Happy Labor Day! If you’re like a lot of our readers, it sounds like you really earned that day off to reflect on the contributions you are making to the workforce.

This week in Life Inc., we reported on a study showing that many workers in the United States and other countries complain that they are being asked to work extra hours but aren’t necessarily getting paid for it.

More than half of our readers said they, too, are working more hours than five years ago but aren’t getting paid any extra for it. Another 20 percent said they’re working more but getting paid for the extra hours.

Many lamented that working harder is just the norm now if you want to stay employed.

“What's one to do when employment opportunities are horrible. It beats unemployment. Companies are horrible nowadays. Greed is their god,” one reader wrote.

Millions of Americans would like the opportunity to work at all these days, but figuring out how to get in the door can be harder than ever.

Another Life Inc. post this week noted that even among the nation’s top companies, applying for a job can be a hassle. A study consulting firm CareerXRoads found that many of those ubiquitous online job tools ask irrelevant questions, are time-consuming and hard to navigate and give the applicant little sense of whether a resume was seen or ignored.

Many readers complained about overly intrusive questions, counterintuitive processes and other hazards of trying to apply for a job in the 21^st century. Even those who had some sympathy for the human resource department admitted it can be frustrating.

“There are also tons of people applying for each opening. I bet it’s hard for hiring managers/HR to keep up.  But they are trying to weed out people, and it would be nice if they at least let you know when they receive your app or if the position is already filled. That waiting limbo sucks.”

On a lighter note, this week we also asked readers to start voting for the winner of our wackiest road signs contest. If you’re looking for a break from your job, or applying for your next one, check out the signs and vote for your favorite. The winner will be announced Sept. 10.

 Updated at 2:57 p.m. EDT: Gas prices jumped again Thursday in the wake of Hurricane Isaac, leaving drivers facing the prospect of costly fillups as they take to the highway for a final summer spin over Labor Day weekend.

Prices climbed two cents a gallon to $3.82 nationally to a record for this time of year and are likely to edge higher still in coming days, the American Automobile Association said. The gains came on top of a five-cent surge Wednesday when Isaac pounded the oil-rich Gulf Coast region. The price has risen steadily from the summer low of $3.33 on July 2.

Consumers are likely to get a price break soon as oil and gas companies gradually restart their Gulf operations, but AAA said drivers should expect to pay a few more pennies by the end of the holiday weekend.

Isaac spared heavily populated New Orleans from the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago. But this week’s storm caused widespread damage and dumped more water in the region than its sister storm seven years ago, according to the National Weather Service. Thousands remain stranded and power outages have been widespread.

Up to 50,000 people in Louisiana  were ordered to evacuate Thursday as a dam seemed ready to give way across the state line in Mississippi.

Drivers caught a break, though, as the storm appears to have spared the region's many refineries and oil rigs, unlike the devastation that affected the industry for months after Katrina in 2005.  As a result, AAA analysts expect pump prices to decline quickly after the holiday.

“We would expect prices to be going back down by mid-September,” said Michael Green, AAA public relations manager. “We can’t estimate exactly how much. “

Isaac’s slow journey through the Gulf and Louisiana’s energy-refining heartland is still driving prices higher across the land, but from initial assessments the storm appears to have had no lasting damage on energy infrastructure, he said.  Refineries and rigs shut down as a precautionary measure.

One refinery in Belle Chasse, La., was flooded, according to wire reports.

“It’s a little early to say for certain but it appears they were relatively unharmed,” said Green.  “It’s still to be seen when there are deeper assessments, but so far there are no reports of anything significant. That’s good news for the oil refiners.”

As the storm headed north, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan warned gas stations owner against price gouging after complaints against some Southern outlets in the storm’s path. 

“I’m putting (gasoline station) retailers on notice that these circumstances are not an excuse to gouge customers at the pump,” said Madigan. “My office will be closely monitoring gas prices to ensure gas station owners are operating legally.”

Despite the storm and the higher gasoline costs, nearly 33 million Americans still plan to travel for Labor Day, said AAA. That would be a 3 percent rise in traffic from a year ago.  Americans have been driving more on major holidays this year than they did during the depths of the recent recession, the association reports.

Amid higher fuel demand and low gasoline inventory, prices have been pushing higher, although consumers will get a break soon due to a recent jump in refinery output, said Green. Refiners have had a relatively trouble-free season and were able to boost supplies to move to gas stations ahead of the storm season.

With the end of summer, there will be fewer drivers are on the roads, as well, further reducing fuel demand.  The change of season also means stations can sell less expensive gasoline than the ozone-friendly mix they are required to pump in summer months.

Another storm could tip the scales once again. The official end of the hurricane season is Oct. 31.

“There is still a chance of more storms but Labor Day is generally considered the peak,” said Green.

For gasoline prices, it looks like high time is this weekend.

(This story has been corrected from a previous version.)

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Workplace expert Ken Matos joined us for a live web chat Thursday to answer your questions about the workplace.

Ken is Senior Director of Employment Research and Practice at the nonprofit workplace think tank Families and Work Institute.

He’s also co-author of the forthcoming book “WORKFLEX: The Essential Guide to Effective and Flexible Workplaces.”

Here’s one of Ken’s answers to questions from the live chat. (See below for the full Q&A.)

One guest asked:

“Why would my boss want to offer flexibility when there are 20 other people lined up to take my job?”

Ken replied:

“Many people question whether asking for workplace flexibility is a good choice in a rough economy. They tend to be afraid they will seem uncommitted or their employer will be unsympathetic. However, there are benefits for an organization from workplace flexibility that employers should be especially interested in during a rough economy.”

“For example, when employers and employees commit to honest communication about how to secure both a better work experience and high client satisfaction, organizations can become more proactive, efficient, and ultimately effective. Actually taking the effort to periodically examine how work gets done can lead to insights on how to do work more efficiently. Leslie Perlow, a researcher at Harvard Business School, just put out a great book entitled Sleeping with your Smartphone: How to Break the 24/7 Habit and Change the Way You Work. It describes how one high-speed consulting company used workplace flexibility to improve the effectiveness of their work and the morale of their employees (line and managerial) at the same time.”

“These conversations can also lead to less absenteeism because employees can work with their employer to minimize work-life conflicts. Let’s face it, an employee who needs to care for a sick relative is going to find some way to do it and it’s better for all involved to plan around the absence rather than have it be a secret surprise.”

A survey released Thursday shows that work time flexibility is worth more than money for some employees.

You can continue the conversation with Ken and the Families and Work Institute on Twitter here.

Here’s the full chat archive:

We’ve had a hard time keeping a straight face ever since we asked our readers to submit some of the Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs they’ve spotted while driving. The contest has clearly resonated with readers who’ve filled our email box with hundreds of entries from around the world.

The Wild, Weird and Wacky Street Signs Contest has brought us signs that warn of falling sheep, others that tell us to “Grinn and Baret” or advise us we’ve reached the German village of Windpassing. 

The Detroit Bureau: Cadillac Takes Aim at Lexus

Helpful road crews have posted parking signs that would require a law degree to comprehend. And readers have sent us plenty of inexplicable billboards – like one that promoted a new brand of bottled water, “now with H2O”!

The Detroit Bureau: Who Are America’s Worst Drivers?

Trying to sort through this motley collection hasn’t been easy and it seems that each of our judges – which include members of TheDetroitBureau.com, and sponsors such as NBC News – has individual favorites.  But we’ve been able to pare the list down to 14 finalists and now we’re asking your help in selecting the winners.

The Detroit Bureau: Are Battery Car Sales Charging Up?

Remember, there are some great prizes at stake, including a $500 gift certificate from Bridgestone Tires, a great digital camera, a navi system with traffic and weather, and more!

So, check out the pictures and give us a hand by voting below for your favorite. We’ll announce the winners on Sept. 10. 

1) Water Now with H2O
We appreciate truth in advertising, but we really have to wonder what this company was offering in their water before they added H2O.

2) Be Careful
We probably didn’t need the sign to figure out there was a problem ahead. But it’s likely a good idea to find another route.

3) Electricity Drive
We got a real charge out of this pun-y entry from a reader in Windsor, Ontario.

4) Grinn & Barret
This is what we’ve often been told to do, especially after trying to sort through 100s of entries to choose the finalists for the Wacky Street Signs Contest.

5) Danger, Danger, Danger
Believe us if we tell you we’d have also turned around and gone in the other direction.

6) Stop!
Turn left? No. Right? No? Uh, how do we get out of here?

7) Eat Here and Get Gas
Gee, didn’t we eat there just the other day? Again, while we appreciate truth in advertising, we just might go to the diner across the street.

8) City Parking Confusion
This explains why we got that $50 fine last week. Next time we try to park her you might want to call your lawyer first.

9) Windpassing
Does this Austrian town just happen to have an Eat-and-Get-Gas Café? We’re hoping this is just a case of lost-in-translation.

10) Falling Cow
We never knew it was so dangerous driving around Taos, New Mexico.  When  was the last time your car was hit by a falling cow?

11) No Hooking
Um? What can we add except, get a hotel room next time?

12) Mine Shafts Ahead
Who’da thought it was so dangerous wandering through the Australian Outback? Apparently you have to watch your step in mine country around Coober Pedy.

13) No doctor, no hospital, one cemetery
Here’s another place – in New Zealand, it turns out – we’re planning to just drive through and keep going.

14) Sidewalk Ends
Really? Does that explain what that green stuff is?  We were wondering how they got concrete to look like grass.

Vote for your favorite

Correction: Earlier versions of this story incorrectly identified Sign No. 9 as being located in Germany. Also, Sign No. 10 warns of a cow falling, not a sheep.

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Give me more workplace flexibility, or give me death.

Well, maybe not death. But it turns out employees are willing to sacrifice a lot in exchange for more flexibility at work.

A survey by staffing company Mom Corps released Thursday found that so-called "workflex opportunities" are worth more than money for some employees.

Here are some of the findings from Mom Corps’ second annual Labor Day poll, conducted by Harris Interactive:

• Nearly half of working adults surveyed (45 percent) are willing to give up some percentage of their salary for more flexibility at work.
• And they’re willing to give back nearly 9 percent of their wages on average, an uptick from the amount they would be willing to fork over in last year's survey (5.8 percent).

“We are beginning to see significant patterns in the value professionals of all ages place on workplace flexibility,” said Allison O’Kelly, founder and CEO of Mom Corps. “More and more, we feel challenged by the collective pressures of a demanding work life, a hectic personal life and a desire to find fulfillment in both.”

Unfortunately, according to Families and Work Institute (FWI) data, workflex arrangements aren’t exactly exploding in the workplace to meet the demand.

Only 3 percent of wage and salary employees work mainly from home, said Ken Matos, senior director of employment research and practice at the Institute, and co-author of the forthcoming book “WORKFLEX: The Essential Guide to Effective and Flexible Workplaces.”

And of those employees who do not get to work part of their regular paid hours at home, 50 percent would like to.

Employees are so serious about finding the right flexible options at work that nearly 90 percent of the workers FWI surveyed said that when they look for a new job workflex will be “extremely” or “very important” in their decision process, according to Matos, who will be taking questions about workflex options and how to get them from NBCNews.com readers during a live web chat Thursday at noon ET.

Mom Corps’ survey results bolstered FWI’s findings that flex time is a high priority.

Their poll found many employees, 52 percent, would consider starting their own business in order to find the flexibility they crave, with men age 35 to 44 the most anxious to do this at 75 percent.

Despite the gloomy work-flex landscape today, however, 67 percent of employees agree it is possible to "have it all" when it comes to work-life fit.

Who says American workers aren’t optimistic?

Eve Tahmincioglu is a career blogger and director of communications at the Families and Work Institute.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

Farmers market offer fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables -- and a chance to shop outside.

A month ago, in an attempt to eat healthier and shop locally, I embarked on the 30 Day No Grocery Store Challenge. Now, 30 days have come and gone and I lived to tell the tale. Along the way, I had good experiences, “challenging” experiences and some downright frontierswoman experiences. All in all, though, I deem the experience a success.

Some people questioned the amount of time and effort the challenge required. It’s true, this month I spent more time thinking about the food I ate, where I bought it and where that food came from than I ever have. But for me, this was largely the point.

For years I’d been on autopilot, buying the same foods from the same stores, knowing that much of what I bought wasn’t as healthy as I’d like, but buying it because it was easy. During those years, I thought that it would be nice to support local farmers and small businesses, but I didn’t do it much because it meant a little extra time and effort, which always felt in short supply.

When I started the challenge, I viewed it as an adventure. Over the course of the month, I tried to investigate and try out many of the local, healthy options. I discovered that my town’s farmers market has an incredible variety of local foods and goods. I’m lucky in this, as it certainly isn’t the case for everyone. Just one town over, the farmers market is much smaller and less convenient.

Other options didn’t work for my family. Though I’m intrigued by the idea of buying a quarter of a grass-fed cow, butchered just for me by an in-state rancher, it wasn’t going to happen since we don’t own a deep-freezer. I discovered that I love baking bread, but will likely leave cheese-making to the experts.

The advice for shopping at a farmers market is often “buy whatever looks fresh and good.” Too bad no one ever seems to follow it up with, “but don’t buy everything that looks fresh and good, because there’s no way you’ll be able to eat it all.” Yes, it’s common sense, but at the beginning, I got a little giddy and overdid it with my shopping. However, as the weeks went on, I learned to shop and menu plan and it got easier. It also got cheaper. As I began to know what I was doing, I was able to make smarter decisions about what I bought. In the end, our monthly food expenses were pretty darn close to what they always are.

One of the best parts of doing the challenge was the tips and advice I got from friends along the way. During the month, as I’d run into people, I responded to the old, “What have you been up to, lately?” question by telling them about the challenge. In return, so many of them gave me names of stores to shop at, tricks to try and one friend even took the time to teach me how to make cheese. If I’d just told people “Oh, I’m trying to eat better these days,” I would have gotten a polite, “Mmm hmm,” or “Good for you,” before they moved on. Something about the gimmick of a challenge though, brought out more conversation, which in turn, loaded me with lots of new ideas.

One of the worst parts of the challenge was the weight loss. Or, should I say the lack of weight loss? While losing weight wasn’t my primary goal for this challenge, I had secretly hoped that I’d shed a couple of pounds. My friend who first introduced me to the challenge lost 10 pounds while doing it, which of course made me think I’d lose 12. But here I am at the end of the month, weighing the exact same amount as I did at the beginning of the month – a fact that makes me more bitter than a bunch of raw kale.

At the beginning of the experiment, my family was rather reluctant about it. But as time went on, they largely got on board. Now that the challenge is over, my husband has gotten used to reading labels and paying attention to where things come from. On a post-challenge trip to Costco, he told me that he’d decided not to buy apples because they were all from South America; we’d wait until they were in season here. He and our small children also became fans of shopping at the farmers market and it’s a practice we’ll continue with. We’ll never be perfect locavores, but in general, we’re making some better choices and that’s what I’d hoped for (well, that and a little weight loss…).

Dana Macario is a Seattle-area writer who survived 30 days of shopping locally.

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Does your employer allow you flexible schedules? How do flex schedules work? What kind of accountability is expected?

These questions and more will be answered during our Live Chat on Thursday at noon ET.

Ken Matos, the senior director of employment research for @FWInews will be our chat expert for an hour and will answer your questions.

For more information, follow this link: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3041440/#slice1

AP

Southwest Airlines outdoes other low-cost carriers with more than 3,200 flights per day to 73 cities.

Checked luggage, something to snack on, a seat beside your companion. These conveniences, once part and parcel of the air travel experience, have been extricated and assigned separate price tags. The latest is legroom: Last week the Boston Globe highlighted the trend of airlines scrunching rows together and charging for extra inches.

This nickel-and-diming is by no means confined to no-frills airlines looking to keep fares low. Even major carriers have done away with so-called frills in the face of high fuel prices and other challenges. Ironically, some of the only airlines that don’t charge for the first checked bag these days are low-cost carriers. With the line between budget and legacy airlines blurrier than ever, frugal travelers are embracing the former.

Below are some of the best domestic budget airlines, based on research by Cheapism.com.

• Southwest isn’t sitting out of the movement toward less legroom, although it aims to cram in more passengers, not wheedle another fee out of long-legged customers. It doesn’t collect for onboard refreshments either and will check not one but two bags for free. The airline’s legions of fans cite these unexpected perks and excellent customer service in online reviews. Southwest outdoes other low-cost carriers with more than 3,200 flights per day to 73 cities. Note that this airline doesn’t assign seats, so be sure to check in online 24 hours ahead for a prime position in the unique first-come, first-served boarding process. (Where to buy)
• AirTran is merging with Southwest but earns a spot on our list in its own right. Reviews highlight courteous staff and complimentary snacks and (nonalcoholic) drinks. Even Wi-Fi is free on some flights. AirTran does charge for checked baggage and priority boarding. It counts more than 700 daily flights to more than 65 destinations, primarily in the East and Midwest. (Where to buy)
• JetBlue doesn’t always offer the lowest fares but scored highest in an annual survey of customer satisfaction (Southwest was a close second) on the strength of its aircraft and in-flight services. The airline offers beverage service and snacks gratis, and screens on each seatback broadcast DirecTV. JetBlue is shaving an inch of legroom off most seats on its smaller planes but generally still provides more space than most. Reviewers appreciate that the first checked bag is free and praise the customer service. JetBlue flies to 60 cities, with about 600 flights per day. (Where to buy)

The challenge with low-cost carriers is finding one that flies to your desired destination. Routes tend to concentrate in particular regions, leaving travelers elsewhere out of luck. All the airlines above have expanded to popular vacation spots in the Caribbean and Latin America. Be sure to note which airport turns up in a search, not just which city, as low-cost carriers often serve large metro areas from secondary airports. You may find it equally convenient (or even more so) to fly to Chicago’s Midway instead of O’Hare. However, most budget flights to the Miami area land in Fort Lauderdale, about 40 minutes away.

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It’s no secret that many Americans feel like the weak economy has forced them to do more work for the same or even less pay.

A new survey finds they have lots of company among workers around the world.

About two-thirds of hourly workers surveyed in Great Britain, France, Australia, China, Canada, Mexico, India and Brazil said their employers violate overtime rules at least some of the time.

In the U.S., slightly less than half the hourly workers surveyed had the same complaint.

The survey was conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kronos Inc., which makes technology for human resources operations.

Chinese, Indian and British workers were most likely to complain that their rights had been violated. The French were most likely to say their bosses don’t violate overtime rules.

The hourly workers surveyed generally said they were eager to work extra hours, presumably because they expect that will lead to more pay.

Among the workers surveyed in other countries, more than half said they were happy to have the overtime hours they got, and one-third said they’d like to have more overtime hours. French, Canadian and British respondents were most likely to say they wanted more OT.

Among the U.S. workers surveyed, 49 percent said they were happy with the amount of overtime hours they work, and another 43 percent said they wished they could work more hours.

In the U.S., there has been a record jump in employee claims of wage and hour violations, including off-the-clock work and miscalculation of overtime pay. More than 7,000 people have filed claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act so far this year, according to calculation from law firm Seyfarth Shaw. That’s up from around 2,000 a decade earlier.

The sample for the Kronos survey included 666 U.S. hourly workers and 1,700 hourly workers from other countries.

Related:

If you're working, guys, chances are you're working harder

You're working harder, they're making money

Seth Wenig / AP file

Jobseekers fill out applications at a construction job fair in New York this month. Such paper forms are a rarity these days.

If you think big companies could treat employees better, wait until you hear how they handle jobseekers.

Even some employers that rank among the nation's best routinely fail at making would-be employees feel welcome, according to survey results released Tuesday. Jobseekers routinely are confronted with online applications that are needlessly complicated, irrelevant questions and resumes that are seemingly ignored.

Staffing industry consulting firm CareerXRoads analyzed online hiring practices by creating a resume for a fictional job seeker and using it to apply for open positions at every company on Fortune’s list of 2012 Best Companies to Work For. Companies on the list include Google, Whole Foods, Goldman Sachs, Ernst & Young and Zappos.

Despite the big names, what they found wasn’t pretty. In addition to other shortcomings, companies typically make the career sections of their websites hard to find and fail to notify candidates when a job they had applied for is filled, according to the survey.

One of the few companies to pass muster was outdoor goods retailer REI, which among other things, calls job seekers to acknowledge receiving an application. REI also lists an email address and phone number at the bottom of all career-related pages on its website in case job seekers need extra help.

“We want the candidate experience to be representative of how we treat our customers, and we put a huge emphasis on customers,” says REI recruiting supervisor Lisa Arbacauskas. 

REI, based in Kent, Wash., long has been recognized for its people practices, landing on Fortune’s list of best workplaces for the past 15 years. 

Big brands spend big money on their digital recruiting efforts. But if they’re not rolling out the welcome mat for job applicants, those efforts could be for naught, especially since today people think nothing of going on Facebook or Twitter to vent about a bad experience. Likewise, if a company does a good job, jobseekers “tell their friends,” says CareerXRoads’ Gerry Crispin.

The survey found:

• 13 percent of companies don’t let job seekers apply directly from a job description, something CareerXRoads says should occur “quickly and easily every time.”
• Close to half of online applications take up to 20 minutes to complete; 8 percent take up to an hour.
• 6 percent of companies  ask for a Social Security number, even though it has “no bearing on someone’s qualifications for a position.”
• Fewer than three in 10 companies ask screening questions specific to the job being applied for.

Employers are getting some things right. In this year’s survey, 86 percent sent job seekers some type of acknowledgement after receiving an application. More are making the hiring process interactive; this year, 15 posted video job descriptions and nine offered live chats, email or other connections between job seekers and employees or recruiters.

Complete results of the annual Mystery Job Seeking survey are posted on the CareerXRoads website, including the fictional resume for one Charles Brown, marketing manager for the "Great Pumpkin Division" of a major consumer-products company.

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What’s more extreme than buying a cartful of groceries with nothing more than a few bucks and a sheaf of coupons? How about not buying food at all — for an entire month?

 "In January, I don’t spend any money on food," said Beth McAfee-Hallman, who blogs about her adventures in extreme savings at OneFabulousMama.com. Buying baking supplies in bulk and preserving her own fruits and veggies gives her a stockpile, and she barters her baked goods for wild turkey, venison and eggs. "So if I have to scrap my grocery budget, I can do that," she said.

Kristen Cross of the blog TheFrugalGirl.com said that when her family was in what she termed "stay-afloat mode" several years ago, deregulation had her scrambling for a solution to skyrocketing utilities bills. "I spray-painted gallon milk bottles black and filled them with water and put them on my deck in the sun ... and I used that for the kids’ bath water and washing dishes," she said. "The water actually got pretty hot." 

Could you go 5 years without buying anything new? This mom did

This might sound radical, but for some Americans, it's a way of life. Extreme couponing is practically an Olympic sport these days, but frugal living bloggers are playing the X Games of savings.

The guiding principle of the extreme saving community is “The Compact.” Started by a group of friends in 2006, it’s a pledge to refrain from buying anything new for one full year. There are a few exceptions like food and "non-couture or ornamental" underwear, but it's a pretty radical departure from typical American consumption patterns.

Extreme savers draw a distinction between themselves and hard-core couponers. Although both groups aim to save money, they take opposite paths to reach that goal.

"Deal blogs are kind of like, 'Buy this, buy this' — really, you don’t need to go shopping," Cross said. "It's sort of a more pared-down, less consumer-y way of saving money."

"My most intense efforts lie in trying to stay away from buying new stuff," said Katy Wolk-Stanley, whose website TheNonConsumerAdvocate.com has the tag line, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." 

"I’m totally fine having two pairs of jeans and five pairs of shoes," Wolk-Stanley said.

Some extreme savers have frugality ingrained into them from a young age. Growing up, "There was very little to go around," said McAfee-Hallman. "The image of Little House in the Big Woods, as the family prepared for winter and their attic was stocked — that made a lasting impression on me as a very hungry little girl," she said.

Other frugal living devotees came into the notion later in life. 

Finding herself $20,000 in debt in February 2008, Natalie McNeal swore off discretionary expenditures like dining out, hair appointments and manicures. “I saved $400 and a light bulb went on,” said McNeal, who launched the blog TheFrugalista.com and later followed up with a book about her embrace of the frugal-living lifestyle.

 It wasn't always easy, she said. "Before becoming a frugalista, I never cooked at home ... I knew maybe like two dishes." To keep her commitment, McNeal said she wound up eating tortilla chips and salsa for dinner some nights.

Eating at home and shopping at thrift stores are just the tip of the iceberg for extreme savers. Even when most Americans would probably relegate something to the trash, they practice the art of salvaging.

 "Say one of my kids came home from school and their binder had broken," said Sara Tetreault, who blogs at at GoGingham.com, "We'd take out the cardboard and the metal spine, because those components get recycled ... instead of just automatically thinking 'I need to throw this in the trash can.'"

When McNeal's bed, which had been damaged by movers, collapsed one day, "I was like, 'Oh my goodness, I can’t pay to have it fixed,'" she said. "I went to Lowe's and got a $3 cinder block so I could prop up the corner, and you’d never know."

 "I used to waste a lot of food and I had these piles of food in front of me and I was like, 'I’m so embarrassed,'" Cross said. She started taking pictures of her weekly fridge clean-outs, hoping that sharing her piles of wilted veggies and abandoned leftovers would motivate her to waste less. 

Tetreault took an an even harder line against trash for her family of four, paring back garbage pickup to once a month. Although the cost difference with weekly pickup is "negligible," Tetreault said she saves on the back end because the question of what to do with the packaging deters her from buying new things. 

Monthly trash pickup? People who take a commitment to living frugally concede that the "ick" factor is an occupational hazard.

"In the hot months, our garbage gets really smelly and I do think, 'Oh man, why do we do this again?'" Tetreault said.

"I would always buy generic diapers," said Amy Suardi, blogger at Frugal-Mama.com and mother of four kids. "Yeah, sure I had to clean a lot of blowouts, but I thought that was just part of being a mother of a baby … That's a lot of what frugal living is — it's doing it the hard way."

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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan joined us for a live web chat on Friday, Aug. 24, to discuss education-related topics, such as student loans and the cost of college.

Here’s one of the Secretary’s answers to questions from the live chat. (See below for the full Q&A.)

Phil asked:

"Would you recommend students submit their FAFSAs to multiple schools to comparison shop among aid packages offered?"

Secretary Duncan replied:

"Yes, students absolutely should submit their FAFSA applications to multiple schools. We know that 75% send their FAFSA to only one school."

"Students should look at multiple schools when choosing college and choose one based on what's best for them, considering price, the quality of education, and graduation rates."

Secretary Duncan is the ninth U.S. secretary of education.

He has served in this post since his confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 20, 2009, following his nomination by President Barack Obama.

Here’s the full chat archive:

TODAY guest Katy Wolk-Stanley stuck a chord with her first-person account of how she has gone five years without buying any new consumer goods, other than underwear or socks.

Many readers say they shop secondhand stores by necessity, not because of a lifestyle choice. Typical was "Blondini," who said:

As a mother of 5 children, now adults rearing their own children, I have shopped yard sales and thrift stores and been given hand-me-down clothes throughout their lives. This was necessity, not a game. I felt that the segment was demeaning to those of us who have had to scrimp and save -- and yes -- even buy used underwear in thrift stores. I'm proud that my children always looked well dressed and have grown up to be intelligent adults with admirable work ethics and a true knowledge of the value of a dollar.

Others just prefer to live a more non-materialistic lifestyle. As "one-non-conformist" put it:

My husband and I have been doing this for years! We love CL and eBay. We do consignment and have been on a mission to clean out all of the "stuff" we have accumulated over the years. We have found that in the last few years that thrift stores are being used tremendously more then even 5 years ago. It has become a way of survival for many! Reuse, reuse, reuse! 

Watch this space for a follow-up story on other extreme savers.

Senior writer Allison Linn also struck a nerve with a story about the middle class feeling worse off financially now than they did when the recession began nearly five years ago. More than 30 percent of the 20,000 users who responded to our survey said they feel they have fallen completely out of the middle class.

Contributing writer Dana Macario is in the third week of a 30-day challenge to avoid the grocery store. There have been some bumps in the road. First, she failed to plan ahead and had to buy some food at a grocery store. Then she tried to bake her own bread and made "two wonderful-smelling doorstops." Next week Dana will share what she has learned over the past month.

Like many an American, I want to eat healthily and shop locally. But, so often, life gets in the way and I wind up not doing either. However, a few weeks ago, I resolved to change that. I joined the 30-Day No Grocery Store Challenge. For a full month, I’m trying to shop at small, locally owned businesses and purchase as much fresh, healthy and locally produced foods as I can. 

The hope is that I can learn some new shopping and eating habits that I’ll carry with me once the challenge is over. I know that not everything I consume will be locally grown, but much of it has been. I know I can’t be a purist, so even if some of the foods I buy aren’t local, they are at least bought at small, local businesses, which I want to support. 

While the challenge started off with a bang, by week two, my family and I were floundering a bit. 

The third week of the challenge started off at a pretty low point. In the interest of a full confession, I admit I caved and shopped at a supermarket. I was running late to a potluck and realized I’d forgotten the food I was supposed to bring. All of the challenge-friendly stores were far away. So, feeling like a bit of a failure, I slunk in and bought one thing. 

Just as I was about ready to call the whole challenge off, I saw that there was a recall of pre-sliced, packaged apples due to a listeria scare. Suddenly, I was back on track. 

Over the past several weeks, readers have left helpful tips and ideas. One of the major recurring themes of those comments has been about embracing a do-it-yourself way of life. This week, I decided to try just that. It’s a bit late in the season to plant vegetables and one look at my near-death geranium out front tells me gardening isn’t my thing, so that’s out. But, I do grow a few herbs like basil, mint and rosemary in small pots. I’ve found them to be low-maintenance and economical compared to buying those “fresh” packets at the supermarket. 

This week, I also embraced bread making. I borrowed a friend’s bread maker so I could test it out. I made two wonderful-smelling doorstops, which is a bit embarrassing, since I thought those machines were foolproof. In my defense, I didn’t have the instruction manual… I love to bake though, and found a recipe that used an actual oven. Success! It was a thing of beauty and tasted good to boot. Baking is my go-to rainy day activity and living in Seattle that means it’s something I do quite a bit.  This winter, I’ll be baking fewer red velvet cupcakes and more bread. That’s at least one small step in the right direction. 

This week, I also enlisted the help of my most homesteader-ish friend who taught me how to make mozzarella. Let’s just say that in the future, when I buy artisanal cheese, I’ll have a newfound appreciation for the prices and efforts that go into making them. Still on the subject of delicious, Italian foodstuffs, the other thing I attempted this week was making my own pasta. Using a pasta maker, I made spaghetti, which my kids loved helping with. Even preschoolers can turn the crank, while someone feeds the dough through. I froze some and, if that turns out all right, I’ll be doing more of that in the future also. 

Prior to this challenge, all I knew about canning is that I’m pretty sure Ma in Little House on the Prairie did it. But, I’ve learned I’m way behind the times on this. I’ve been invited to a canning party and am going to give it a try. The hostess travels to local farms and gets discounts on “seconds” of fruits like pears and peaches from local farmers. Generally, these are fruits that are just too small or misshapen to be sold at grocery stores but are perfect for canning. We’ll see. 

Ordering beef from a local rancher was another healthy, local option I wanted to try. I found a rancher who sells people a quarter of a grass-fed cow, butchered to their preference and ready for deep-freeze. A friend of mine does this and it feeds her family of four for a year. Alas, we don’t have a separate freezer and there’s no way that much cow is fitting in our regular fridge/freezer. 

Once again I’m enjoying the challenge. It’s been an adventure trying different ways of both buying and making foods. As I go, I’m discovering new things, some of which I’ll keep up with and others that are a one-time deal. 

Dana Macario is a Seattle-area writer who is terrified, yet determined to eat healthy and local for a full month.

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Many employers end up scratching their heads when women who are seemingly on the fast track to the corner office end up leaving their companies.

Google managers decided to use their expertise deciphering data to figure out why it was happening within their ranks.

A story in the New York Times titled “In Google’s Inner Circle, A Falling Number of Women” discusses how the search engine giant used its own internal data to figure out why some women leave the firm.  One of the best nuggets was buried in the next-to-last paragraph of the story.

“Another time Google was losing women was after they had babies. The attrition rate for postpartum women was twice that for other employees. In response, Google lengthened maternity leave to five months from three and changed it from partial pay to full pay. Attrition decreased by 50 percent.”

Bingo!

That piece of data — albeit from a limited sample of corporate America — points to a simple idea: If women can get some extra paid time to get their bodies and minds back on track after the baby comes they may be able to figure out how to make work-life balance a reality when they return.

Unfortunately, research from the Families and Work Institute shows employers are cutting back on providing full pay during such leave.

Although employers have grown more likely to offer some form of paid maternity leave, they are becoming less likely to provide time off with full pay.

About 58 percent of employers provide some form of pay for maternity leave based on the latest survey, up from 46 percent in 2005. But only 5 percent of all employers offer full pay for new mothers, down from an estimated 6 percent in 2005.

Clearly Google is bucking the trend on this one in the United States although they are still not up to the standard set by Sweden, which offers workers more than a year of paid maternity leave.

The jury is out on whether such a generous amount of time off will help women crash through the glass ceiling. But you have to give Google kudos for realizing it has a problem keeping talented women on board, especially given the recent departure of a pregnant executive at the firm, Marissa Mayer, to run Yahoo.

Not that having maternity leave would have helped Google keep Mayer. She sparked a national debate last month when she said she planned to work through her leave after she gives birth.

Eve Tahmincioglu is a career blogger and director of communications for workplace think tank Families and Work Institute. 

Chanel. Prada. Gucci. Dior. There they are, all lined up — not in the window of Saks but on the wall at the optometrist’s office, within spitting distance of fake floral arrangements and 3-year-old copies of Prevention magazine. Consumers who wouldn’t dream of spending hundreds of dollars on a designer handbag have found themselves with few alternatives when it comes to eyewear. These days, though, the visually challenged have the option of ordering online, where you’ll see prices so low you might wonder if you need a new prescription.

Below are Cheapism’s top websites for affordable eyeglasses.

• Zenni Optical (starting at $7 for frames and single-vision lenses) wins fans for its vast selection of ultracheap glasses, complete with anti-scratch and UV coatings. The site provides a full range of frame and lens measurements and lets consumers upload a photo to virtually “try on” glasses. If they don’t look as good in person as they did online, the site offers only a 50 percent refund. But with prices so low, many consumers opt to take a chance and keep the cheap pair as a backup if it doesn’t work out. (Where to buy)
• 39 Dollar Glasses (starting at $39, naturally) charges more for its cheapest pairs, but the glasses have polycarbonate lenses in addition to the standard UV protection and scratch-resistant coating. Consumers also have the option to order new lenses for existing frames. The company claims to process basic orders within five business days and offers a full refund or free exchange, including free return shipping, if notified within 10 days. Experts laud the workmanship and easy-to-use website. (Where to buy)
• Goggles 4 U (starting at $7) does “re-lensing” in addition to selling new glasses with anti-scratch and UV coatings. The site offers virtual try-on and live support, and its customer service earns plaudits in online reviews. Customers displeased with the look or quality of their glasses can send them back for a refund of 50 percent on the lenses and 100 percent on the frames. (Where to buy)
• Eye Buy Direct (starting at $7) stands out with a guarantee of a replacement or full refund (minus shipping) for any reason within 14 business days. Lenses come with anti-scratch coating, and a virtual try-on tool lets consumers compare frames. Those in the know stock up during the site’s buy-one-get-one-free sales. (Where to buy)

Complex prescriptions, including bifocals and progressive lenses, cost extra and may be more prone to error. These websites all correct mistakes at no cost, but unless you take the lenses to an optometrist to confirm the prescription, you might not notice a subtle difference until you start getting headaches.

To complete an order, you need not just a current prescription but also your pupillary distance, or PD. This measurement is not automatically included as part of your prescription, so be sure to ask for it specifically. (If your eye doctor balks, you can trot out the Federal Trade Commission’s Prescription Release Rule, which compels optometrists and ophthalmologists to provide a copy of your prescription free of charge.)

More from Cheapism:
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The Great Recession and weak recovery have left slightly fewer Americans feeling like they are part of the middle class, and many who do still identify themselves as such say they are now worse off.

A new and comprehensive survey on how the middle class feels, released Wednesday by Pew Research Center, finds 42 percent of people who identify themselves as middle class say they are in worse shape financially than before the recession began. About 32 percent are in better shape, and the rest either don’t know or see no difference.

The recession officially ran from December of 2007 to June of 2009, although economic growth has generally been slow since and unemployment has remained high.

There is no hard and fast definition of middle class, but it’s clear from the Pew results that many people feel like the middle-class ideal is slipping through their fingers. The vast majority of the people who identified themselves as middle class also said that it’s tougher to maintain their standard of living than it was a decade ago.

It’s not surprising that many people feel like it’s harder to get ahead financially than it used to be. The nation’s median household income rose fairly steadily for five decades until hitting a peak in 1999. But since then, median household income, adjusted for inflation, has fallen by 7 percent, to $49,445 as of 2010. The Census Bureau is scheduled to release the 2011 data in September.

Pew Research Center

The people in the Pew study who identified themselves as middle class said it would take a median annual income of $70,000 to lead a middle class life, according to the researchers. The Pew study of 2,508 adults included 1,287 people who described themselves as middle class, and it was conducted in mid-July.

The self-described middle class is more pessimistic about their children’s future than they were four years ago. Less than half -- 43 percent -- said they think their children’s standard of living will be better than their own at the same age, down from 51 percent in 2008. About 26 percent said they think their children’s standard of living will be worse, up from 19 percent in 2008.

The weak economy and middle-class Americans’ pessimism about it will likely be a key factor in the upcoming presidential election.

In the Pew survey, middle class appeared to be more optimistic that President Obama’s policies would help them, with 52 percent saying the president would help middle-class Americans if he was re-elected in November. Just 42 percent said Mitt Romney’s policies would help the middle class if he was elected.

A separate poll, conducted by Gallup in August and also released this week, found that more than half of registered voters in swing states feel no better off than they were four years ago. That’s similar to the results from a Gallup survey of registered voters in all states.

Swing state voters were closely divided on whether President Obama could have helped them more. According to the Gallup survey, 46 percent of swing state voters said Obama has done as well as could be expected in dealing with the difficult economy, while 52 percent said he has not done as well as expected.

The Gallup survey included 970 voters in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Related:

Gen X may have taken biggest hit in economic downturn

Rags to riches? That’s Hollywood fiction, study finds

We are the median: Living on $50,000 a year

The other night someone came up to me at a mixer and said straight out, “I write about sports and entertainment. Do you know anyone who is hiring?” I hid my blush in my martini. Talk about awkward.

It was the in-person version of the same missteps job-seekers often take when trying to set up informational interviews. That's too bad, because it could be the best tool for getting your next job. And considering the Labor Department announced Friday THE unemployment rate rose in 44 states last month, the unemployed need all the help they can get.

So what exactly is an informational interview? It's a brief meeting, ideally in person, where you ask how a certain role, industry or company works, and what you could do to make yourself a better candidate for it. You'll also want to ask for referrals. That's on the literal level.

On an unspoken level, you're also creating “top of mind awareness,” says Howard Campbell, a Chicago-based career coach with 20 years of experience. The next time a job comes across their desk, they'll think of you.

Sounds great, but how do you set one up? “Getting a referral is crucial,” says John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. A referral is like a shortcut that explains why you're worth talking to.

To smooth the process, we've got an email template you can use to set up the meetings. Logan Sachon, 28-year old editor of personal finance site thebillfold.com, has successfully used a version of it to land informational interviews:

            Hi, (name).

            (Referrer name) said you would be a good person to talk to. I know (referrer) from (state your relationships).

            I understand how busy you are, and I thank you for reading this because (reason why target is   right person to talk to). Right now I'm doing (current job), but I’m really interested in learning more about (specific job or profession) and developing my skills there.  I do not expect you to have or know of any specific job openings, rather I would value your insights and opinions on     (subject) and would appreciate any advice you can give me. I admire your work in the field because of (notable accomplishment you researched).

            (1-2 sentences highlighting your own background and experience)

            (1-2 sentence interesting question about the subject's work history, choices, career path or  opinion. Ask something specific that can't be figured out just by looking at their blog or Twitter bio.)

            I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss these things in an informal meeting. I will    call you next week to arrange a convenient time to get together.

            Thanks so much, (your name)

There you go! Now you've got everything you need to go out, hit the pavement, and start expanding your network with informational interviews. Lea Alvarado, an alumni career counselor at the University of Colorado at Boulder says, “The more people you have in your ‘corner’ the more likely you are to find opportunities that you would have never learned about otherwise.”

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U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will join us for a live web chat on Friday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. ET to discuss education-related topics, such as student loans and the cost of college. He’ll also answer your general questions about how to finance an education.

(Sign up for an e-mail reminder for the chat here.)

Secretary Duncan is the ninth U.S. secretary of education. He has served in this post since his confirmation by the U.S. Senate on Jan. 20, 2009, following his nomination by President Barack Obama.

Do you have a question for Secretary Duncan?

If you do, you can ask it in advance of the chat here, or you can also also leave a question in the comment section below.

David Crowe, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, a non-profit trade association, joined us for a live web chat Thursday to answer your questions about the housing market.

Here’s one of David’s answers to questions from the live chat. (See below for the full Q&A.)

Emily asked:

“Has there ever been a better time to buy a home? Seems with rates so low, it’s a great time.”

David Crowe replied:

“Emily - I think so, but I am an optimist. Seriously, home prices have probably bottomed in most markets (but as I noted earlier, that is universally true). Mortgage rates are not likely to go down much further and will eventually rise as the economy recovers. Home builders are hungry and while you will still have to pay a fair price, you may not get a better bargain than now before all the rest of the demand comes back.”

Here’s the full chat archive:

Getty Images stock

Nearly three-fourths of workers report being stressed out at the job, according to a survey.

 Stressed out at work? Take a number.

Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of American workers are stressed out by at least one thing at work, according to Everest College’s 2012 Work Stress Survey conducted by Harris Interactive.

You know what gets on people’s last nerve the most?

CNBC.com: America’s most stressful jobs

You guessed it: not getting paid enough. Some 11 percent of those surveyed cited pay as their biggest source of stress, followed by annoying co-workers (10 percent), commuting (9 percent), unreasonable workload (9 percent) and working in a job that isn’t their chosen career (8 percent).

“[A] moderately improving economic landscape and lower unemployment numbers have not yet eased anxiety in the workplace, and Americans are still, more than ever, concerned about their job situation,” said John Swartz, the regional director of career services at Everest College.

Other sources of stress included poor work-life balance (5 percent), lack of opportunity for advancement (5 percent) and the boss (4 percent).

CNBC.com: 10 ways your job is killing you

If you have any questions about whether or not you’re stressed out, here are a few tell-tale signs, according to Psychology Today: You’re less patient and sympathetic listening to other people’s problems, you ask more “closed-end questions” to discourage dialogue, your dedication to exercise, diet, and friendship is waning, you feel trapped, you give people a lot of “Yes, but” answers to their suggestions and — Gasp! This one is the most horrifying to us here at the Pony blog — you’ve lost your sense of humor.

Workplace-advice site Work911.com offers these additional signs: You can achieve a "Runner's High" by sitting up. The sun is too loud. You can see individual air molecules vibrating. TV infomercials entertain you.

Women are definitely more stressed about money than men: 14 percent of women in the work-stress survey cited pay as their top stressor, compared to 8 percent of the men.

CNBC.com: Escape the idiots!  Top 25 companies for work-life balance

Call it economic optimism, freak-out fatigue or whatever you want, but one of the most fascinating results from the survey is that the fear of losing a job is subsiding. The number of people who cited fear of being fired or laid off as a top source of stress dropped to 4 percent in this year’s survey from 9 percent last year.

You know what really bugs Tesla Martinez, president of the consulting firm Terra Nova Insights?

Talking about how stressed you are!

“Stressing that you’re stressed will only leave you that way,” Martinez said. “Folks who bum-rush their colleagues with naysaying or unload all their challenges versus taking a step back and realizing the grass isn’t always greener. This can drain positive energy levels from their peers and drive colleagues a little loopy!”

CNBC.com: Goodbye private offices, hello open plan

And while we’re at it, it’s also maddening when people talk about how busy they are all the time, said Tony Schor, president of consulting firm Investor Awareness.

“I do not like it when people spend a lot of time talking to co-workers complaining about how they are soooooo busy,” Schor said. “My feeling is if one is soooo busy, then they should not be talking about it and just go do the work required!”

So what about that other 26 percent in the work-stress survey — those people who said nothing at work stresses them out? Who are these magically unstressed people? Surely even the Sugar Plum Fairy finds something stressful about her job.

Not surprisingly, more than a third of those no-stress people (37 percent) were those who had a household income of more than $100,000. More men than women said they had no stress, and there was a direct correlation with age — the older people get, the less stressed they are on the job, Swartz said.

So, the bad news is that we’re getting older. The good news is, you’ll be less stressed about it.

Whatever you do, don’t talk about it. And if the sun gets too loud or you start losing your sense of humor — call for help!

 Though the media has focused on the plight of unemployed dads, it’s moms who are suffering the most in the current recession, a new study shows. 

The study, which looked at the outcomes for laid-off workers across the United States, found that married women with kids spent more time in-between jobs than married dads.

Making matters worse for the moms was the big pay cut they took once they finally found a job: On average moms lost $175 per week more than dads, according to the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

For the study, co-author Michelle Maroto, an assistant professor in the sociology department at the University of Alberta, scrutinized four sets of data from the Displaced Workers Supplement, a nationally representative survey conducted by the Census Bureau every other year.

The 2010 survey, for example, included nearly 4,400 displaced workers (people who had been laid off or lost a job because of a plant closing), who took an average of 17 weeks to find a new job.

When the researchers broke down the data according to marital and parental status, they found that moms experienced a significant “motherhood penalty” while fathers got a “daddy bonus.”

Maroto’s data doesn’t offer explanations as to why moms are taking such a big hit, but there have been hints from experimental studies.

Recent research has shown that employers will choose a dad over a mom because they fear that moms won’t be as available or committed to the job, Maroto says.

The assumption is that moms are more likely than dads to make the family their top priority. So, if a child gets sick, it will be the mom, and not the dad, who takes time off from work.

Intriguingly, employers are more likely to hire single women than a single man. Maroto wasn’t sure what to make of that. But, she points out, when single men and single women do find new jobs, they take an equal hit to their salaries – which ends up being a lot larger, by $123 per week, than that experienced by married men

For women who fear they might be in danger of suffering from the motherhood penalty when looking for a new job, Maroto has some advice: Don’t volunteer anything about your family in job applications and interviews. 

“What I’d say to mothers with children is that you don’t necessarily have to disclose your personal details when you’re applying for a job,” she says. “It’s definitely not something you want to indicate on our resume.” 

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Two weeks ago, in an attempt to eat healthier and support small, local businesses, I signed up for the 30-Day No Grocery Store Challenge. They say that if you can do something for a month, you’ll have formed a habit. By shopping locally for healthy food, I’m hoping to do something that’s both good for my body and good for my community. I found the first week to be a fun adventure into my local farmers market and food co-op. However, just as I was about to think it would be smooth sailing the whole way through, we hit a bump in the road.

Our local farmers market is held for five hours every Saturday during the season. Normally, this is a pretty convenient schedule, especially for most working people. However, if it’s August and you’re planning to be camping for the weekend, it’s a bit of a problem. Having to miss it for a week put a wrinkle in my new-found shopping habits. It also reminded me that it would be more difficult to shop locally come October when the market closed for the season.

I mentioned my quandary to a friend who recommended a large produce stand about 40 minutes from my house. The stand-store is owned by local farmers and is open year-round. It mainly sells the produce those farmers grow, and supplements that with food from other in-state (and a couple of out-of-state) farmers. Although their produce wasn’t organic, most of it was local and the prices were incredible.

For instance, the hormone-free, antibiotic-free eggs they sold were $2.50 per dozen. That’s a better deal than I’m getting through the dairy home delivery and less than half of what I saw offered at the farmers market. But, it was a trek for me to get there, and when you add in what I spent on gas, suddenly those eggs aren’t so cheap.

I’m discovering that in my little corner of the world there are a lot of options for eating healthily and locally (at least in the summer). But, there are bound to be trade-offs. Generally speaking, I’ve had to choose between convenience and cost. Some of the local produce stands and farmers markets offer great deals, but they tend to have more limited hours or are located a bit out of town.

The food co-op is terrific and convenient, as is the home milk delivery, but they’re also a bit more expensive. If I’m going to keep this up, I’m going to need to get smart and figure out ways to make the most of the less convenient shopping experiences and spend money at the pricier vendors in moderation.

While budgetary and time constraints have proven to be the challenge this little adventure promised to be, I’ve enjoyed eating better. There’s almost a feeling of relief, knowing you’re eating foods that are good for you. I’m even finding that there are options for eating out that include eating locally and healthily.

While visiting my mom this past week, we decided to grab some dinner but wanted to keep to the spirit of the challenge and avoid the old drive-thru. She knew of a small shop nearby that sells frozen dinners, which are made with local, healthy ingredients. Although the initial price gave us sticker shock, we later calculated it out and realized it was only marginally more expensive than a trip through a drive-thru would have been. As an added bonus, it actually tasted good — something I’d been a bit skeptical about.

I also made a trip to Chipotle with my kids. It’s not local, but it is a burrito joint known for its sustainable practices. My kids liked it and I didn’t have any of my normal fast-food pangs of guilt. Strictly speaking, it may not be the ultimate in healthy living, and I recognize that. But, I’m realistic enough to know that there are times when I’ll be in a time crunch and need to grab food on the go. Sometimes, it’s not a matter of making the best choice but simply making a better choice.

At the two-week mark, my family is having some mixed reactions to the experiment. My husband has given it two thumbs down, worrying that we’re spending, as he put it, a “crapload” of money on health food and are buying foods we don’t always end up liking. I’m a bit more hopeful. While we spent a fair amount the first week, the second week was much more budget-friendly. I’m optimistic that as time goes on and we get the hang of this, we’ll figure out a way to make this work for both our diets and our wallets.

Dana Macario is a Seattle-area writer who is terrified, yet determined to eat healthy and local for a full month.

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Web surfing? Facebook? Online shopping? No. The water cooler, or its equivalent, kills the most time.

Technology may be revolutionizing the workplace, but old-fashioned distractions like meetings and chatting with co-workers are still considered the biggest office time-wasters.

That, at least, is the conclusion of a survey of office workers, released Thursday by TrackVia, a Denver-based software company.

Office chit-chat ranked as the No. 1 work distraction, the top choice of 14 percent of those surveyed, while meetings and computer problems followed close behind at 11 percent each.

Other time wasters mentioned by survey respondents:

• Surfing the web
• Dealing with office politics
• Addressing misunderstandings with co-workers
• Using social media
• Checking email
• Following company rules and procedures

It’s no surprise employees see going to meetings as a major obstacle to accomplishing their work-day goals, says productivity expert Laura Stack.

“A lot of people feel like they spend their entire day in meetings,” says Stack, a Denver-based speaker and author who leads 80 to 100 productivity training sessions a year.

In her experience with clients, however, employees waste far more time checking email, instant messages and social media like Facebook -- what she calls “tech time” -- than dealing with computer problems or on other non-critical tasks. “You could sit in your inbox all day and at the end of the day say, ‘Where’d all my time go?’” Stack says.

Holly Witt, a Portland, Ore., insurance account executive, says social media is her biggest time waster, especially Facebook.

“I keep telling myself to deactivate the account and I am almost there,” she says.

Slightly more than half of employees surveyed (51 percent) say they waste up to two hours a week on tasks that aren’t work related or don’t help them “get real work done.” Approximately 11 percent say they waste 6 to 9 hours on nonessential tasks, and close to 4 percent said they waste 10 to 19 hours during the work week, according to the survey.

The survey of 300 workers, conducted this month by Amplitude Research, has a margin of error of about 6 percent.

Michelle V. Rafter is a Portland, Ore., reporter who wastes time at work on Twitter and Pinterest.

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