Three Things You Didn’t Know You Could Recycle
We all know about the stuff we can recycle – like bottles, cans or newspaper. But did you know there are a wider variety of materials that can easily be recycled, and we don’t even think about them? Here are three things that you can recycle, and I’ll bet they will stick in your mind the next time! Human Hair That’s right, the hair right off your head. Some people use their [...]
Three Tips on How to Keep Your Gas Bill Down This Fall
With the weather starting to cool down (except for maybe us here in the desert), it’s time to start considering how to keep our gas bill down during the fall and make some good habits into the winter. Here are three easy tips to keep that bill down this fall. Your Thermostat is Your Friend The rule of thumb is that you’ll save about 3% on your bill for every degree you [...]
Why Your Credit Score Still Matters in a Recession
With the failing economy, it may seem like your credit score doesn’t really matter, when in fact it does – even if folks with good credit are getting turned down for loans and other things that require a credit check. Remember, having good credit means you can have things like a cell phone plan or be able to rent a cheaper apartment if you’re moving. So why should it matter, and what can [...]
Three Ways to Identify an Item You Should Purge
Spring cleaning seems so long ago, right? You purged a lot of stuff, gave away to charity, were able to recycle or upcycle some of it, but it’s possible there’re a few things lingering – a shirt here, a knick-knack there – or maybe the busy summer caught up with you. Even vacations have a way of building mountains of stuff when you’re not looking. But fear not! Here are three questions you [...]
Back to School: Teaching Kids Budgeting Skills
Since the kids are back in school, right now is a great time of year to teach them some solid budgeting skills that they can take with them for the rest of their lives. If you have little ones, they’ll learn more about math as they learn about money, and if you have older kids, they can learn about how to save money as they are soon to be working and eventually will [...]
Donor Beware: Research Carefully
Got a little extra money in your budget you’d like to donate to a non-profit organization? Great! Have some time on the weekend to volunteer and not sure where to start? Help! Doing a little research on where you’re going to donate time or money is time well spent – after all, there are a lot of phony organizations out there trying to get your money and time. Are They Still Tax [...]
Hollywood Merchandising: Part of the “More Machine”
Here are some crazy numbers for you: as of February of this year, merchandising sales from the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise reached the $1.6 billion mark. Merchandise from vampire-themed movies such as Twilight and TV shows like “True Blood” raked in over $7 billion between 2008 and 2010. Wow, right? Those huge numbers encompass not just ticket sales or viewership, but the massive amounts of merchandising surrounding these movies and shows, from [...]
Satisfaction Tip: Reusable Utensils
Sometimes eating out is unavoidable – and it’s a nice treat on the occasions when it’s affordable. And those of us who tend to be higher-level coffee drinkers don’t mind the occasional cup of joe from a local coffee shop (luckily the one near my house has organic, trade-free coffee!). An alternative solution to using disposable cups and utensils is to invest in portable, reusable ones! Morning Coffee On the mornings when [...]
The Economy & Obesity: Cause & Effect?
In 2008, McDonald’s posted an 80% rise in net profits, making a total of $4.3 billion for the year. That’s a lot of Big Macs, French fries, and soda sold to the American people who are in a terrible economy. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2010, just over 1/3 of American adults were considered obese, with over 17% of children aged 2 to 19 – over 12 million [...]
Friday Summer Poetry: “Back Yard” by Carl Sandberg
Carl Sandberg was a great American writer who won an amazing three Pulitzer Prizes – one for a biography of Abraham Lincoln and two for his poetry. Last week we gave you a poem about the summer sun, and this week it’s about the summer moon, a poem called “Back Yard.” Shine on, O moon of summer. Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak, All silver under your rain to-night. An [...]
