How do you decide when and how much to tip?
January 27, 2010
The topic of tipping always manages to raise everyone’s dander. It seems like everyone has their own idea of whom and how much one should tip.
I believe in tipping generously, especially in restaurants where the servers don’t make minimum wage, and, in some cases, split tips with other staff like bus boys and dishwashers. I consider 20 percent to be the standard tip for good service.
Sit down restaurants are pretty easy, but it’s getting increasingly difficult to navigate the waters when it comes to tipping in other establishments and types of services.
Tip jars have popped up everywhere. And in some cases, I’m not sure the person deserves a tip. For instance, if I go to a restaurant or café where I stand at the counter, order my food, pay for it there and stand and wait for someone to pass it across the counter, does that mean I have to leave a tip? I tend to say no.
Recently my mother and I got into a discussion about tipping the pizza deliver person. I said I usually leave a standard tip of $4 or $5. (If I order pizza in particularly inclement weather, I tip more. I figure if the pizza guy is going to risk life and limb to bring me a pizza in a snow storm, he deserves extra.)
My mother tips based on the total cost of the order, as one would do at a restaurant. My point was that if she orders a plain cheese pizza, and I order a gourmet pizza, the pizza delivery person drives the same distance whether or not there is cheese or artichokes on the pizza, but the cost of my pizza is more. Her point was that it’s the same in a restaurant if she orders chicken and I order filet. Touché!
I’m not even going to get into all the other areas of tipping, but it seems more and more those in areas of customer services are expecting, and in some cases, demanding, tips.
Apparently I’m not the only one who has noticed or takes exception to this. MSN Money columnist Liz Pulliam Weston wrote this article about tipping. She found herself in a particularly awkward situation when it comes to tipping.
What are your thoughts on tipping? How much and whom do you tip? What do you think about tip jars?
Tips to stay warm; LIHEAP help available
January 5, 2010
Hopefully you’re reading this from an area of the country that is at least a little on the warm side. However, if you’re in
The frigid temperatures make it very difficult to keep heating costs low while you keep your home a comfortable temperature.
There are still some easy steps you can take to keep the warm air in your home and the cold air out. Here are some tips:
· If a playing card fits in the crevice of an outside door or window, you need to caulk or weather strip around the door or window to stop air leaks.
· Use draft guards at the bottom of outside doors, and close radiators in rooms you don’t use.
· Lower your thermostat at night or when no one is home.
· If the cost of installing storm windows is too much, make your own storm windows by stretching 6-mil plastic sheets as tightly as you can over the window.
· Insulate attic space using loose fill or insulation rolls. High-efficiency building code standards recommend “R” values of 30 in ceilings, 16 in walls and 19 over crawl spaces. The “R” value is a measure of how well insulation traps heat.
· Set your water heater thermostat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
· Run your garbage disposal with cold water.
· Cook several dishes in the oven at one time, and prepare double recipes that you can freeze for future use and reheat in the microwave.
If you find that you cannot stay warm and pay your gas bill, there is also energy assistance for those who meet the required income guidelines, such as LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).
If you are struggling to pay your heating bills, don’t wait to call for help. You can apply for LIHEAP assistance online at www.compass.state.pa.us or by calling (866) 857-7095 or for the hearing impaired (800) 451-5886. You can also visit your local county assistance office for an application.
Here’s what you need to apply:
· Names of people in your household
· Dates of birth for all household members
· Social Security Numbers for all household members
· Proof of income for members of your household
· A recent heating bill
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