Now I am very much a traditionalist when it comes to manners...I was raised with the notions that you should be polite as you can to everyone and say please and thank you at every opportunity. It makes sense as if you are nice to someone then they will be in a better mood and will more than likely pass on the feeling of being nice to someone else and so on and so forth. "Making the world a better place", to coin the old proverb! And proving the "butterfly" effect!
So saying please or thank you to someone could in fact benefit 2,3,4,5 or even more people! It also acknowledges that you are indeed thankful to someone who has been nice to you, like the person who kept the door open for you or rang your bill through with a smile or gifted you a present for an occasion.
Manners don't cost anything but could mean the world to someone, so please be nice to someone you meet today. I know that this is a very short post but I wanted to say how much I appreciate good manners and politeness. Thank you for listening.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Pinching pennies
Every penny saved is a penny in your pocket to spend wisely another day. Save enough pennies and they start turning into something bigger than just a scrap of copper in your pocket. You can see them all the time lying on the pavement - just waiting to be picked up. But instead of waiting and scouring the pavements for discarded pennies - you can save the pennies you already have by various methods - one being coupon cutting. Manufacturers print a ton of coupons in every medium in the hope that you will try their products and be so enamoured by them that you will become a loyal customer. But you have to be smart in coupon using as some of them get you to part with too much money for little in return. Coupons can be found online, in postal mail, by email, in magazines, in leaflets etc.....everywhere in fact! Once you start looking, you will be surprised by how many you can find.
Once you have a coupon collection, store them neatly where you can find them and have easy access to them. Nothing worse than being in a store that you know you have a 20% coupon and it is lying at home! So I would either store them in a small plastic filing folder or paperclip them to your weekly shopping list. Also, ask your friends if they coupon clip too....especially if you are both looking out for different products. Swap them between yourselves! It's not something to be ashamed of....you can never be too rich to want to save money! And if you are - good luck to you, I am just not in that category.....
Also, it makes sense that you should only use coupons that will in fact save you money and be something that you will actually use....if the store is far away, you must also calculate the saving of any item against the cost of petrol/gas. My advice is that you should read EVERYTHING that comes through the post, especially the junk mail...you might be surprised about how many coupons come through for new stores offering a "free latte" or "free 10 minute consultation".
Personally I have a few "core" items that I will not deviate from (brand loyalty at it's best!), as I am either in love with them or love the results they give, but these products are very few and far between. Everything else I am pretty lenient and will switch from brand to brand depending on what coupons I have and how cheap I can buy them for. (I should really clarify which brands I switch between.....I switch major brand to major brand with the rare exception of a "supermarket" own brand.)
Learn the value of each product so that you will know if the "special deal" that the supermarket is offering is in fact a "special deal" and not a cleverly disguised ruse to get you to part with your money, (they do this sometimes when they are overstocked!). When a non-perisable (or product you are likely to use before the sell by date) is on special, buy a few more than you would normally. E.g. this weeks half price toilet roll will in the long run, save you many dollars if you bought three or more packets instead of just the one. Yes it will make your weekly shop a little more expensive than normal, but you will feel the benefit in the weeks afterwards. Yes it is a pain to store all the bulky bulk items, so I would not suggest filling your house so full of products that you can't move!
If you learn the value of each product then if you find yourself by chance in a different store to the one you normally use, you will know if a certain product is cheaper.
In essence - don't drive yourself crazy by cutting coupons, but keep an eye out....it's a real buzz when you know you've saved some green.....and put the pennies together to treat yourself to something you wouldn't normally treat yourself with. You deserve it!
Once you have a coupon collection, store them neatly where you can find them and have easy access to them. Nothing worse than being in a store that you know you have a 20% coupon and it is lying at home! So I would either store them in a small plastic filing folder or paperclip them to your weekly shopping list. Also, ask your friends if they coupon clip too....especially if you are both looking out for different products. Swap them between yourselves! It's not something to be ashamed of....you can never be too rich to want to save money! And if you are - good luck to you, I am just not in that category.....
Also, it makes sense that you should only use coupons that will in fact save you money and be something that you will actually use....if the store is far away, you must also calculate the saving of any item against the cost of petrol/gas. My advice is that you should read EVERYTHING that comes through the post, especially the junk mail...you might be surprised about how many coupons come through for new stores offering a "free latte" or "free 10 minute consultation".
Personally I have a few "core" items that I will not deviate from (brand loyalty at it's best!), as I am either in love with them or love the results they give, but these products are very few and far between. Everything else I am pretty lenient and will switch from brand to brand depending on what coupons I have and how cheap I can buy them for. (I should really clarify which brands I switch between.....I switch major brand to major brand with the rare exception of a "supermarket" own brand.)
Learn the value of each product so that you will know if the "special deal" that the supermarket is offering is in fact a "special deal" and not a cleverly disguised ruse to get you to part with your money, (they do this sometimes when they are overstocked!). When a non-perisable (or product you are likely to use before the sell by date) is on special, buy a few more than you would normally. E.g. this weeks half price toilet roll will in the long run, save you many dollars if you bought three or more packets instead of just the one. Yes it will make your weekly shop a little more expensive than normal, but you will feel the benefit in the weeks afterwards. Yes it is a pain to store all the bulky bulk items, so I would not suggest filling your house so full of products that you can't move!
If you learn the value of each product then if you find yourself by chance in a different store to the one you normally use, you will know if a certain product is cheaper.
In essence - don't drive yourself crazy by cutting coupons, but keep an eye out....it's a real buzz when you know you've saved some green.....and put the pennies together to treat yourself to something you wouldn't normally treat yourself with. You deserve it!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Kit and caboodle
Following on from a previous post regarding the daily choices we make, I thought that I would mention something about broadening your horizons. Now barring any illegal or down right dumb and dangerous acts, I truly believe that we should actively seek new experiences in our lives as to either educate or broaden our views on anything and everything. Even if the thought of whatever it is - scares the heeby geebees out of us just a little.
From the moment we are born to the day that we expire, we are bombarded with opportunities to experience new ideas and notions. Yes of course, we all do eventually reach an age when the opportunities are not so abundant, but should that stop us from trying something new every once in a while? Should we seek out and choose things outside our comfort zone? Or be content with the daily schedule we have already? If a new opportunity presents itself, do you say "no" automatically without thinking?
So go forth and conquer my com padres....try something new at least once....because if you try it and still don't like it - at least you will have a reason to say "no" next time. OR you could even like it!
Garlic flavoured ice cream anyone?
From the moment we are born to the day that we expire, we are bombarded with opportunities to experience new ideas and notions. Yes of course, we all do eventually reach an age when the opportunities are not so abundant, but should that stop us from trying something new every once in a while? Should we seek out and choose things outside our comfort zone? Or be content with the daily schedule we have already? If a new opportunity presents itself, do you say "no" automatically without thinking?
So go forth and conquer my com padres....try something new at least once....because if you try it and still don't like it - at least you will have a reason to say "no" next time. OR you could even like it!
Garlic flavoured ice cream anyone?
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Chasing tail
I know that everyone thinks they are generally a safe driver and that the idiot you happen to be following must have gotten his/her driving license as a free gift from a cereal box. Well as much as that is probably true, we do lose some of our driving skills the older we get. Complacently inevitably sets in and we get a little lazier with some of the more finer points of welding a half ton moving object on the roads. So I see nothing wrong in periodically questioning some of our own habits and actively adjusting where necessary. A "top up" course every 10 years would be the optimum way of doing this, although few people would relish taking their test again and again and again. For this reason, I have put together a list of a few things to mull over....I do hope that I am helping and do not sound "holier than thou". Not my intention at all , I promise!
Travelling distance. Can you remember memorizing all those stopping distances in the highway code book - ready to trot them out verbatim at the written test? Even if you still remembered the correct stopping distance for when you are travelling in a forward direction at 40mph, how would you know if you are a safe enough distance from the "also travelling in a forward direction" car in front. I certainly don't. Answer? The two/three second rule. Pick a static object at the side of the road, when the car in front passes said object, start counting "one elephant, two elephant", by which time - you should be passing the static object. (Three seconds are needed for when the weather is bad or the light is bad etc).
Posture. Back in the day when you passed your driving test, I can bet that you were posture perfect and had "ten to two" hands on the steering wheel. Check your current seating position, is your chair a little too far reclined? Obviously the angle of your chair recline is to aid your own comfort but food for thought here is that when the car manufacturers put the crash test dummy's in the cars and smash them to pieces to check the safeness of their vehicles - the crash test dummy's are ALWAYS in the upright position. Also, the manufacturers position of the seat belts and the air bags and all the other safety features are built around the same upright positions of the crash test dummies.
Handy hands. No surprises here! Make sure that you have both hands on the wheel as much as possible in a relaxed but firm grip. Avoid needless distractions and try not to multitask, (phone, excessive radio changing, eating, applying make up etc).
Speed limit. The speed limits on certain roads are calculated for many reasons. Mostly to do with the likelihood of pedestrians suddenly walking out in front of you and the speed that you need to be travelling for them to have a chance of survival. Also, the road ahead may have blind spots and/or sharp turns - so in order to stop your car from overturning, running someone over, crashing, scratching the paint, hitting another car, scraping the rims, spilling your piping hot coffee or whatever other damage you can do in your beloved car, observing speed limits seems to me to be a very good idea.
Thank you for listening yet again....I repeat that although I am not the worlds' most perfect driver, (far from it!), I just wanted to point out some of the things I find myself thinking about when I am on the roads.
Travelling distance. Can you remember memorizing all those stopping distances in the highway code book - ready to trot them out verbatim at the written test? Even if you still remembered the correct stopping distance for when you are travelling in a forward direction at 40mph, how would you know if you are a safe enough distance from the "also travelling in a forward direction" car in front. I certainly don't. Answer? The two/three second rule. Pick a static object at the side of the road, when the car in front passes said object, start counting "one elephant, two elephant", by which time - you should be passing the static object. (Three seconds are needed for when the weather is bad or the light is bad etc).
Posture. Back in the day when you passed your driving test, I can bet that you were posture perfect and had "ten to two" hands on the steering wheel. Check your current seating position, is your chair a little too far reclined? Obviously the angle of your chair recline is to aid your own comfort but food for thought here is that when the car manufacturers put the crash test dummy's in the cars and smash them to pieces to check the safeness of their vehicles - the crash test dummy's are ALWAYS in the upright position. Also, the manufacturers position of the seat belts and the air bags and all the other safety features are built around the same upright positions of the crash test dummies.
Handy hands. No surprises here! Make sure that you have both hands on the wheel as much as possible in a relaxed but firm grip. Avoid needless distractions and try not to multitask, (phone, excessive radio changing, eating, applying make up etc).
Speed limit. The speed limits on certain roads are calculated for many reasons. Mostly to do with the likelihood of pedestrians suddenly walking out in front of you and the speed that you need to be travelling for them to have a chance of survival. Also, the road ahead may have blind spots and/or sharp turns - so in order to stop your car from overturning, running someone over, crashing, scratching the paint, hitting another car, scraping the rims, spilling your piping hot coffee or whatever other damage you can do in your beloved car, observing speed limits seems to me to be a very good idea.
Thank you for listening yet again....I repeat that although I am not the worlds' most perfect driver, (far from it!), I just wanted to point out some of the things I find myself thinking about when I am on the roads.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Half and half and half again please
Now this is something that I do not admit to doing all the time but I have been known to follow this piece of advice from time to time. It is the question of "how do you make the expensive products last longer?". We all know that the well manufactured branded products in the store tend to be more expensive than the shop's own brand and usually this is for a good reason....they ARE better...well sometimes that is. So instead of testing out each and every product according to a strict laboratory experiment in your own home - why not just go halves?
That is - why not use half of the brand name product and half of the shop's own brand? For instance, you could use half of a branded washing detergent and half of a much cheaper brand in the same cycle in your washing machine. Or mix together half of an expensive boutique body cream with that of a cheap and cheerful pharmacy pot. Or....well you get the picture.
For some people this works, so I thought I would pass it on and it could reduce your shopping bills by a small amount each week. Obviously some products are not viable for the half and half experiment....just don't try it with bathroom paper!
That is - why not use half of the brand name product and half of the shop's own brand? For instance, you could use half of a branded washing detergent and half of a much cheaper brand in the same cycle in your washing machine. Or mix together half of an expensive boutique body cream with that of a cheap and cheerful pharmacy pot. Or....well you get the picture.
For some people this works, so I thought I would pass it on and it could reduce your shopping bills by a small amount each week. Obviously some products are not viable for the half and half experiment....just don't try it with bathroom paper!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Salt yourself!
My family was (and still are!) great believers in the old adage of "what doesn't kill ya - makes you stronger". We are not accustomed to sterilizing or over cleaning everything and anything and so far (touch wood!), it seems to be working. Not to say that we love living in our own filth...quite the opposite, I am a very hygienically clean person but I am not overly paranoid about certain things. For instance, I do not vacuum everyday and therefore a certain amount of cat hair does tend to linger around on the carpets - but no one in my family is allergic to cat hair....so does that mean that we are lucky or is it that we have all built up an immunity? Who is to say?
However, back to the "Salt" topic....in order to reduce the amount of chemically produced medicines that we HAVE to from time to time ingest, we used salt to alleviate some minor common medical symptoms. And if salt and/or an aspirin tablet could not shift it - only then would we go to the doctors. So if I was unfortunate enough to have a sore throat - I would be instructed to gargle with a salt solution several times over the course of a day. A mouth ulcer would have to be dabbed dry with a cloth and then an ear bud, slightly moistened with water and dipped in salt, would be applied to the ulcer until the stinging sensation passed. Scraped your knees?? You guessed it! It would be bathed in salt water to kill any harmful bacteria. Stuffy nose? AGAIN a salt water solution would be squirted up your nasal passage to clear the blockage.
I just thought that I would share some of my horrific childhood "salt" memories, (can you believe that I wouldn't mention my sore throats or cut up knees readily!), but now find myself applying the same logic to my son's ailments. For one thing - it's certainly a cheaper remedy than a trip to the pharmacy and cannot do any real harm to yourself. Just don't ever drink it!
Oh and one last traumatic memory of my "salt" healing was having to bathe in a bath full of salt water for a WEEK following a operation in order to "cleanse" the area.....not fun! Not fun at all!
However, back to the "Salt" topic....in order to reduce the amount of chemically produced medicines that we HAVE to from time to time ingest, we used salt to alleviate some minor common medical symptoms. And if salt and/or an aspirin tablet could not shift it - only then would we go to the doctors. So if I was unfortunate enough to have a sore throat - I would be instructed to gargle with a salt solution several times over the course of a day. A mouth ulcer would have to be dabbed dry with a cloth and then an ear bud, slightly moistened with water and dipped in salt, would be applied to the ulcer until the stinging sensation passed. Scraped your knees?? You guessed it! It would be bathed in salt water to kill any harmful bacteria. Stuffy nose? AGAIN a salt water solution would be squirted up your nasal passage to clear the blockage.
I just thought that I would share some of my horrific childhood "salt" memories, (can you believe that I wouldn't mention my sore throats or cut up knees readily!), but now find myself applying the same logic to my son's ailments. For one thing - it's certainly a cheaper remedy than a trip to the pharmacy and cannot do any real harm to yourself. Just don't ever drink it!
Oh and one last traumatic memory of my "salt" healing was having to bathe in a bath full of salt water for a WEEK following a operation in order to "cleanse" the area.....not fun! Not fun at all!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
What's important to you?
Every day we are faced with multiple choices on everything we do. From what we eat to what we wear and everything in between. We make our choices based on several factors - past experience, our beliefs, possible consequences, life enrichment and sometimes peer pressure. Not all choices we make on a daily basis are inherently wrong or dangerous, regardless of which direction we chose. Some are more life threatening and some choices are a no-brainer as the alternative is ludicrous to even think about. but some people do anyway. But the choice you make is almost entirely yours to make.
Can there be such a thing as the perfect lifestyle? Is it obtainable? What would you do once you achieved it?
I believe that all of us learn something new every day and with that new found knowledge, you change your way of thinking just slightly enough to be able to grow in a future/forward direction. Change is unstoppable and inevitable and the way that in that we ourselves cope with the change is the key. Big changes in our lifestyles are difficult and can often lead to conflict if not dealt with in exactly the right way. More achievable is smaller changes implemented over a longer time scale, with the end result being that of the big change at the finish post.
So lets applaud our individualism and learn through your own and other peoples mistakes. Don't judge another for their choices lest you be judged yourself. Be considerate to those around you and be open minded to healthy debates on topics that others have different views on. Sometimes there is no one right answer nor no one wrong answer, just lots of grey areas....so let the conversations flow!
Can there be such a thing as the perfect lifestyle? Is it obtainable? What would you do once you achieved it?
I believe that all of us learn something new every day and with that new found knowledge, you change your way of thinking just slightly enough to be able to grow in a future/forward direction. Change is unstoppable and inevitable and the way that in that we ourselves cope with the change is the key. Big changes in our lifestyles are difficult and can often lead to conflict if not dealt with in exactly the right way. More achievable is smaller changes implemented over a longer time scale, with the end result being that of the big change at the finish post.
So lets applaud our individualism and learn through your own and other peoples mistakes. Don't judge another for their choices lest you be judged yourself. Be considerate to those around you and be open minded to healthy debates on topics that others have different views on. Sometimes there is no one right answer nor no one wrong answer, just lots of grey areas....so let the conversations flow!
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