Life Skills Blog

April 8th, 2009 | by Lynn | Tags: Business, Cash flow, Expense, Mike Michalowicz, Money, Recession, Toilet paper 

I ran across another blog that likes to think of the “Glass Half Full”, which is always a bright spot in my day.  I don’t like the fear of anythying motivate me.  It is part of the plan I use to fix my life skills on a daily basis.

The Author of this particular blog, Mike Michalowicz, has written a book entitled “The Toliet Paper Entrepreneur”.  You may have heard of him as he has received many awards and is a renowned speaker throughout the US.  I have not read his book, I just accidently ran across the blog also called “The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.”

From what I read, this business man can give us all a life skill education by taking the most simple task and make it work in his (or our) favor.

Here is the post that caught my eye.

7 Reasons Why The Recession Is Good For You

America is dealing with an economic crisis. Everywhere we turn the media is covering negative story after negative story.

Sadly, the media fails to highlight the “good” that comes out of recessions for individuals and entrepreneurs.

Now before you say, “There is never anything good that comes out of recessions,” I challenge you to read the rest of this article with an open mind to see if it makes you think differently about our current situation.

So read on, oh courageous one, here is why this recession is good for you…

1. Tough Times Help You Monitor Cash Flow Like A Hawk

You know how in boom economies most people become pretty careless about where their money is flowing through in their life? Well in tough economic times, individuals and business owners must challenge themselves to manage and allocate the cash that is flowing in their business to better sources which will help them stay in business through the storm.

Why It’s Good: By shifting your focus to monitoring your cash flow like a hawk in a tough economy, it will allow you to make better business and personal decisions about where and how to allocate cash in the future as the economy begins to recover. This will further lead to more cash flow on the backend and higher profitability in the long run.

2. Focus On Personal Friendships

When was the last time you spent some high quality time with a really good friend? Before you answer think about 3 things you can do with friends in tough economic times that still would be fun, but not cost a lot of money. In these tough economic times, building stronger bonds with your friends is important. Not only should you support each other, but further do whatever you can with them to get their mind off of the tough economy as well.

Why It’s Good: Building stronger bonds with friends when the economy is suffering helps you in the long run, because it allows you to solidify your trust in those friendships you have taken so long to build. Spending time with these friends is also a healthy way to escape the stresses the economy is putting on you. Everyone needs a little R and R.

3. Make Better Choices About Spending Money

When the economy is good, you know how people who have more money than normal tend to spend it on “extras” they don’t necessarily need? Well in tough times, entrepreneurs using money on these “extras” stop allocating cash to them because they know it is not smart. Instead of just spending money for the sake of spending money, in tough times, entrepreneurs must carefully think about and analyze whether what they are spending their money on will generate a return that is worth the initial expense.

Why It’s Good: Shifting your focus on using your money that comes into the company more efficiently and effectively, and further focusing your attention on generating solid returns with the money you are spending, helps you come back to the main focus of owning and running a business…generating cash and making money on everything that you sell and provide your customers.

4. Experience Memorable but Simple Entertainment With Family

Do you remember those times where taking the family to the park with the dog, pulling out a board game, or hanging out with the kids in the house allowed you spend some “priceless” time with your family? Well in tough economies “entertaining your family on a budget” is something where you have to get creative. Trips to the park, or walks with the dog are some potential options to choose from when money is tight.

Why It’s Good: In tough economies because there is not much extra money laying around to spend on extravagant vacations, or expensive trips taking simple day trips with the family to places that don’t “cost” much is a good thing. Building those bonds between your family through inexpensive entertainment in these tough times keeps you closer together and helps you strengthen the bonds between all of you.

5. Forces You To Cut The “Fat” Out Of Your Life And Business

You know when you are spending money on something that feels like it is “extra” but you continually do it anyway because you know you will still have the cash next month to fund the same thing? Well in tough economies these types of expenses must go. Not only are they a “waste of money,” but I like to call them the “un-needed fat” in your life and business. Cut these faster than white on rice

Why It’s Good: By cutting the fat out of your life and your business, it allows you to improve your cash flow situation significantly, which then allows you to help better allocate funds to the correct locations in your life and business. All of this not only improves your bottom line, but also helps you survive from month to month easier.

6. Tough Economies Force You To Innovate

You know how the greatest human motivator is to avoid pain? Well in tough economies we all deal with cash flow and profitability issues. When accepting this reality you can do one of two things. You can either act as a victim blaming everything on the economy, or you can do everything you can in your power to figure out ways to improve your business or personal life as a whole. Because our biggest pain would be to “lose our business” or “lose our home” the tough times a recession brings forces us to take our business and mind to the next level.

Why It’s Good: You never know what may happen when you step back and think about how you can improve your business or personal life with lacking resources. You very well may come up with the next multi-million dollar idea that will turn your business or personal life around for years to come.

7. Spend More Time At Home Eating Home Cooked Meals

It is a fact in tough economies people don’t go out to eat as often because they are doing everything they can to conserve cash. This is the best opportunity to have more home cooked meals. Not only are they healthier for you, but further it allows you to build better bonds and relationships with family. When was the last time that you ate a home cooked meal with your significant other and children?

Why It’s Good: I am not psychologist, but I am sure that eating dinner with family is a good thing for your mind body and soul. By taking the time to interact with your family over a meal, it allows you to step away from the stress of the economy and hopefully re-energizes you to help you recognize why you are here in the first place.

Idea For Post Inspired By: @Supernova17

Written by Scott Bradley: @ScottBradley

April 6th, 2009 | by Lynn | Tags: Financial Services, Great Depression, Mutual fund, Stock market, United States 

It is fun to sort through our emotional, environmental, physical and financial lives,  isn’t it?

(I heard you chuckle!)

Well, I know it isn’t for me or The Chief.  The one thing that has helped us through our married life was to look back at our parents.  All of them were from the “Dirty 30’s, the “New Deal”  and through the tough times of WWII when our country really had to band together.
If they had not, we would not have had the chance to live high off the hog and give ourselves our own  “Great Depression”.  I bet those of us who still have living parents in that age bracket will find that their parents are not as stressed out as the rest of us.  They remember what it was like to draw back, not live extravagantly and save for a rainy day.  Luckily before all of our parents were passed on, I asked them how they lived.  I have implemented a lot of those “tidbits” which today have become uncommon.  It is funny to think that they gave me “uncommon sense!”

And so now, let’s finish with the series we’ve started last week… Pull out your Journal and make some notes.  This is the most challenging assignment for most people.  Good Luck, I know you can do it!  Lynn

52 Ways That You Can Change Your Life for the Better

edited by Kalia Doner

Money Talks
Smart decisions about spending and saving
By Catherine Fredman

When Einstein was asked to name the strongest force in the universe, he supposedly replied, “Compound interest!” Despite its ups and downs, and downs again, the U.S. stock market has averaged about 10 percent annual growth over the last 75 years. What does that mean in real life? If you save $15 a week by making your lunch, in 20 years (at just a 7 percent return) your lunch money will be worth about $34,000. Sock away another $750 a year, and in 20 years you’ll have about $67,000. Start the savings habit when you’re 25, and at 65 you’ll have nearly $327,000. Now that’s really something to look forward to!

33. Discharge the charge cards. The average American household with at least one credit card carries nearly $9,700 in credit card debt. With interest rates running in the mid-to-high teens, that family spends, on average, at least $1,700 a year in interest and fees. Take control of your debt by limiting yourself to no more than two charge cards, advises Matt McRee, a senior financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Blythewood, SC. Look for low long-term rates rather than rates that balloon if you carry a balance. Even better, choose cards that you have to pay off in full every month, so you can’t dive into debt.

34. Buy carefully. Retailers have a saying: “Today’s peacock is tomorrow’s feather duster.” Avoid buyer’s remorse by taking a moment to ask yourself, Do I need this? Will I use this? Download the New American Dream Wallet Buddy, a cost-cutting catechism that you can print out and fold into an impulse-stifling sleeve for a credit card.

35. Hire a financial planner. Seeking professional help could be the smartest money move you ever make. An Ameriprise Financial survey found that people who work with a financial advisor report that they saved nearly twice as much as their unadvised counterparts. They are more than twice as likely to save regularly for the future, notes a Merrill Lynch survey. And, both surveys concur, they feel more confident, less anxious and—more important—have more realistic financial goals. Advisors aren’t just for the affluent, says Candace Bahr, an investment advisor in Carlsbad, CA. “Their real value is not only creating a financial plan but helping people stick to it.”

36. Avoid money fights. Talk money with your honey.  How to avoid the financial stresses that can rupture a relationship?  Make a regular date to talk with your partner about money, says Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, coauthor of It Pays To Talk: How to Have the Essential Conversations with Your Family About Money and Investing. “Financial conversations take lots and lots of practice,” says Schwab-Pomerantz, who honed the habit with her husband on Sunday morning strolls through the park. “You may have to agree to disagree at first, but at least you’ve initiated the discussion. And in the end, the talking will pay off.”

37. Save energy and money. With energy prices soaring, the thermostat is your friend. Turning the heat down 10 degrees at night can slice up to 20 percent off your heating bill.  Even a one-degree drop over an eight-hour period reduces your fuel costs. No need to go cold turkey; start by cooling down one degree a week.  Ask your utility company for more suggestions. And while you’re asking, don’t forget to call your telephone service provider for advice on cutting costs. Combining cable, phone and Internet service, for example, can knock $50 off a monthly bill.

38. Balance the books. Spend less than you earn. Getting rid of debt routinely makes the nation’s top three New Year’s resolutions. Nearly 40 percent of people who have problems with debt report symptoms of severe depression, according to a survey by Myvesta, a nonprofit financial crisis center. Do the math:  Subtracting debt from your life is the fastest way to financial happiness.

39.  Invest your savings. You don’t need to be Warren Buffett. As little as $1,000 will open an account at a mutual fund company like Vanguard, Charles Schwab, T. Rowe Price or Fidelity. Low-cost, targeted maturity funds offer a broadly diversified mixture of stocks and bonds that are tailored to your individual risk profile and automatically adjust every year to a more conservative balance. “It’s a sound investment method for anyone who just doesn’t know what to do,” says Ellen Rinaldi, a principal at the Vanguard Group.

40.  De-bloat. Your budget, that is. Sharpen your pencil to slice your spending, says Bonnie Hughes, a certified financial planner in Miami. Write down everything you spend over the course of a month–not just the mortgage payment, phone bill and groceries, but the lattes and movie tickets. Are you paying for a magazine you don’t read? A gym membership you don’t use? Get rid of them and watch your bloated budget slim down. “The easiest way to get money back is to pay attention to what goes out,” says Hughes.

41. Protect your savings. What if you were found at fault in a major traffic accident? What if a tree on your property crashes through your neighbor’s roof and she sues? Ordinary auto and homeowner’s insurance policies rarely guarantee full protection from the potential liability you may incur from others’ injuries or legal actions. The solution? An umbrella liability policy. Umbrella liability insurance only comes into play when your home and auto coverage is exhausted. But you get a lot of protection for surprisingly few pennies: A $1 million personal umbrella liability policy tends to range from $150 to $300 a year, and there’s usually a substantial discount on premiums if you buy your umbrella liability, homeowners’ and automobile insurance from the same company.

42. Start a $1 bill savings plan. Here’s a grown-up version of stashing spare pennies.  When you leave the house in the morning, don’t carry anything smaller than a $5 bill. When you get change, don’t spend the singles—except for leaving a tip. At the end of the day, slip any leftover dollar bills into a shoebox. You’ll be surprised at how soon they add up.

Working it Out
by Beth Howard

On average, a working person spends about 1,900 hours a year on the job—eight times as many hours as he or she spends caring for others or doing household chores, and four times as many hours as is spent on leisure activities or sports, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. And those are the facts for people who work a little more than eight hours a workday. A lot of you out there are putting in 10 hours—and on some days even more.

So if you hate your job, are feeling swamped or disorganized or are upset about a lack of advancement, you may find that tips 43 to 52 can help you cope with your work-related problems.

43. Shake it up! Job satisfaction goes both ways. Before you throw in the towel with your current employer, take charge of your situation. You can’t expect your manager to be a mind reader or to be responsible for your contentment. Do what you can to fix what’s wrong or figure out what’s lacking.

44. Find your bliss. More than 8.4 million Americans ages 44 to 70 have started so-called encore careers—second careers prompted in part by a need to find greater meaning in work, says Marc Freedman, author of Encore: Finding Work That Matters in the Second Half of Life. These second acts often involve a dream or calling, but it’s important to plan well. Take an honest inventory of your skills and finances before taking the plunge.

Feeling unorganized?

45. Drop unnecessary activities. According to Laura Berman Fortgang, author of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction, we all cling to many “have-tos” and “gottas.” Do you really need to keep that weekly lunch date with your old college roommate? Or volunteer two nights a week for the local Y when one night a week will let you do what you enjoy without overwhelming you?

46. Tolerate a little clutter. Put down that Swiffer! A messier household isn’t just easier to maintain than a super tidy one, but studies suggest that moderately disorganized people are actually more efficient and creative than obsessively neat ones, says David H. Freedman, author of A Perfect Mess: The Hidden Benefits of Disorder. In fact, a recent survey links messy desks to higher salaries.

47. Make a smooth transition. How do you switch gears between work and home? If you work outside the home, make the most of your return commute. Put some soothing music on your iPod or car radio or relish the silence. Then take 20 minutes to sit and relax when you first come inside, inside of jumping straight into household chores.

Lack of advancement and/or respect for what you do?

48. Get a mentor. No mere professional contact, a mentor is in the position you’d like to be in and has the clout and connections to guide you to a similar job. See if your current employer has a mentoring program or ask the professional organizations and university alumni groups you belong to. Choose someone you respect and admire, whether inside or outside your own place of employment.

49. Brush it off! Having a sense of humor can lower the levels of destructive stress hormones, such as cortisol, in your blood. Those hormones can make you vulnerable to illness and may even sabotage your performance. When you laugh, your pulse and blood pressure rise, sending oxygen to your tissues, like a workout does. Just smiling boosts your mood—whether the smile is real or fake—so grin (and bear it).

50. Delegate and share credit. You will get more credit for your efforts, and be recognized for what you do (which can lead to advancement), if you are generous and share the limelight with fellow workers. Delegating well not only makes your job easier, but it develops trust with underlings and prepares your successors—so that you can move on to greater glory!

51. Increase skills. Ask your boss which skills will be especially valuable in the next few years. Even better, ask if your company has a tuition reimbursement plan that will pay for training or academic courses. Try out a new field by volunteering for a nonprofit organization that works in that area. This is a great way to get experience that might not be available at your day job.

52. Make the most of business communications. Messages at work are always significant, according to Eric Maisel, Ph.D., author of 20 Communication Tips at Work: A Quick and Easy Guide to Successful Business Relationships. They reveal who you are, and they educate you about your fellow workers.

April 5th, 2009 | by Lynn | Tags: Cook, Cooking, Hints, Simple Life, tips, Vintage 

I spend a lot of time looking back on ways to simplify our life here at home.  Today our days seem so complicated with all that we have to make our lives “easier”. What did our family do before all of these nifty gadgets??!

TipNut always has some wonderful tips.  Here a few I found today!

45 Cooking & Baking Tips - A Collection Of Timeless Wisdom

1. When boiling milk, first stir in a pinch of baking soda. This will help keep the milk from curdling.
2. Add one teaspoon of lemon juice to each quart of water when cooking rice, this will keep rice fluffy.
3. First rinse raisins, dates and figs in very cold water before putting them through the food chopper. They will not form such a gummy mass.
4. For crisper salads: Place a saucer upside down in the bottom of the salad bowl before filling with salad. Excess moisture will run underneath the saucer and this will help keep the salad crisp and fresh.
5. Tasty flavored whipped cream: First whip cream then add 2 tablespoons of flavored jello and continue beating on slow until the whipped cream is right consistency. Here’s a tip for leftover whipped cream and a recipe for homemade whipped cream.
6. Leftover ham: Lay ham slices in a baking dish then cover with maple syrup. Refrigerate overnight then fry the ham in butter the next morning. A couple more ideas for leftover ham.
7. Add a dash of lemon juice into meatballs before cooking them.
8. You can substitute crumbled cornflakes for bread crumbs when making meatloaf. You’ll find more Tasty Meatloaf Tips & Tricks (including more filler ideas) Here.
9. When a recipe calls for butter the size of an egg, use four tablespoons.
10. Cookie & Cake Decoration: Keep a small amount of sugar in small glass jars, add a few drops of food coloring and shake jar. Keep several colors on hand. You can also use this technique on shredded coconut.
11. Pickle Juice uses: Use sweet pickle juice to thin salad dressing or make French dressing with instead of vinegar, more delicious.
12. Cook vegetables with one or more bouillon cubes instead of salt–improves flavor. Tossing in a few garlic cloves when boiling vegetables makes things tastier too.
13. Salt added to flour used for thickening gravies, etc., will help to prevent lumping.
14. Chilled evaporated milk, whipped until fluffy, may be used as the base for several frozen desserts by the addition of different flavors, fruits, nuts, instant coffee, cocoa, jello, and other flavorings. Then add coconut, drained fruits, etc., as desired. Use easy crusts such as crushed cereal or crackers such as graham.
15. After crimping the edge of the pie crust, lift the edge of the crust gently all around with your fingers. This keeps the dough from sticking to the dish while baking and makes it easier to take out the pieces of pie.
16. Place crackers, dried bread, cookies or sugar which has lumps in a sturdy plastic bag (make sure it has no holes). Roll with a rolling pin or fruit jar as coarse or as fine as you like then pour into a measuring container. If you have more than you need at the time, just tie the bag and place in a pantry or freezer for later use.
17. A teaspoon of sugar mixed with your yeast and water makes it raise better. Even if you are making bread you can use some sugar. Never mix salt directly with the yeast and water mixture as the salt kills the raising action.
18. Keep brown sugar in a closed container with an apple in it, the brown sugar will stay soft and moist. Here are more ways to soften brown sugar.
19. Grate orange and lemon peel before peeling. Dry and add to spice cake or any cookies or puddings. The dried grated peel will keep well in a covered jar. Here are some Uses for Citrus Peels Plus Candied Lemon Peel Recipe.
20. Wrap parsley in foil first, then freeze. Shave off as much as needed, rewrap and return to the freezer. It will retain its flavor and freshness.
21. For fried foods that require flouring, try pancake flour for a change, it’s quite nice.
22. To keep peeled potatoes from turning dark without putting them in water, wrap in paper towel and wet under the faucet.
23. Baking bread? Do not preheat. When you light your oven, pop in the bread pans immediately and you’ll be amazed at the resulting lightness of the bread. Here’s how to make bread (with a recipe) and More Tips on Baking Breads.
24. Toast oatmeal in the oven before adding to other ingredients when making oatmeal cookies-–delicious!
25. Add two teaspoons of vinegar to jello and it will keep the jello from melting when you serve it.
26. If you scorch milk by accident, put the pan in cold water and add a pinch of salt. Takes away the burned taste.
27. Add a few sprigs of fresh peppermint to leftover tea while it is still warm, then refrigerate. Serve over ice.
28. Roll pastry on waxed paper. Before placing paper on work surface, wipe surface with a damp cloth to prevent slipping. Flour paper lightly, and with forefinger draw a circle an inch and a half larger than the pan you intend to use. You’ve seen pastry cloths with guidelines…and they really do help. When pastry has been rolled out, pick up paper pastry and all. Fit into pan, paper side up and then pull paper away from crust. Prevents tearing or stretching twist paper and pan. Another nice tip: You can also roll pastry between two sheets of waxed paper.
29. If it is a meringue pie you are making…add four or five marshmallows cut into pieces or 1/2 cup miniature ones, to meringue just before spreading. These marshmallows give both flavor and body to the meringue. The latter is important if pie is to stand for sometime before serving. Here’s a way to soften marshmallows.
30. Lemon juice or vinegar in water where cauliflower is cooked makes it keep its white color.
31. To pare pineapple easily cut into rings and peel each slice separately.
32. Add a slice of lemon to peeled sweet potatoes while cooking. The lemon will help them clear and free of discoloration.
33. A tablespoon of minute tapioca sprinkled in apple pie will absorb excess juice while baking.
34. Add one teaspoon baking powder to mashed potatoes to make them fluffy (here’s another tip). Here’s a helpful way to keep mashed potatoes warm while the rest of the meal is still cooking - Mashed Potato Warmer
35. Dip the blades of shears in hot water before cutting marshmallows, they won’t stick.
36. Have a small bowl of melted butter and just brush on corn on the cob with a pastry brush. If you have a metal bowl you can put a chunk of butter in the bowl and set on grill to melt while meal is grilling. See How To Microwave Fresh Corn on the Cob and some tips for removing corn from the cob.
37. For bananas that are ripe and ready to eat but you have too many, peel the bananas and freeze them then dip in melted chocolate and freeze again, these make a nice treat! More tips on freezing bananas here.
38. Fill a large hole or sugar shaker with flour and use that when needing to dust surfaces with flour or just pour out a tablespoon as you need it, this is handy way to keep a bit of flour on hand instead of digging in the flour bin.
39. Use pastry wheel to cut rolled cookie dough in squares or diamonds, much less rolling and very pretty.
40. Rinse measuring cup in hot water before using syrup, oil, etc. Will pour out clean and not stick to cup.
41. Canned fruit is much better if opened and removed from the can an hour or two before using to restore the oxygen.
42. When making popcorn balls, slip plastic bags on your hands when shaping them, won’t stick or burn your hands.
43. A wire cheese cutter is ideal for cutting chilled refrigerator cookie dough.
44. To liven up day old bread or rolls you can put the bread in a large bowl and place in a pot with a shallow level of boiling water. Remove from heat and cover the pot to steam the bread briefly. The bread will be warm and soft in a couple minutes. You can also use stale breads to make big batches of breadcrumbs and delicious homemade croutons.
45. An ordinary funnel makes the best cooling rack for your tube cake pans. You’ll find another 43 Cake Baking Tips & Tricks here.

April 5th, 2009 | by Lynn | Tags: adjusting, Advice, American, Common sense, Consistence, Debt, Income, Kids and Teens, Money, Self-help 

You may have seen the commercials!  My husband didn’t get the gist of it for awhile.  Feed the Pig!

Feed The Pig is a site that has a lot of thought provoking ideas and common sense for learning to cut back on daily expenses.  When you visit, you will find tools, quizzes and a link to help you teach  your “Tween” about saving money.  I just signed up for the weekly newsletter…. Check it out!

Speaking of Common Sense… I think in todays term we could see that we should call it “Uncommon Sense“.  It is more uncommon these days to know Common Sense is.  Confused?  How does it apply to your life?  I look back and look at my parents life together for the common sense factor…

Feed The Pig

Have a great weekend! ~Lynn~