Effective Ways During Tight Economy

Tipping in a recession is a dilemma. Do you stick with the 18 to 20 percent formula or retreat to 15 percent? Do you skip an appetizer, a glass of wine or a dessert to lower your dining bill and thus your tip?

It's a subject that millions of diners and travelers are wrestling with.

A lot of people whose income has vanished or shrunk because of layoffs, salary cuts and shrinking fixed incomes have cut back. Instead of going out to dinner every week, they settle for once a month. If they take a trip, they trade down, choosing less-expensive accommodations and restaurants.

As a result, minimum-wage wait staff, bellhops and hotel housekeepers have taken a huge hit, if they're not among the nearly 10 percent of workers who are jobless. There is nothing wrong with cutting back, but give pause when you think about stiffing your waiter or hotel maid to save a few dollars.

"I believe that customers are tipping a smaller percentage of the bill," said Michael Lynn, a professor at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration. "I base that on anecdotal encounters, lots of things on the Internet - servers say they are making less money." A server quoted in The New York Times put it this way: "In New York, the average tip is 20 percent, though some tip as low as 15 percent and some as high as 30 percent. These days our tips are closer to 17 percent, with a range of 10 to 25 percent.

"This drop in tips registers to $60 less a night. Over five shifts a week that is $300 less per week! But we are working just as hard as we used to, perhaps even harder, trying to get people to forget their troubles for a few hours. ... It's not fair for people to take out their economic troubles on the server. If one cannot afford to tip, then perhaps that person should be ordering less." Lynn, who has done extensive research on tipping, said that "during bad economic times, people become more price-sensitive."

At hotels, Lynn said, only two-thirds of guests normally tip maids, who should get $1 to $2 a night.

In bad times and good, Lynn said, servers can increase their tips by using tested techniques found in Mega Tips, published by Cornell's Center for Hospitality Research and available for free on the Internet (Google "mega tips").

Among Lynn's 14 points (most effective in casual-dining restaurants): Wear something unusual, introduce yourself by name, smile, squat next to the table, repeat customers' orders and write "thank you" on the check.

At hotels, it's hard to miss the bellhop, who usually gets $1 to $2 a bag, unless you are traveling light and politely wave him off. But there is little a housekeeper can do to earn a few extra bucks except to hope that guests remember.

If you are traveling abroad, where there also is a recession, keep in mind that tipping customs vary by country, so consult with your travel agent, a government tourist office or the worldwide tipping chart.

In Europe, many hotels and restaurants add a service charge to your bill, so additional tipping isn't necessary. In Japan, tipping is considered an insult. That feeling is changing, but it's best to inquire about the proper way to reward someone.

Even in a recession, there are no hard and fast rules for tipping. And whether at home or abroad, tipping is a personal matter. But however you feel about tipping, keep in mind that workers at the service end of the business are getting hit as hard as if not harder than anybody. Why not give 'em a break?

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When Economy Crisis Attack Us

The increase in fuel and followed by the increase in food are not likely to be arrested again. Which is the basic material needs of the daily sacrifice shall be redeemed with the fund that no longer here. Imagine the earnings may not rise as a result of the company difficult to increase the fuel, we still must accept the fact that spending money and transport money that has been prepared that can no longer be used as properly.
With such circumstances, what might we do?

From the start in

Financial problems we are located in the one fact that is not sufficient revenue that we earn. And answers that are appropriate for it also makes it clear that is enough. Some of us will say additional revenue is way out. I can not blame such a contention. But if additional revenue is always a solution? In fact must be recognized from the foreign money is not easy. In fact, sometimes the sacrifice must be made not balanced with the results obtained. Not to mention not all people can do. Therefore, before deciding to try to find additional revenue from outside, may reparation can be done in the first. For that is a futile if we increase but no changes in use patterns. For the financial problems not believe depends on how much we get but how to use

* Evaluate the use of funds
The first step to stabilize the financial evaluation is to make our finances. Try this month recording what expenses the family has to do to meet all their needs. A family consultation was to manage the monthly expenses that are always on the target that has been determined. After the evaluation is done together, it is known that the cost of the family is always in excess of the budget each month. This happens because at the time of shopping, the family always do this together, and always to pay more for the breakfast event that is not budgeted previously. The problem has always taken the funds from the budget so that spending money always exceeds the target.
To start it at this time that the expenditure is separate to the main expenditures followers. Thus they will know how much real family expenditure each month.

* Create a spending priority
Remove that must be removed, and the resistance to that has not been needed. Sometimes we feel has been trying to remove only the necessary, and has left as desired. But when asked what criteria need and want? how to distinguish them? may not be able to answer them all exactly. Requires that the expenditure is to be done, and want is that the expenditure may still be delayed. So with this simple definition, we should make clear what the priority in the family expenditure. Try to ask yourself at the time spent.
"Is this expenditure can be delayed? what if the consequences are delayed? "
if the answer is not delayed or suspended when the negative effects will result in a higher, then it is needed. But on the question of when you missed that earlier is not a problem, or if delayed negative effect does not provide too large, then it is the desire.
When this communication is a requirement. Purchase and credit needs are automatic. When you purchase credits with demanded will make fatal consequences to self and your family for example, will disrupt the family business, the purchase balance is needed. but if the delay to buy credits only result in you not be able to contact friends or your colleagues, then it is the desire.

* Muffled expenditure is not detected
One of the failures in the family is the occurrence of financial profligacy. Family had a consultation about it. All expenditure has been budgeted, and in black and white there is a surplus of funds. but why at the end of the money always runs out even less? Although I know that we can only do one at a survey, but I think it will be boring. So why do not we change the pattern. I suggest to the family is to add 1 thing they never did before, namely the surplus funds to save them. Each of the early days, after the count and make a budget, the family usually leave their surplus funds in the savings fund as unexpected. So start after consultation, they have to put the excess funds in the form of productive goods, in this case the family agreed to buy gold coins. What happened? after the consultation session, each month the family can always buy gold coins, and the number continues to grow each month. How to fund unexpected? I suggest using a credit card for this. But, of course, must pay the consequences after the charge. Funds? I sell out of gold. But somehow at this time until the card has never been used.
Sometimes conscious or not, if we are leaving money for something unexpected, the unexpected things that can happen. Therefore do not expect to happen, the excess is used to separate your funds in advance, not to be unexpected expenses and not be detected

Finish from the outside

At the top we have already discussed how we must act from within to increase the likelihood of prices. Now it's time to finish it from the outside. For the financial families depend primarily on two aspects, namely the influence of someone in how to set up and manage money from outside and that is how someone set up and manage all the temptations and the bid can affect the overall family finances.

* Avoiding New debt
If it is not forced, to avoid new forms of debt when the debt first is consumer debt. Remember your current expenditure will continue to increase, and indeed seem to additional funds from outside is one way that can be applied. But debt is not additional funding but would like additional obligations that we would not be completed. Especially with the price increase, not likely to increase the interest rate loan is also the obligation to be you.

* Discount is not always the answer
If you talk discount, usually we guest with our savior. Imagine all the high prices, there is still the low member price.
But if I could remove the member suggestions in funds, the most important is not how much you spend that, but what you remove. Rather than removing the few funds for goods that are not needed or even items that you only create more consumer become may be better to buy goods with the price a little more expensive but really we need.


* Avoid speculation Investment
Another is to avoid speculation investment. With increasingly difficult economic situation, the more people who offer the alternative that the settlement of one of the investment. When time so, usually the type of investment that provides the most seen as a way out. But if we do not understand and rule it, never go in it.

* Create a protection
One way to make savings and help finance the move is a cost that may occur to others. And it can be done by the insurance. When we first finish with all the problems through private money, may have a problem when you submit a large-large to the asuansi. Cost of health care, vehicle repair and protection of the home, can be the beginning step. Remember the increase in the cost of fuel then automatically also increase other costs, including health care, improvement and development.

* Trying to add revenue
Finally, there is no way other than trying to increase revenue. Start trying to increase potential self, recognize the environment and always looking alternative is one way to get additional revenue. Does not need big, but make it into a routine. So among all the rising cost of retroactive, there is little additional revenue for investment than we can add.

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