I wish I had more time to blog this month, but alas, you can look forward to a paucity of blog posts. Even my tweets are running dry. So, in the meantime, what better way to get your reading fix than to indulge in some licentious drivel. To celebrate 60 years of “pure reading pleasure”, Harlequin is offering 16 free eBooks for download in various formats including PDF, ePub, eReader, and MS Reader.

Even if you’re not into this genre, and admittedly, I’m hardly the target audience either - do you know how lucrative this market actually is? A few years ago, I got a book called “The Art of Romance Writing” as a gag gift, but am now seriously thinking of writing a racy novel and retiring on the inevitable movie deal.

You may as well recycle those newspaper classifieds, because that old school job-finding tool belongs in the 20th century. Spurred on by the recession, a number of tech-savvy people have started blogging on various “new school” ways of getting a job. Tech evangelist Robert Scoble has some crafty tips. I tend to agree with him when he says your blog is your résumé. After all, google my name and this blog is the first search result (and if you are a hiring manager, then please note my correct formatting of the word résumé!).

Local writer and social media consultant Monica Hamburg talks about how to tap into the hidden job market online in her excellent blog post. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Java programmer or a hairdresser - creating an online presence and fostering a network can benefit you. If nothing else, it’s way more fun than cold calling!

The first entry of 2009! Granted, this isn’t the most updated blog in the world, but I’ve managed to keep wordbit going for around two years now, which is not bad. I recently tried to find the oldest blog in the world, and this site claims to have been blogging since 1987. But that’s just their opinion - blogs in their modern incarnation haven’t been around for more than about 10 years.

Well, I’d like to wrap up 2008 on a personal note and let you know what’s been going on in my life - besides from recently getting engaged, which I’m really excited about.

On the work side of things, I recently extended my contract at Vtech by another 6 months. I asked for more money, which they were happy to give me. It’s been a great experience no matter what happens. I’ve been working primarily on a business phone system, but have also helped out with the Internal Product Specification (IPS) for an internet radio, which I quite enjoyed. This product recently made its debut at CES and was reviewed on Engadget. It’s nice to be able to finally talk about this stuff! I have one at my desk and really enjoy it - I can totally recommend this nifty little device. The guys put a lot of love into this one.

So, you’ve done all your Christmas shopping, and maybe scored a few deals by reading my last blog post. Now you want to have some fun in the snow but the rocky economic climate is scaring you off the slopes. Continuing on the theme of thrifty spending, check out my latest article on finding deals on winter sports equipment (while being eco-savvy at the same time).

I enjoyed writing this article because, well, I’m a SME when it comes to being cheap. Let’s just say that being a student has taught me how to stretch every dollar. And my hefty student loans will ensure the continuation of my pauper-like existence for some time to come!

So the economy is caught in a perpetual flush cycle and the government is crumbling under the pressure of imminent deficits. You’re waiting for HR to ask you to stop by so they can talk about “restructuring”. You’re wondering if you can even afford to drive to the mall this holiday season, let alone buy mounds of stuff there. Well, no worries. Here are some resources for thrifty Canadians with the most meagre of budgets, because let’s face it - right now it’s cool to be cheap.

Don’t waste your time surfing around for deals, I’ve put together a list of the eight best Canadian deal sites out there for you:
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