettuce convert. I trust you to add your favorite nuts, fruits, proteins and veggies to make it a complete meal.

Ginger Dressing (courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger

4 scallions, whites only

Salt and pepper

In a blender, combine scallion whites, oil, lime juice, carrot, ginger, and cup water; blend until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Citrus Honeybutter Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. honey

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Salt and pepper

Whisk together zest, lemon juice and honey until well combined; whisk in remaining ingredients.

Mighty Miso Dressing (courtesy of chef Heidi Swanson)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons miso

1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard (or a bit of whatever mustard you have around)

2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey or agave)

1/4 cup (brown) rice vinegar

1/3 cup mild flavored extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon pure toasted sesame oil (optional)

Whisk the miso, mustard, and brown sugar together. Now whisk in the rice vinegar and keep whisking until it’s smooth. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, and then the sesame oil. Two pinches of fine grain salt. Taste and make any adjustments if needed.