Free Health And Wellness Samples
Get Free Brand Name Health Products To Try
That’s right. Health and Wellness samples are really free. That’s it. No Credit Card. No Loose Change. No Paypal Account! This is from Remedy Life, and includes free healthy living tips (like we provide free frugal living tips) and free health and wellness products.
Start Here: Free Healthy Living Sample Products
If you visit the Remedy Life website, you can see some examples of the types of products you will get, and they are brand name products. You will also have the opportunity to participate in healh surveys and polls if you choose.
Each issue features:
In-depth health information
Breaking health news
Q&A with a medical expert
A healthy & delicious recipe
So go ahead and enjoy!
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Online College Loan Searches
Find A Student Loan Online.
It is not too late to raise some money for school next fall. Even with a rough economy, you can still find lenders who will help you make it through school. Search through a variety of funding sources. Private sources include banks and student loan companies. Public sources include federal loans and federal student loan consolidation.
The internet makes it easy to find college funding with an online student loan search. You will also be able to find the FAFSA which is the federal student funding application which should be filled out to qualify for a variety of funding from federal sources. Many colleges also use the FAFSA to award money from their own sources.
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RIP The American Dream?
Remember the American Dream? Wast it just a dream of prosperity and a white picket fence? The American middle class, who bought into it, seem to be vanishing as fast as their mortgages. In 1970, GM was the largest American employer of high school educated people with an average wage of $17.50 an hour. Today, 38 years later, Wal-mart is the nation’s largest employer. Average wage? $9.00 an hour.
Learn more about our money troubles by the Generation Debt author.
Were we only dreaming? I hope not, but I’m not sure. It is absolutely time to hunker down and consider our priorities. How can we stretch less money across rapidly increasing bills? Does stuff really make us happy? Well, some stuff increases our contentment, like an air conditioned roof over our head, but can that roof cover 1700 square feet instead of 3400 square feet? I think so. Can a $10 fan allow us to turn our thermostat up a couple of degrees so we are still comfortable? Yes, it can. And do we really need a big, energy hog projection tv? No, we really don’t.
On the other hand, we really do need some sort of roof over our heads, a financial safety net, and high quality health care. Yes, we do. We also need to be able to afford our drive to work.
us economy
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US Government Fuel Economy Website
Uncle Sam Wants You … To Conserve Fuel
Did you know that the US government provides a lot of valid information about conserving fuel and saving money by doing it? The US Department of energy runs FuelEconomy.Gov, and if you haven’t visited it yet, you may be pleased that some of your tax dollars are doing something worthwhile.
You can compare the cars that are judged to get the most miles out of a gallon of gas. You can find the lowest gasoline prices in your town. And you get real tips on driving economically and finding tax credits for the things you may do to save money! Double savings, both on gasoline and taxes, are great things! Learn more about energy tax credits you may be able to qualify for.
And maybe most importantly, the DEO website presents energy news. For instance, today, it proclaims that $4 a gallon gasoline is here to stay, so if you find that credible, you may want to base your plans on it. And also find out how the DEO is funding research for hybrid cars and other fuel savings.
And of course, fuel savings, makes our world a bit greener too!
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Consumerism: When Less Is More with Anti Consumerism
Why Anti-Consumerism? Isn’t that Anti-American?
I grew up in a very frugal home. My parents paid cash for used cars, and we lived in older homes with small mortgages that were well within their means. My folks always had money for important things like health insurance, glasses, or emergency travel. They had what we used to call a depression mentality, and as a young person, I struggled against it. Of course, I wanted a better bike, a fancier bedroom set, and more clothes that had not come from my older sister.
So as a young adult, I saved some, but mostly felt as if some extra cash in my hand was a prime reason for purchasing new electronics, hip mall clothes, and whatever else I just had to have. And of course, I took out loans for brand new cars on the lot, and those cars seldom were paid off before being traded in.
I found this article on a term called Off-Consumerism, and it fits in with my new mentality. I like the shoe comparison, because well, we all need shoes. Maybe we even need a few different types of shoes. For instance, I still believe a reasonable person might need a pair of gym shoes, some dress up shoes, and a pair of sandals. It might even be reasonable to consider having a pair of beach shoes, or flip flops, and another pair of comfortable every day shoes. That’s five pairs of shoes.
The Shoes
So it can be reasonable to have five pairs of shoes, even as a frugal person, but can anybody justify having twenty-five pairs of shoes. In my mind, anything over 5 pairs of shoes means we need to clean the closet. Maybe shoes could be donated to an organizagtion that provides shoes to people who do not have any shoes. Maybe our own lives can be simplified by having to contain less clutter. Maybe the black pumps can be polished, and really, do not need to be replaced.
Also consider the cost of shoes. Now some people have foot problems, and their health and comfort justifies a really expensive pair of orthopedic shoes. In my mind, that is something they should have. But most of us can perform just fine in $35 pumps from a discount store, and we really do not need $135 pumps from a name brand retailer. Most of us are happy wearing $7 flip flops to the pool, and $27 flip flops do not enhance our experience.
So take those 5 pairs of shoes. If they are purchased at an average cost of $75 each, that is $375. If you provide shoes for a family of 4, that is $1500! If you are providing shoes for kids, they need to be replaced, sometimes a couple of times a year! So let’s say you are spending 2 grand on shoes because you buy the “best”. And by “BEST”, I mean you equate expense with quality, and the accumulation of goods with comfort.
But if you purchased those same shoes at an average cost of $30 each, you would have spent $150, or $600 for your family of 4. You have saved $900! Is there some other use you could put that money too? A savings account, health insurance, and a small donation to help people with no shoes comes to mind!
Blue Jeans or Butter?
Now, when I say shoes, I mean everything. A teenage boy’s blue jeans, off the rack, at the local discount store are about $12 each. The same jeans, from the name brand mall store, are $40 on a good day. And yes, I am cheating by using boys for an example, because girls are a tougher issue on blue jeans. I have found that clothing companies do not make girls as easy to fit as boys. The topic of another post…. But let’s attack the boy’s jeans first because it is an easier problem. So 5 pairs of jeans for a 16 year old boy can cost $60 plus tax. That same $60 will not even buy 2 pairs of jeans at the mall store, unless you hit a great sale!
So the deal I struck with my teenage boys was to accept 5 pairs of $12 jeans, and they could have half of the $140 savings to spend as they liked. The caveat there was that some portion had to be given up for charity, and that they needed to find their old, outgrown shoes for a donation at a local clothes drop. So we had a bag of 5 pairs of decent, but outgrown shoes for a clothes drop, and the boys each donated $10 for a local charity fund. They each had $60 to spend. The collaborated, and allocated the money for a couple of video games, a couple of bags of munchies, and still had $30 to stick in their drawers for their ready cash stash.
So I hope I am helping my own kids get in the habit of finding the lowest price item that will fill their needs, and by doing that understanding that some money can be left over for a reward. I also am trying to get them in the habit of giving. Charity should just be part of the process of spending.
Now, again, I am cheating here by not even reporting that this whole process seems to be tougher with my teenage daughter. She is under more pressure at school to wear name brands. And it seems harder to fit her with off the rack discount store jeans. So she took her $200 budget and found 3 pairs of name brand jeans on sale for $27.00, and accepted 2 pairs of crop pants on sale for $21.00 each. She spent $125, and had $75 left over. I gave her the same deal, so she had $37.50 left over. She still found a couple of pairs of outgrown jeans for the donation box, gave $10 to charity, and had a bit of cash left over. I felt a bit sorry for her because I understood that her clothes just seem to cost more, so I slipped her another $20. Unfair? Well maybe, but sometimes the needs of the one seem to outweight the needs of the many!
So think about off consumerisms, because the money you save on shoes could really help out on a rainy day. And some of it could, you know, be used to provide shoes (or whatever) for people who have no shoes.
consumerism, retail shopping
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US Foreclosure Rates Are Still Climbing
American Are Still Losing Their Homes
This is a pretty painful subject for me because I do know people who had to leave their homes. They did manage to land on their feet, and seem to be thriving in a more modest dwelling then they used to own. They did go through a crisis, but probably ended off better then most. But people, wake up, this crisis is not over. For some more gloom and doom see: US FORECLOSURE RATES ARE RISING.
Now some people were victims of predatory lending, and were mislead into some pretty awful mortgage deals. Some others lost jobs unexpectedly, or perhaps savings were depleted by falling interest rates or stock prices. Frankly though, many more people were victims of their own consumerism.
I guess, when faced with the prospect of having no house at all, a more modest home seems pretty attractive. There is something purifying about living modestly, and about knowing that you are living a bit below your means. And if you are saddled with a mortgage you cannot manage any longer, why not free yourself from the stress?
If you have a way to get out of your loan, even if you have to sell the home for far less then you think it is worth, why not take the ticket out? In the long run, you will probably prosper more, and have a happier life. I know this advice seems a little bit heretical here in the land of consumerism, but it is what my friends did. They are doing alright now.
If you are still financially stable, but worry about losing your home in case of a death, disability, accident, or unemployment, consider an affordable mortgage protection insurance policy.
foreclosures, mortgage crisis
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Home Made Shiny Hair Conditioner
Make Your Own Hair Conditioner
Everybody wants shiny hair like the shampoo models have. Well, you can buy a lot of products from beauty supply stores or beauty shops. But these commercial hair products can get expensive, and they may also contain a lot of chemicals that can get absorbed by the skin.
However, most people can get great results from a home made and natural hair care conditioner. All you need is an egg, a teaspoon of honey (that makes the medicine go down — or was that sugar?), and a tablespoon of olive oil. Beat the egg, and then mix in the honey and olive oil. Then shampoo your hair and rinse it well. Apply your egg mixture. Leave it on for 5 minutes, and then rinse it out. When your hair dries, it should shine!
beauty, homemade, natural, cures, remedies
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Print Grocery Coupons Online
Coupons. Coupons Coupons
I know I already posted that I was not a huge fan of coupons, mostly because I think they encourage us to buy something we really did not want before we had the coupon. There is something about getting .50 off that makes a purchase hard to resist, even if we actually prefer the “other” brand of pickles.
I mention pickles, because that is one item I do go for a brand on about half the time. We really like good pickles. Some day, perhaps, I should learn to make my own. Any tips on that? Remember, we would love to publish more frugal living tips.
Anyway, we did find a great source of online coupons. Hundreds of grocery store, brand name coupons are organized online, and you can print them off your computer. Go Here: Print Coupons Online.
coupons, groceries
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Buying in Bulk — Save Money or Supersize?
Is Bulk Grocery Shopping Really Saving You Money?
A lot of us visit the big package stores to buy in bulk and save money, but this strategy can backfire sometimes. Some of the problems with buying in bulk are storage, consuming more food then we would otherwise, and letting food go bad.
Organizing Bulk Grocery Buys
It might seem like a good idea to buy 24 rolls of name brand paper towels at a time. Each roll is cheaper, and we will certainly have the ability to handle a big mess! However, the first problem you may have is where to put the other 23 rolls when the first one is in the paper towel holder! If it is too big of a problem to store, and stay organized, with months worth of supplies, you may actually find that the savings just do not work out that well.
Too Much Of A Good Thing In Bulk
Now we come to the 12 pack of Chocolate Delish Bars or some other favorite. Do you think you can just reward yourself with one treat when you get home, and then save the rest for later? Well, many consumers do not buy high calorie food in bulk for just this reason.
Keeping Bulk From Spoiling
And what about the jumbo party pack of hamburger? Let’s say your family is comfortable with 2 pounds of meat, and that provides you with a substantial main dish and some leftovers. But the jump pack contains 6 pounds of ground meat. Well, my tip is to seperate that meat into 3 equal portions, and then put the meat you do not need into a freezer bag to store for later.
grocery shopping, bulk buy, frugal living
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Really Cheap Life Insurance Rates
Do You Know About No Load Life Insurance?
We certainly see a lot of ads for cheap life insurance, but you seldom see an ad for no load life insurance. This is because this life insurance is sold without adding the commission fees into the premium, and so it is much cheaper. Do not assume you get the lowest, no load rates, even if you purchase a policy direct from an insurance company either because they still have to recoup their advertising. Insurance companies spend a lot in TV ads, direct mailers, and magazine spreads.
The absolute cheapest policy would probably be no load term life insurance. These are usually purchased from a financial advisor who earns his money by charging a fee for consulting, or who is a salaried employee of an insurance or financial company. Permanant life insurance like whole life or universal life insurance costs more because it builds a cash value, but with a no load policy, the cash value can begin accumulating right away. A cash value does not usually begin until the commission expense has been recouped by the insurance company.
If you are looking for more traditional, affordable life insurance why not take a couple of minutes to look at the best term life insurance quotes.
cheap life insurance, no load life insurance, insurance, life insurance
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