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Most of us will be asked to write a letter of recommendation at one time or another. However, it's not always easy to find the right words. Sometimes, it's difficult to just get started!

Whether the reference letter is for a job, a scholarship, a grant, or some other opportunity, there are some key points you will want to make when writing your letter of recommendation.

Why? Because the better your letter is, the more likely your friend or relative will get what it is they are seeking.

Here are the most important things you will want to include when writing a letter of recommendation or reference letter for a friend or colleague...

What types of jobs are minimum wage jobs? 

...You might be surprised!
 
Below you will find:

• some minimum wage jobs that most people wouldn't think of
   
• some high-paying jobs that most people wouldn't realize
   
• some tips for moving beyond minimum wage jobs

There are times when making use of a hotel for periods longer than, say, a week would make sense.

Whether it be because of employment circumstances, moving, or even an extended vacation, an extended stay at a hotel or motel may be just the answer you're looking for when it comes to finding a cost-effective solution to your housing needs.

The big question becomes: are extended stay hotels a practical option?

I had a friend who did mystery shopping for a living. 

It seems every week she was visiting and "grading" a different place.  She got to check out hotel rooms.  She had free restaurant meals.  She also got to purchase a few cool things and she was reimbursed for them.

Over the years, I have tried mystery shopping a few times. My hope was that I would have the kind of success with mystery shopping as it seemed my friend enjoyed. 

Here's how mystery shopping went for me, plus some tips for making money as a mystery shopper...

The first place that many people go when looking for a job is online, and rightly so.  

Old job hunting rules tell you to pound the pavement as if your job search is a full-time job.  But with the convenience of the Internet, you can cover a lot more ground online.  

Still, finding a job online is a fulltime job in itself.  

Here are the best tips gathered from career experts regarding how to find a job online...

Hot dogs are a simple food that requires very little in the way of preparation, is modest in cost, and is as American as apple pie.

Every ball park, county fair, and football stadium sells them. With a large captive customer base, serious money changes hands during these and many similar events.
 

Fun facts about hot dogs sold at baseball stadiums.

Here in Duluth Minnesota, there is a long-established hot dog vendor business selling under the name "The Original Coney Island." The largest portion of their business is generated from the sale of coney dogs, dressed with coney sauce, mustard and onions.

Many years back, I often picked up "5 coney dogs with everything" for lunch at a cost of about $2.50 it was an economical meal that came guaranteed with heartburn to carry me through the rest of the day.

Today, I'm more likely to order just two, but the tab will come to $3.50, indicating a healthy profit on a very small investment for the modern hot dog vendor.
 

Read one man's story about selling hot dogs through the recession.

Looking for a fun way to pick up the slack and increase the paycheck during these tough economic times? Why not try a simple service business, such as driving a food catering truck?

My first exposure to the tasty delights that can be found on a catering truck was on a military base overseas. Every noon hour, the chow wagon (affectionately referred to as the "roach coach") rolled onto the tarmac in front of the hanger where our two C-123B cargo planes where based.

This was almost 40 years ago and I can still recall the taste of their Asian fried chicken lying on top of a bed of fried rice -- all packaged up in a neat little box that served as both a delivery container and serving bowl.

Over the years, I've worked at many different locations that were faithfully serviced by a shiny chrome truck bringing snacks, quick meals, and often local specialty dishes that you just couldn't get anywhere else. One thing that all worksites have in common is hungry workers. No matter if it's a construction site, a sales lot, or even a multi-story office building -- wherever more then a dozen people are employed, a catering truck of some sort is likely to include those locations on their daily route.

Catering trucks that service job sites throughout the work day usually come in 2 styles:

• The lunch truck -- a stainless steel catering unit, mounted on a pickup truck cab and chassis. The vendor stands alongside and the truck's sides open like wings to display the products. Usually, one side of the truck is the cold side with the display case filled with ice, and sandwiches, cold drinks, fruit, and anything else that requires refrigeration would be located on that side. The other side of the truck would likely be equipped with a large coffee urn, and warming oven to keep heated items ready to serve.
   
• The catering truck -- a full service stand-up rolling kitchen. Usually this type of catering truck is manned by 2-3 people. One may work the crowd outside collecting money and passing orders to those inside who are doing the cooking and packaging. This is where burgers, fries, breakfast specials, and other specialty items are cooked to order on the spot.