I went to the grocery store two days ago and was amazed by the amount of junk food I found at every turn. Brightly colored packages blasted with enticing graphics were impossible to miss. That made me take notice of the grocery carts around me and consciously consider the amount of unhealthy food ...
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Each of us are only given twenty four hours a day. Some days many of us feel as though we need more like forty or eighty hours to get things done. So, how do you make the most of twenty-four
The mystery of using time effectively can be difficult or impossible for many of us to unravel....
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I am a people watcher. There, I admitted it. I am curious to know what makes people tick and what makes them fall apart. Although I am not trained in all the nuances of psychology, I am amazed by what you can learn about people simply by taking the time to listen and observe.
One thing that I ...
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I heard an interesting statistic while watching Good Morning America on television this morning. It stated that today, the day after Christmas, is typically the fifth biggest shopping day of the year. My question is....why Although they also stated that shopping today is expected to be down ...
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The season of giving and receiving is upon us. It is difficult to believe that Black Friday 2012 is only days away. This Friday, November 23, 2012 many people will flock to the malls and retail stores for great deals, sales and specials on many one size fits all style gifts that will be out of...
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What do you really need Think about that question for a moment. How has our American culture influenced your view of needs and wants
Cutting expenses can simplify your life, help you to reduce clutter and reduce stress. My challenge to you today is to re-evaluate what really matters to you...
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I lead a very hectic lifestyle. Although I would like to cook more, it seems that every time I am home I have more pressing tasks. Some days it's laundry. Some days the refrigerator needs to be cleaned. Some times I need to clean up after the pets. My husband and I also run a small business. T...
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Have you ever wondered how you can dress in the latest fashions without breaking the bank We all know about outlet stores and discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshals, Burlington Coat Factory and Ross Dress for Less. Well, now Amazon.com has joined the discount name brand fashion world with their s...
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The current economy has forced many of us to take a second look at our financial priorities. How many things can we live without I was asking myself this question in a trip to the dollar store (yes, the dollar store) about an hour ago.
It seems to be the little things that have always tr...
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With the growing consumer distrust of retail giant Wal-Mart, Target and K-mart are striving to be serious contenders for retail dollars that are slipping away from the department store. K-mart in particular is honing in on value-conscious shoppers like never before. Below are a few ways they are d...
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I use generic products frequently to save money. I have learned that they are not always the better value, however. It is important to consider overall value when making everyday purchases.
Case in point, I recently switched from my favorite name brand scoopable cat litter to a lower priced g...
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Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to honor our vetrans for everything they give. Some businesses are giving back in the form of free goods and services as a small way to say thank you.
USA Today has the full story on their website. You can check it out at this link (click here)....
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What if I told you could earn money in your spare time at any location with internet access What if it didn't cost a dime and only took about 10 minutes a day
Here's how it works advertisers pay you to watch very short commercials and rate them. You can also earn a revenue share when any f...
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E-mealz is a growing meal planning website available for less than the price of one latte each week. For only pennies more than the price of a dollar menu or value menu item at a fast food restaurant, you can have a plan to make your own meals at home.
What I love about e-mealz is that it ...
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Chick-fil-A is running another free food promotion. When you make a reservation online at httpwww.chick-fil-aforbreakfast.comStartsourcecfa, you can come in to a local participating restaurant and receive a complimentary breakfast entree between September 6th and 10th 2011. Reservations ...
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Save Money and Lose Weight
I went to the grocery store two days ago and was amazed by the amount of junk food I found at every turn. Brightly colored packages blasted with enticing graphics were impossible to miss. That made me take notice of the grocery carts around me and consciously consider the amount of unhealthy food purchased by my own household.
What if Americans spent less money on junk food and more money on healthy food? What would that do to health care costs?
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Using Time To Its full Potential
Each of us are only given twenty four hours a day. Some days many of us feel as though we need more like forty or eighty hours to get things done. So, how do you make the most of twenty-four?
The mystery of using time effectively can be difficult or impossible for many of us to unravel. I think part of the problem is that we live such hectic and distracted lives. A few minutes of pre-planning, however, can save many hours in the long run and help us to slow down the pace a bit.
First, before we can attack the time thief, we must identify who it is. Try this technique, for one week, take a note pad with you and jot down places and instances where and when you feel like you have wasted time.
Next, plan the attack. Proper planning can help you turn an overwhelming task load into something much more manageable.
Here are some tips to help you get started....
1). Prioritize! Think of a scale from one to ten. How critical are the different things you have to do? If you aren't sure or you think everything is a ten, you may find it helpful to write your to do list down on a piece of paper and then sort it all out.
2) Mentally or in writing group and ungroup tasks. What tasks cannot be completed until another task is done? What tasks can be done while doing other tasks?
3) Break it down! Create measurable and attainable goals out of larger projects.
4) Spread it out and create a routine. You might be surprised by how much you can accomplish by creating habits of accomplishing even a few small tasks each day.
5) Plan for the future. Many times the reason why we waste time is that we don't plan ahead. This causes us to scramble and try to plan on the fly when we could have handled the task much more efficiently by using a little forethought.
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Small Purchases Add Up To big Bucks
I am a people watcher. There, I admitted it. I am curious to know what makes people tick and what makes them fall apart. Although I am not trained in all the nuances of psychology, I am amazed by what you can learn about people simply by taking the time to listen and observe.
One thing that I have learned from my observations is that people usually don't think twice about buying something they want if they think it is cheap. While we all have our definitions about what we think is cheap, I would hypothesize that the vast majority of the population of the United States would think that one dollar is cheap. I would even venture to say that only a slightly smaller portion of our citizens would consider five dollars cheap.
Now, let's stick with this one and five dollar hypothesis and see how it adds up over time. First, lets start with some easy math. There are 365 days in one typical year (not a leap year). If the average American consumer were to waste only one dollar each day, that is three hundred and sixty five dollars.
Now, let's take that same three hundred and sixty five dollars and apply it toward getting out of debt. Lets say someone has a $1000 credit card debt at 14.67 percent interest (the average rate for an American with a blance according to www.creditcards.com). If this typical American paid a minimum amount of forty dollars a month on their 1000 dollar balance, it would take them over two and one half years to pay it off ( calulated using Crown.org repayment calculator). Now, lets apply that three hundred and sixty five dollars to that balance and still make the monthly payments. Doing so saves over one year of payments and cuts the title interest paid by more than half.
It amazes me how many people walk around day by day living in such blissful ignorance of how even the smallest decisions can drastically impact their financial bottom line.
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The Day After Christmas Sales and Shopping
I heard an interesting statistic while watching Good Morning America on television this morning. It stated that today, the day after Christmas, is typically the fifth biggest shopping day of the year. My question is....why? Although they also stated that shopping today is expected to be down from years past, I would argue that perhaps America as a whole has grown overly materialistic. We have become desensitized to what really matters in life in our attempts to keep up with the Joneses so to speak.
Now I have turned off the television and as I write this blog I am taking some time to reflect upon my life and the people, not material things, that really matter to me. Yes, things are nice, but what really matters in the grand scheme of life is our relationships, our faith, things that were designed to really last for a lifetime and even beyond the confines of this life. Today I would challenge you to sit back, take a breath and make mental or even written note of what really matters to you. Doing so may even change your whole perspective on life.
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A Personalized Christmas
three crosses name meaning print
The season of giving and receiving is upon us. It is difficult to believe that Black Friday 2012 is only days away. This Friday, November 23, 2012 many people will flock to the malls and retail stores for great deals, sales and specials on many one size fits all style gifts that will be out of date and unwanted within a matter of time. That begs the question, what kinds of gifts really mean something?
In today's culture it's easy to lose our sense of individuality amongst the pressures of our society to conform to the norm. Thus, the quest for something that makes us unique has created a niche market in which some retailers are now willing to tread.
In example,www.personalizedtoday.com, provides name, photo and saying personalized keepsakes and wall decor at affordable prices. These types of gifts require effort on the part of the gift giver to really give some thought to who the gift recipient is and what their interests are. Other retailers are starting to catch on as well, realizing that one size fits all doesn't really work in a modern society that is constantly struggling to look different while simultaneously blending in with others.
September 24th 2012 19:31
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Adjusting to a change in income
What do you really need? Think about that question for a moment. How has our American culture influenced your view of needs and wants?
Cutting expenses can simplify your life, help you to reduce clutter and reduce stress. My challenge to you today is to re-evaluate what really matters to you and strive to view your life differently, considering how you can get rid of things that are costing you money and complicating your life.
So, where do you begin? First make a list of fixed expenses and variable expenses. Fixed expenses are those over which you have no control and which stay the same or nearly the same every month. A mortgage is a prime example of a fixed expense. Variable expenses are things over which you have power to exercise some form of control. An example is food. You can spend twenty dollars at a restaurant on one meal or take that same twenty dollars and stretch it into multiple meals at home.
Once you have considered which expenses are fixed and which are variable, it is time to make some tough decisions and prioritize needs above wants. You need food, clothing, shelter and transportation. You may, however, even be able to cut your expenses in those areas if you consider what you need verses what you want.
My challenge to you today is to really focus on prioritizing your life and finances. Take five minutes and plan your strategy now.
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Eating Healthy On The Go
I lead a very hectic lifestyle. Although I would like to cook more, it seems that every time I am home I have more pressing tasks. Some days it's laundry. Some days the refrigerator needs to be cleaned. Some times I need to clean up after the pets. My husband and I also run a small business. Then there's always errands to run or any number of other things vying for my attention. At any rate, it's very hard to take even thirty minutes out of my day to cook something.
Instead, I try to make smart choices at fast food restaurants. Things like a baked potato instead of fries and water instead of cola make me feel like I am at least trying to do something better for my body. I have also learned that bananas are nature's ultimate convenience food. I eat one almost every day. They help me to get closer to that five servings of fruit and vegetables I know I should be getting each day. Baby carrots are also worth the investment. A one pound bag can be individually portioned into individual zip lock bags which I can take with me in the car as I drive to work.
Small choices. That's what it's all about. Today, I would like to encourage you to look for small steps that you can take towards a more healthy lifestyle. Maybe you should park your car a few feet further from the door at the grocery store and walk a few extra feet instead of spending the same amount of time (and more money in gas) trying to find a better parking space. Or maybe there is another way that you can get more exercise or eat more healthy without investing a lot of your time and effort into doing so.
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Amazon.com launches discount name brand clothing website
Have you ever wondered how you can dress in the latest fashions without breaking the bank? We all know about outlet stores and discount stores like TJ Maxx, Marshals, Burlington Coat Factory and Ross Dress for Less. Well, now Amazon.com has joined the discount name brand fashion world with their site www.myhabit.com.
I found an e-mail about this website in my inbox and went there to check it out. I was very impressed with the layout of the website and was able to sign in with my existing amazon.com account. I thought it was nice that I didn't have to sign up for another account to see the fashions available on the website. The timed sale style of www.myhabit.com was different from the typical amazon.com style with which I am familiar but seemed easy to navigate. I am looking forward to exploring this site further and having another way to save on name brand clothing.
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K-Mart Offers Free Samples
With the growing consumer distrust of retail giant Wal-Mart, Target and K-mart are striving to be serious contenders for retail dollars that are slipping away from the department store. K-mart in particular is honing in on value-conscious shoppers like never before. Below are a few ways they are doing so.
K-Mart's website now features a free sample center which supplies website links to free products. You can find more information at this link. The site also features a printable coupon center (link here) where you can choose and print coupons to take with you to the store, free shipping on select products (link here) and a savings center (link here) with up-to-date information on more ways to save and manage money when shopping at K-mart.
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MPmomof3
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