Category: Money matters

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Trading one for another

Stocks and bonds have never been my area of expertise.  I had a relative who was a stock broker for over 20 years and retired from that line of work.  They were really good at what they did and because of their strong abilities they now are all set for retirement.  During those times there was no such thing as online trading.  Calculators were the size of computers now used.  There were no such thing as an online broker.  There brokers were always met in person or on the telephone.

Many things have changed in this field.  One area that has not changed is stock trading.  Stock trading may have changed in method of trading but not in what they actually are.  Cell phones are now in high use so naturally the stock market has turned to mobile trading as a form of trading.  I have always heard people discuss their IRA accounts but I have never learned much about them.  Maybe I will look into them and see if it might be a good idea for me to set one up.

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Packing up all my stuff for my new house

Guest post written by Amelia Hall

It’s a little bittersweet, leaving my first house that I could legally call my own. But, my job is moving and I love my job so I’m moving with it. I was careful about the new house that I picked out but I also didn’t want to have to renovate all the rooms in it like I did with my first house. I don’t have all that time to DIY a whole home into my ideal home this time around.

I’m taking lots of other steps to make sure that my move goes as easily as possible. But I also want living in my new home once I’m settled in as easy as possible. I’ve done a lot of comparison pricing for energy costs because I’m moving into an area that has unregulated energy. In my research I came across the website texaselectricityproviders.com and after I looked through it a little bit, I finally decided on an energy provider.

Now I just have to worry about all the packing that I have to do. At least I hired a moving company to do all the physical work for me.

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Satellite vs. Cable

Recently, I decided to switch back over to cable.  I had been using satellite for a couple of years because they were providing me a good deal.  However, they were not able to give me a good Internet deal so I was forced to still use the cable company to have my Internet.

This was very inconvenient and I was having to pay two bills when I could condense them into one.  Finally, my contract was up with the satellite company and I cancelled.  I talked with the cable company and they were able to bundle my Internet and cable so that it was still cheaper than paying for both with two different companies.  I had to laugh at the fact they also tried to sell me a phone bundle but I told them I use my cell phone so I didn’t need a land line.  I guess if I had a fax line it would be handy but I don’t right now so I said no thanks to them.  I hope to get a fax machine in the future because besides emails, faxing is the next best way to communicate quickly.

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Rising Food

I was in the grocery store the other day and had a huge wake-up call.  The prices of groceries have sky rocketed.  I was amazed that a bag of sugar is now up to three dollars.  Flour surprisingly has not increased it was still only a couple of bucks.  Fruit and vegetables have also gone up in price.  The cost to eat healthy is soon going to be impossible.  The government wants Americans to reevaluate our diets and start to eat healthier but with the cost of food rising Americans will not be able to.  The end result will be the continuation of obesity in America.

Unfortunately,  it is not only food that is increasing.  The cost of cotton is also rising.  Therefore the cost of clothing will start to go up and even the cheapest brands will no longer be inexpensive.  I wonder what the end result of this will be?  Will there be an increase of thrift shops?  Will thrift shops be forced to increase their prices on clothing?

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Daily deals

Everyday there is an opportunity to make, take or change and existing offer.  Offers come in all shapes and forms.  From personal to professional offers there is one probably available to you right now.

Today’s offer is going to be a chance to make multiple people happy for Valentine’s Day.  I am going to check out the website www.offers.comto see what I can find for Valentine specials.  Valentine’s Day is the perfect way to not only make a person’s day a little more special but another opportunity to show the people in your life how much you care about them.  Holidays in general appear to be notorious for this.  Valentine’s Day in particular is no different with all of the chocolates, flowers and stuffed animals offered for purchase.

I was in a large department store yesterday and could not believe that they had stuffed animals available for $40.  I had to take  a double look.  In my opinion, this is an absolute waste of money.  That stuffed animal will be appreciated for about a week and then will be added to the summer lawn sale pile.  What a shame.  Personally, I think giving a card is the best way to show the Valentine’s in your life you care.  A $5 card is much cheaper than a $40 stuffed animal and will not end up at a yard sale come spring time.

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Clothing Growth Spurt

A couple of week ago I assisted one of my best friends with babysitting her God daughter.  Her God daughter is just a year old and boy, is she cute as a button.  Her name is Bella and she barely has any hair.  Her ears are pierced and stick out slightly.  I think this is what makes her so adorable.

Bella’s mother has a major fetish for clothing.  Ever since her daughter was born Bella’s mom has bought her every new piece of girls clothing that has come on the market.  She is one lucky little girl.  I only hope that one day she will grow up to appreciate all of the new and expensive accessories her parents have bought her.

I am amazed at how designer’s have adapted women’s clothing into mini baby versions.  Some have most definitely gone over the top.  One example is mini skirts and certain styles of dresses.  I think they have almost become to “sexy” for a little girl to wear.  What are these designer’s trying to prove?  These are little girls and babies.  We need to be protecting them instead of exploiting them.

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All Inked Up

Inkgrabber.com is a good website from what I have viewed.  On this website I mostly looked at their Kodak products.  The Kodak Company has been around for many years.  I have always trusted Kodak including their printers.  I was excited to see that this website offers great deals on Kodak ink.

Printer ink cartridges can be so expensive.  At times I have wondered why they are so expensive.  After all, it is only ink.  Finding inkgrabber.com was a super find because I can now purchase Kodak ink cartridges for less than what I was paying before.  It is important to me to stay with the Kodak brand and inkgrabber.com has a very user friendly website with plenty of Kodak brand items including Kodak printer ink.  In the future I plan to stay with the Kodak brand.  This website has shed new light on an old company.  I was glad to be exposed to their website.  I will be sure to pass along a good word for inkgrabber.com.

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Beautiful blooms

This year I plan on having as many window box planters as I can possibly afford.  Window boxes can be quite expensive.  The amount of time and money spend on each window box can add up to hundreds of dollars in the end.  There are multiple ways a person can be frugal and still have beautiful blooms.

A decorative planter can be made out of nearly any type of material.  Plastic and wood are quite popular options used as a base for an arrangement.  Other ideas can be as simply as a recycled food container or an antique mental container.  Recycled and older containers can easily be spruced up with a little paint or embellishments.  Surprisingly, these small touches can make the used container look like a high end planter.  A person’s neighbors will never know the difference once you fill these planters with some beautiful blooms.  What the neighbors will be looking at is the color and density of what is in the boxes.  No doubt you will receive compliments and even be asked perhaps how your container was constructed.

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New leadership

My state recently obtained a new governor, much like many other states.  This new governor has not even been in his position one month and we experienced a major blizzard.  This caused for a lot of complaints after the storm had passed.

During the storm, multiple businesses and agencies shut down early in an attempt to allow their employees a safe travel home.  While many of these retail stores and other places of business closed early, the state did not.

The governor received a great deal of flack for this.  The previous administration would have ordered a release.  The running joke now is that our state is able to tell we are under new administration – because the state employees are forced to remain at work during a storm.

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A Thanksgiving Treat

The Author of this post is Solomon Dejesus

While I knew that Thanksgiving was going to be great, what I didn’t know was that I was going to be heading out and about for Thanksgiving. Thankfully I didn’t have to go very far and my in-laws house was not the stop that we would be making. For the first time ever my wife and I had been invited to our friends home for Thanksgiving and their house was located close by to ours which meant that I would not miss a minute of the action on the football field.

When we reached our friends home we could already smell the aroma of turkey wafting out of the open window before we even got into the home. We knew that the meal was going to be great, but we were not sure how great of a meal we were going to be in for until we sat down at the table. When her husband carved the turkey we could see how juicy the breast meat was with the juices pouring out of it. Then taking the first bite we were in heaven as we could think about nothing other than the wonderful meal we were sharing.

As we headed home that night my wife reminded me that that we needed to disarm the system when we got home. That is when I remembered that before we left the house she had set the Home Security Systems to ensure the house would be safe when we arrived home.