Stop that check!!

I found it very interesting to read about how the country of Great Britain is considering stopping the use of checks. It seems that boards of bankers think they are too expensive to clear and they favor cheaper ways of paying bills. They have set a preliminary date of 2018 for the complete stoppage of check clearing. There are some who are concerned though.

The elderly people tend to write more checks than any other age group. They are not always computer savvy and are set in their ways. Some businesses also want to continue their customer’s use of checks. Whatever happens, I am sure that sooner or later, the checks will be stopped.

They make it easy!

One of the best things that has happened over the last few years is the growing prevalence of the gift card! These cards come in handy when a gift is required, but you don’t really want to spend a lot of time figuring out what to get someone. All you have to do is come close to a general category that you think the person will like.

I really like to give out gift cards from the most popular restaurants. I know that no matter what, people have to eat. I have always had good success with these cards and plan to make my life a lot simpler by giving them out!

French Fried

It seems that the country of France is looking for ways to save money on its public finances. They have a very large deficit and are planning ways to combat the red ink. One thing they are doing is raising their retirement age from 60 to 62. They hope to save a lot of money by doing this.

Of course, there are many people who are not happy with the decision. But, many believe it is the only responsible thing to do in light of the deficit. The plan will be implemented over a number of years and has some loopholes for those who need it. I think France is doing the right thing by keeping their deficit in check!

Protect yourself

Being as that the economic times are so uncertain, I decided to look into ways to ensure my economic prosperity. After doing some research, I decided that I needed to purchase gold. There are many benefits for doing so and I will explain some of them to you. For example, if you purchase gold coins, you can rest easy at night knowing that you have made a safe investment.

It seems that gold usually goes up in value whenever the world’s economic scene goes bad. If there is a disaster or a war, gold’s value tends to go up. This makes it an excellent investment. When you purchase gold coin, you put your money into an investment that is safe. You can always have access to your money and you become free to withdraw your money at any time.

One of the best things to do is to purchase gold bullion. An investment like this has a proven track record of going up in value. I wish I had done so many years ago as I would be very well off by now. When you purchase bullion, you are telling the ones you love that you care. I am sure that no one would argue that is a bad thing. I hope you will be able to look into the matter further when you get a chance.

Dead Money

I was shocked to read today that the U.S. government has been sending out checks to those who are deceased. It was found out that over the last three or four years; more than 20,000 checks were sent to dead people. This is the kind of waste that makes Americans angry. That’s not all of the news. Some checks were sent to convicted felons as well as deadbeat contractors.

The Obama administration is vowing to rectify the situation by creating a database that list the dead as well as felons and contractors that owe the government money. I hope this new system will save the poor taxpayers some of their hard earned money!

Cell Phone Spies

I was listening to an interesting story today about a lady who was being spied on by a former boyfriend. The man had secretly installed spyware on her cell phone and was able to listen to her conversations as well as tell where she was. The technology is widely available online and works very well.

Anyone who thinks they may be a victim of this spyware has a few options for removing it. One way to do so is to reinstall the operating system of the phone. This will eliminate the spyware. Another option is to get a new phone entirely and that will end the threat. In today’s society you can never be too careful and knowing about things like this can help keep you safe!

They Fall So Fast

When the recession started to really take hold last year, the McDonald’s corporation was delighted. People started to flock to their stores as their low prices made them an affordable place to eat. They were high on the hog for awhile and were happy with their sales.

The bad part was that they had to offer incredibly low prices on their products which left them with little wiggle room. At this point, the economy is starting to recover but their sales are once again slipping. The company is hoping that the slow recovery of the economy will drive up sales and restore their profit margins. I hope they get what they want, not that I like anything that comes from McDonald’s except maybe their fountain drinks, sweet tea and their french fries. Other than that I have no use for the majority of their products.

Good Money Tips

There are literally thousands of ways to make money. People do it all the time and there is no limit on how much you can make. Some ways of making money are easier than others. One of my favorite ways is to use money to make money. That’s why I think highly of investing in bullion. While there are no guarantees in investing, the track record of making money with gold bullion is proven.

Throughout the ages, people have taken advantage of the unique characteristics that gold provides. It is durable, timeless, and always in demand. It has been used as currency in every nation on earth and has been the envy of kings and queens. It has caused wars as well as provided jobs and security for millions of people. It is a part of the history of earth and its people.

For those who wish to grab onto a piece of something solid, I highly suggest looking into the possibilities it offers. Go to any computer and punch in buy bullion and see what it can offer you. I am sure that my own financial security is enhanced since I have added it to my portfolio. Just remember that when you buy gold bullion you will be another person in a long line of people who made a great decision!

Electronic Recycling

One thing that I believe is really important is to make sure that you recycle your electronic items. Things like cell phones, televisions, and iPods contain many chemicals and other dangerous metals that can contaminate our ecosystem. By ensuring that these items are recycled, we can go a long way toward protecting our earth.

Here are a few tips to go by when recycling. Most stores nowadays offer free recycling programs. You can drop off your electronic devises at the store or send them back to the company that made them. There are also companies that will buy your electronic items that are still working. I hope everyone will take a little time to ensure they do their part in protecting our world!

Improving The House

Over the last winter, we did a lot of work to the inside of our home. We painted and reworked our kitchen. We added some walls and finished our basement. We also bought many items such as furniture and rugs to improve the way our house looks inside. Since that work is mostly done, our attention has turned to the outside of the house. We were concerned about how our house looks from the street.

Of course we started with reworking the lawn. We added some garden space to the front yard and put in some bushes. The space looked good, but needed something more. We finally thought that adding a curbside mailbox would be a good idea. The only problem was deciding where to get one that would fit the style of our home. I went to the internet and found a site that had all the curbside mailboxes we could ever want.

The site was called mailboxixchange.com and they had what we were looking for. Since they had so many curbside mail boxes to choose from, it was hard to decide which one was the best for us. We finally decided on one that we all liked. Now that empty spot is filled and we are very happy with the results of our efforts.