Guest Post: New Ways To Improve Your Bottom Line From Home
Today we have a guest post by Jack Edmund from PriorityElectronics.com
New Ways To Improve Your Bottom Line From Home
Finding innovative ways to cut cost for your home-based business can be as lucrative as landing a new client. From taking advantage of the open-source revolution to DIY computer fixes, there are numerous inexpensive (and sometimes free) alternatives available to those in the know.
Running an old version of Microsoft Office on your laptop? Don’t want to pay extra for licenses of the same software across multiple computers? Then embrace the open-source alternative that is Open Office.
Open Office provides is word processing, spreadsheet, presentation software and more. Files can be saved to be compatible with Microsoft products. Its developed by Sun Microsystems and extremely easy for anyone with word processing experience to pick up. And best of all it’s free!
DIY Laptop Battery Replacement
Anyone who’s logged serious hours on their laptop understands battery life drains over time. Fortunately, these batteries can be replaced cheaply and easily. For example, you can replace your HP Pavilions standard battery (pb995a) for just over $50. This provides considerable cost savings compared to buying a new system.
During tough economic times like these finding the cost-effective ways to save money is a requirement. What new ways to save money have you come up with?
About The Author
Jack Edmund is a blogger for the laptop battery and accessories retailer PriorityElectronics.com. His interests include kayaking, bird watching, and technology.
Today’s Quote: "Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers
Today’s Tip: Use a kitchen or online timer to focus on nothing but work. Set it 45 minutes and work as hard as you can without being distracted on your task. When the timer goes off, take a 15 minute break.
I’m Legal! But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be!
I know what you are thinking. You are thinking "She’s legal? Heck I bet she was ‘legal eons ago."
Well, yes I was drinking age legal almost 30 years ago. I’m not talking about that kind of legal. I’m talking about my business being legal in my city.
Now you are probably thinking I should have been legal many years ago when I first started my business but, well, things just kept me from doing it. Did I ever tell you I was a procrastinator?
When I started my craft business in 1992, it just never occured to me to get a business license ….or a sales tax ID. We crafters are ARTISTS. We don’t think about such mundane things. At least we didn’t in 1992.
About 1994, someone told me I needed to get a State sales tax ID and a business license to be legal so I did get my sales tax ID. When I called my city though, they told me I didn’t need a business license if I was just a crafter and didn’t have people buying out of my home.
I got my first website in 1996. I didn’t even own my own domain name then. My webmaster who specialized in craft sites owned it. In 1999, he dissapeared with my money but I was able to get my domain name put in my name.
Even, once I went online, it didn’t occur to me that I should check again to see if I need a business license now. At least for awhile. Once I did think about it, it seemed like something always got it the way. I know over the years, people would tell me horror stories of how they got caught by the city without a business license and had to pay for all the prior years + a bunch of fees. So I was a little scared.
Last month, when I was down at the city treasurer’s office, I saw the Business License sign and decided to man up and see if I needed one. The bad news is I did. The good news, it was only $50 and I didn’t have to pay for any prior years or anything.
I left the office with a sigh of relief and a weight lifted off my shoulders. Why do I procrastinate? If I’d just face these things instead of pushing it to the back of my mind, I’d save myself so much hassle.
Anyway, I forgot all about it until the calls started coming in. Sometimes 3-4 a day. All telemarketers offering me their business banking services for my new business. Or offering to build me a website for my new business. It goes on and on, but you get the picture. Twice now the same guy has called me 2 days in a row offering the same exact thing, even though I told him the first day I was not a new business and I had already built my own website, thank you very much.
Oh, and I’m getting plenty of junk mail of the same sort of genre but that’s alot easier to deal with.
This is something that never occured to me when I got my business license. So frankly, although I’m glad I’m legal now, it sure isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Today’s Quote: "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln
Today’s Tip:To keep your silver from tarnishing, place a piece of chalk in your silver drawer with the silver.
My (Almost) Mini-Retreat
I was so excited last week. My oldest daughter, the only one of my children who is out on her own, wanted me to come house-sit for a few days while she was out of town. She has a roommate, but she was gone for a few weeks and someone needed to be there to take care of the roommate’s dog and 2 cats.
Now, normally I wouldn’t be so excited about house sitting. I hate to leave my own animals, but my 18 year old and 21 year old were at home to watch them. Shannon, my daughter lives in the cutest little beach cottage among million dollar beach homes. She has the beach on one side of her street and Seashore State Park on the other so it’s a beautiful setting.
I was really looking to some time all by myself too. I need to make some decisions about my business and I figured this would be the perfect time to do some un interupted brain storming.
I got to the house on Monday afternoon, settled in and then decided to take Amy, the sweet mutt, out for a walk. We went to the park and walked for about a half a mile before I realized what an idiot I am. This part of the park is off the beaten path. There were no real paths, no other people, just huge sand dunes, moss covered trees, and lots of vegetation. I soon realized I was lost. There was no sight of the neighborhood I just came out of. Yikes! I don’t have the greatest sense of direction. Why didn’t I mark the path somehow or at least take notice of my surroundings.
After a few false starts, I decided to see if the dog could get us back. So I told Amy to take us home. And you know what? She did. She’s one smart pup. She lead us right back home. After that little episode, I didn’t attempt the park again when I took Amy on her walks.
I went out to get a yummy deli sandwich for dinner and came back to find my 18 year old son waiting for me in the driveway. He had ridden his bike the 10 miles to the beach to see me. I shared my sandwich with him and he hung around for about an hour before going home. Nice to know my kids still like to be with me.
I decided I would do alittle work and then spend the evening soaking in a bubble bath and reading a novel I have been trying to get to for a month. While relaxing in the tub and getting into the plot of a psychic running from the law, my cell phone rang and I saw it was my mother. I didn’t want to answer it because I knew I probably wouldn’t want to hear whatever she had to say. Besides she was interupting my "mini retreat".
But guilt won out and I answered the phone to hear my mom crying. Her beloved, elderly Lhaso Apso, Prince was on his last legs. She was afraid he wouldn’t last much longer. I asked if she wanted me to take him to the emergency vet but she wanted to wait until the next morning and take him to their regular vet and she wanted to be there too. So the next morning, instead of communing with nature on the beach, I took my elderly mother and her elderly dog to the vet.The news wasn’t good and my mother made the difficult decision to euthanize her beloved companion. It was very hard on her and me. Fortunately, Prince’s demise was very peaceful.
I spent most of the rest of the day clearing my mother’s house of dog paraphanlia and taking care of her. I got back to the beach house just in time to take Amy for a walk, feed all the animals and head on home. So much for my mini retreat. Sigh. Hopefully I will get a chance to try it again.
I did have 2 epiphanies during my short time of peace. First, contrary to common thought, rich people are very nice. I can’t tell you how many times, while out walking Amy, the neighbors would wave hello or stop to chat. They sure don’t do that in my neighborhood!
The second is I realize that when I am stress free, I dont eat much. I had no desire to overeat while I was out there. I didn’t eat at all until I actually felt hunger pangs and then I only ate until I was no longer hungry. It wasn’t until my mother called that I had the urge to eat. Not an excuse, just an observation. Now I have to figure out how to handle stress in a different way, huh?
Today’s Quote: “I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, “Where’s the self-help section?” She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.”George Carlin
Today’s Hint: White vinegar makes a great pet stain remover. It also cuts the smell which will make it less likely that your pet will mark the same spot.
I’m just a dumb blonde-oh wait, no I’m not!
Whew, I’m exhausted. But kind of proud of myself too. You see, on a whim I applied to a job a few weeks ago not really thinking I had a chance of getting it. I knew of this company (yes, they are legit) and they always wanted college educated employees, which I’m not. I knew they had stringent testing just to get hired and lets just say, it’s been quite a few years since I took a test (mammograms don’t count!).
My first shock was that they were interested in me even without a college degree. They wanted somewhat internet tech savvy people for this job and that’s more important than a college degree. A year ago, I would have not called myself tech savvy. I was lucky to be able to get my email and my orders from my ecommerce site. But after building a dozen sites for myself and others, I guess I am now!
So I take the entrance exam. A 2 HOUR entrance exam. A 2 hour entrance exam in which my mother repeatadly calls me to ask me things such as can I pick up some milk for her and am I still coming over the next day. MOM! I know she wasn’t intentionally trying to sabatoge me, it’s just at 81, she has trouble remembering things like not bugging her daughter during certain hours so she can take an entrance exam in peace. Despite my mother, I still passed the entrance exam. It was really difficult and I just had o go with my gut on some of the questions so I was surprised I passed.
Next, they give me a large study guide I have to read through to explain just how to do this job. Now here is where it’s deinitely more of an advantage to train in an office where you can ask questions. So many things seemed contracdictory or needed clarification but there was really no one to ask.
It takes me several days to go through the material but I finally wade through it. I still don’t know at this point if I understand it but I feel like it’s not going to get any easier so I bite the bullet and take the first part of the test. If I pass this part, then there is an 8 hour test afterwards. I told you they like tests!
So tonight I take the first part of the test . I hit the submit button and go to my email where I will find out instantly if I pass or not. I passed!!! So now I’m taking a break before I tackle the long 8 hour portion of the test. Fortunately I don’t have to do it all in one sitting. Send me some positive energy and prayers that I pass this one!
I started thinking, why am I so shocked that I passed these tests? I know in my head I’m not stupid. For any "outside" job I have had, I always learned it fairly easily, usually quicker than the other trainees and was often given more advanced tasks. I did well in the college classes I did take. And although I seemed clueless in grade school and didn’t do well (it was the 60′s & 70′s when they used us as guinea pigs and tried the "new math" and "new English" on us, only to change it back when the kids were totally confused); I did do well in high school.
So why do I still feel so stupid most of the time? I’m not sure. It may be because I have always had to work for those grades. It just came naturally to my sister. I never saw her struggle over a text book or have to work for any grade, yet she always made the honor roll. I also remember when I was having trouble in grade school that my mother who was a teacher, insisted I get my IQ tested. She was worried that my poor grades indicated that my intelligence was sub par. When it turned out to be above normal, then she thought I was lazy for getting poor grades. I was neither.
If you are still here after this long essay, God bless you. I guess it just boils down to that I know in my head that I’m smart. I just don’t know it in my heart. How do I get it to where I know it in my heart?
Am I the only one who has this hang up?
Biz Tip: Use Feed Agg to submit the RSS feed of your site to it. It willdefinitely give you an edge in your search engine rankings. If you don’t know how to find your RSS feed, click this symbol 
on your site and look at the address that comes up in your browser. That’s your RSS feed. Copy & paste it into FeedAgg.com and should notice your site going up in the search engine results for your keywords within a few days (I did!).
Today’s Quote: "I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure-which is try to please everybody." Herbert Bayard Swope
Old Fashioned Slang-Gone but not forgotten
Old Fashioned Slang-Gone but not forgotten
I was talking to my kids the other day and said something about how I didn’t want to be an "old fuddy duddy. They laughed at me. What? Why is that funny? Well, apparently by saying that phrase, I was showing I was an old fuddy duddy. It’s an old slang phrase that hasn’t seen the light of day in decades.
That got me thinking about slang. I have always had a fascination for language. Our English of today is very different and almost unrecognizable from the English of a 1000 years ago. Why is that? And where do our slang words and phrases come from? How does one person come up with a new word and soon, a nation is using it? And then why do we stop using a phrase or word? I find all this totally fascinating. I also have a fascination with accents. Of course I don’t have an accent but I love listening to other accents.
I started to think about the slang words that I knew of that are no longer popular. Of course there is groovy which was popular in the early 70′s. Some others I remember are cats pajamas, jeepers, daddyo, sock it to me, far out, gee whitakers, groady. and outta sight.
I asked on twitter and got these: wicked, Groovy baby! Right on! Keep on keepin’ on, cool beans, cool dude/dudette, Far out!, Can you dig it?, that’s a hoot, Gee wiz, dreamy, Jimmy Hill when someone was fibbing, groovy, and bees knees.
Are any of these bringing back memories? We have all been an imaginative bunch over the years haven’t we? So do yall have any to add to the list???
I Can’t Help It, I LOVE Sci-Fi
Ok, I know it’s not normal for a middle aged mom and dog nut to love Science Fiction but I can’t help it, I do. I grew up watching Star Trek (the original series), Lost in Space, and re-runs of The Twilight Zone.
I always wondered what the attraction of Science Fiction is to so many of us, and have come to the conclusion that it’s the possibility.
Science Fiction shows us what is possible, what the future may be and what seems impossible, is really possible. Think about it. If you watch the old Sci-Fi movies of the 50′s and even the Star Trek series of the 60′s, you can see that many of the things they only imagined are now part of our reality,
I’m so psyched that all these Sci-Fi movies are coming out in the next few weeks. First we have the new Star Trek movie . It came out yesterday but I’ll wait a few days for the crowds to die down before I attempt to go see it. I heard on twitter that it was a great movie. That it appealed to broad audiences without offending us Trekkies. I’m still amazed at how much the kid they got to play Spock looks like a young Leonard Nimoy.
Next there is Angels and Demons which may offend those who are Catholic (remember this is just make believe). It comes out on May 15th.
Finally, there is Terminator Salvation due out on May 21st. I absolutely love the 9 Inch Nails song they chose for the theme song. It’s called "The Day the Whole World Went Away" & you can hear it here although I think the version they sing in the movie is better.
Are there any other Sci-Fi movies I haven’t come across yet coming out this summer that yall know about? Let me know if there is. So far it looks like May is definitely Sci-Fi movie month! And I am one happy, middle aged, dog nut mom!
Today’s Quote: Dreams do come true, if we only wish hard enough, You can have anything in life if you will sacrifice everything else for it. Sir James M. Barrie
Today’s Life Tip: For a quick carpet cleaner, first blot the stain. Then dab a bit of shaving cream on the spot, rub in and wipe off with a damp cloth. Let it dry & vacuum & it should be good as new.
Which is Better: Buying Quality or Cheapest?
Buy Quality or the Cheapest?
The past few weeks, I have been one frustrated Momma! My top of the line Maytag dryer AND Maytag dishwasher have both broken. They were both only about 3 years old. The dryer had to have the drum replaced (over $100 just for the part) and it seems ok now. The dishwasher however seems like a lost cause.
My parents grew up during the depression era and were always frugal. One thing they did do was buy nice appliances. The vacuum was always an Electrolux that would last well over 20 years. The appliances were Maytag or Kenmore. My dad always said you might pay more for the appliance but it would save you money in the long run, because it would work better, be more reliable and last much longer.
For many years, I didn’t really listen to him. To be honest, I usually just didn’t have the money to buy the nicer appliances. I used to always buy the cheapest model available. And it would only last me 2-3 years before breaking down. The vacuums didn’t even last that long. They were lucky to make it a year. With multiple kids and dogs, I think it was just too much for any cheap vacuum to handle.
About six years ago, when I finaly went through my 2nd vacuum cleaner in one year, I used my tax return money and bought a Dyson. I cringed at the $500 price tag but I figured if it was as good as they claimed, it would be worth it. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was all it was cracked up to be. It still works great and has been worth the money.
Since I has such good luck with the Dyson, I decided to buy other quality appliances when I needed to replace an old appliance. So I bought a top of the line Maytag dishwasher and dryer. And they didn’t last any longer than the cheaper models I always bought in the past!
So now, I’m wondering. Is it worth it to buy quality appliances or should we just go with the cheapest? I have mixed feelings about it. What do you think?
Today’s Quote: “There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality, and then there are those who turn one into the other.” —Douglas Everett
Today’s Life Tip: To help your disposable razors last up to 10 times longer, first rinse it thoroughly to get rid of all the hair stubbles. Then dry it for a few seconds with the heat from your blow dryer. Do not store it in the shower.
The Real Barbie at 50!
This is a Barbie I can Relate to!
Happy Birthday Barbie! You are my kind of Gal!
My best friend sent this this me in an email a few days ago. I laughed so hard, the kids ran in to see what was so funny. I thought, ‘finally, a Barbie doll I can relate to’.
Barbie and I have a long history together. We were "born" about the same time. I grew up with her. My earliest memories were when I was a toddler about 2 or 3 and my older, sophisticated next door neighbors (who were about 7) would let me play with them and their Barbies. They had so much Barbie paraphernalia, I was in 7th heaven! There was Barbie and her friends, Ken, Midge (bet you don’t remember her), Midge’s boyfriend, I think his name might have been Alan, her little sister Skipper, her car, loads of clothes, her house and the vinyl case where she lived with all her clothes when she wasn’t being played with.
I remember thinking I would grow up to look just like her. HA! Boy, was I in for a rude awakening. When adolescence hit, I did get a small waist and long legs like Barbie. But I sure didn’t get her boobs! And my legs and waist weren’t as perfect as Barbie’s. Looking at her now, you can tell it would be almost impossible to have a body like that. It would even look odd. But all I remember was feeling like I was somewhat less than a woman with my average sized chest.
I’m not one of those mom’s who thinks we should ban Barbie. My girls played with her when they were younger. But I tried to make it clear to them, that Barbie was an exaggeration of what a woman should look like. And that they looked great just they way they were.
Barbie has gone through many changes in her 50 years (as so have I). I don’t think she needs to morph into the Barbie in the picture above (although that would be a refreshing change). But it would be nice if Mattel (is that who makes Barbie? I don’t remember. Hey give me a break, I’m 50!) would make Barbie’s body a little more realistic.
Life Tip: Do your kids sometimes forget to use a coaster on your wood furniture? To get rid of the rings left behind, squirt some non-gel toothpaste onto a cloth & rub into the water rings. Let it dry for several hours, than wipe off with a slightly damp cloth. Finish off with a quick buff with a dry cloth.
Quote for the day: "Although fate presents the circumstances, how you react depends on your character. "
Technology Hates Me!
Forgive me Technology for whatever I did to Piss you off!
I have a love/hate relationship with technology. On one hand, I cannot imagine my life without the internet. I have many friends on here! The first thing I do in the morning is check twitter (http://twitter.com/CathyBend if you want to follow me!) and my email. My ipod is permanently attached to my ear! The few times I have gone without internet service, I felt like I was going through drug withdrawal.
But I have come to the conclusion that technology hates me. I always suspected it. At my last "real" job, a few times a month, I was forced to work on the dreaded Remittance Processors which were giant 20 foot monsters that processed checks and did all sorts of other technical stuff. That machine knew I was afraid of it & waited til I had to work on it to break down or do something screwey.
Now, I am again getting the feeling that these computers have it in for me. Passwords that should work, no longer do. Twitter says they have been trying to contact me by email and the email addy is no longer valid (it should be, I use it all the time!). A payment came out of my paypal account for something I KNOW I didn’t buy. My google calender is not showing me things I know I put on there. Several affiliate programs that I’m involved with, have messed up my payments. One has even lost all record of me ever having signed up with them. Today, I got a notice that I was overdrawn on my bank account and charged a $30 fee. When I checked, I couldn’t figure out why since the money was in there to cover the check. So I called the bank, & the lady I talked to couldn’t understand it either. But I understand why. It’s all a sinister plot of technology to get me!
I love Sci-Fi and this all reminds me of an old episode of "Tales from the Darkside", a cheesy knock off of "Twilight Zone" from the 80′s. I can’t remember all the details but it was something about how this electric typewriter helped a screen writer become famous with scripts that the typewiter actually wrote while the guy was sleeping (told you it was cheesy). Well the typewriter got mad because the guy took all the credit for the scripts (in his defense, who would believe him that a typewriter did it all by itself?).
Anyway, the typewriter, got all the other technological machines and appliances to turn against this guy. The answering machine broke up with his girlfriend when she called, the microwave blew up his dinner, the TV tormented him constantly, etc.
Let’s just say, I’m beginning to understand how this guy felt!
by mattroilan2008
Today’s Quote: Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts! Winston Churchill
Business Tip: If you need free web hosting, 000Webhost.com offers it. The support is limited for the free version but it does come with c-panel.
Jerky Anyone?
Product Review-Pineapple Jerky
One of the perks of having a blog is that sometimes you get to do product reviews. I have yet to do one for pay but I do get to try the products. And I’m always honest in my reviews, telling the good and the bad.
Doug over at Jerky.com offered to send me some jerky to try. They have all kinds. Some really weird ones too (one in particular, is a new one I’ll tell you about in a minute).
All I have ever heard of was beef jerky. My eyes were opened to the world of different kinds of jerky. Jerky.com has flavors like Turkey, Elk, Buffalo, Ostrich, Venison and Bacon. The Turkey and Bacon sounded interesting but then he said they had Pineapple. That was the one I wanted to try!
The day the Pineapple Jerky came in the mail, I was on my way out so I just stuck the packages in my purse to try later. But I couldn’t wait. I had to try one while I was in the car. YUMMY! It’s kind of like sugared dry fruit, without all the sugar. But it was sweet enough on it’s own. It also had a chewey texture to it. I could definitely get addicted to these! I’m thinking they would make a great natural snack for kids too.
And mentioning natural, guess what the ingredients are? Pineapple, and honey. That’s it. No preservatives or chemicals.
So yes, I’m a fan.The only negative thing I can say about it is that it’s a little on the pricey side. So it would have to be an occasional treat for me. Maybe I can get the kids to buy me some for Mother’s Day.
Oh, I was going to tell you about the brand new jerkey that is making it’s debut today April 1st. It comes from a very rare animal. I’m almost afraid to even mention it so I’ll just give you the link and you can check it out yourself: Rare Jerky
Life Tip: Ok, this isn’t really a life tip, just something fun I found from a nice guy on twitter. If you want to type upside down ʇsnɾ ǝʞıן sıɥʇ, here’s the link To Write Upside Down
Quote of the Day: "In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in awhile that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently." Anthony Robbins
