Have a Better Life

I hate when I have to spend money out of my established budget. Two weeks ago it was my desktop screen, today it was the kitchen faucet.

Let’s face it, that faucet is the original one, meaning it has 10 years and during those years we never had problems with it. A few weeks ago it started dripping water each time we used it and now it was already pouring water.

My husband just left to go looking for some Moen kitchen faucets at a local store. I hope it’s not very expensive, we have some big expenses in the next couple of weeks.

Going Green is a major objective in my life and each time I buy something I think twice.

Our old VGA desktop screen collapsed. After months of having the screen changing color from yellow to green to blue, also the screen area started to shrink it finally stopped working and we had to decide: leave the desktop unused or spend money we don’t have on another screen.

After a few days deliberating we decided that it was better to buy a new screen and give some use to the computer. My first concern was to find a eco-friendly screen and we did. We gave €10 more to buy a 19″ LCD screen with a low energy consumption and excellent power settings. It was worth the €10.

We also bought an accessory set for the desktop. My son wanted a Bluetooth headset but instead we bought a Webcam and regular headphones. For my laptop, which doesn’t have a Webcam incorporated, I bought a Webcam and regular headphones with micro. Both Webcams have incorporated micro, so depending if we are alone or not we can decide if we use or not the headphones.

This shopping was not planned therefore we had to use the credit card. Not something we wanted to do but it was a shame to have a good desktop with no screen.
photo credit: Micky.!

You just checked your wardrobe and you realized that you need to buy some clothes. Here are a few tips while clothing shopping:

• Make a list of the clothing items you need. Shirts, lingerie, trousers, skirts, etc.
• Stay focus on that list
• Shop alone if you don’t want to get distracted
• Shop with a friend if you want an opinion
• Always try your clothes on the store, if possible with a three-way mirror
• Don’t buy clothes that don’t fit you right now. Some people buy already imagine they will have a few pounds in one month.
• If you feel comfortable with other people’s opinion, you may want to ask the salesperson for his/her opinion.
• Buy quality clothes so that they can be used for years.
• If you like a certain pair of trousers or a shirt that looks really good on you, buy two instead of one. Buy different colors to match other clothes you have.
• Follow your list and don’t get distracted by other nice items you don’t need.

I hope this tips help you on your clothing shopping.

Buy Better and Have a Better Life!
photo credit: melystu

One think we have to keep in mind to have a great life is a good insurance company, with great assistance and good prices.

Nowadays there is no excuse to pay higher prices for an insurance policy. A Netquote is the easiest thing you can request online. You can compare prices and policy conditions from the comfort of your home and get the best insurance plan for you.

Insurance agents are very tricky and although a Home insurance in Illinois is different from a home insurance in Texas, we have to establish a friendly relationship with the agent in order to gain their confident and ask for a really low quotation.

It is very important to ask for several quotes before deciding to buy one. Comparing prices can make us gain dozens of dollars. Prices differ from insurance company to insurance company and we have to find the one that together with the best policy conditions also offers us a low price.

Companies also can take advantage of the world wide web to ask for business insurance quotes and choose the appropriate one for the size of the company and employees number.

I have home insurance, life insurance, auto insurance and believe me, they are all in different insurance companies because I never receive a package price where I would pay less for the three insurance policies.

Image by incurable_hippie via Flickr

One of the things I always do is reusing the things I have at home. This week I took some time to organize my kids closets and remove all the clothes that are already too small for them. I managed to arrange nine bags of clothes!

Why do my kids have so many clothes?
We receive clothes from family members and close friends. As you know kids grow at a high speed and sometimes clothes are used only a few times and they keep the quality and look. I have no complex of using used clothes and I always transmitted that to my kids.

The bags with clothes were delivered to a friend of mine that volunteers with an institution by collecting used products (clothes, blankets, school material, plastic boxes, etc.) and given them to people in need.

Well, yesterday I received a phone call from my best friend saying that she was cleaning her garage and she wanted me to take a look at the things she doesn’t need. I went there with my kids to find a garage full of stuff all over the place. From cook books to paints, from wooden toys to a desk lamp, from kitchen items to decorative items, she had a little of everything.

We ended up loading the car with two paints, flower jars, some toys, a Matryoshka doll (my daughter loved this one), a complete set of wooden toilet accessories among other small decorative items.

I find reusing a great way to get rid of items we don’t use but that someone will use. My son chose a beautiful blue handmade paint to put on his room wall and I chose a gorgeous dark blue cloth paint (handmade). Both paints have a sentimental value but they don’t match my friend’s home decoration and they were getting damaged by the garage humidity. For me, they will be a great add-on to my home decoration and a way to stay within my budget.

Do you exchange items with your family and friends? or Do you prefer to buy new items instead of used ones?

Image by Whiskeygonebad via Flickr

One of the biggest expenses a business has to pay is electric and gas bills. In fact, these expenses fluctuate because of current business gas supplier prices, and because the usage also varies – payment can end up being different to what was expected.

You will be glad to know however, there are several ways in which you can reduce your business’s overheads. You can then redirect your spare working capital towards more interesting and exciting things such as expanding your business or purchasing new equipment to improve productivity.

Many older offices were not designed with heat distribution and retention in mind. By improving such factors, you can make real headway in trying to reduce your energy consumption and your heating bills.

Some factors are more easily modified than others. For example, many offices have large amounts of windows. In the summer, the sun beats in and creates a very uncomfortable working environment. Money must then be invested in air conditioning systems and fans. In the winter, the large windows let in the cold in from outside and the heat generated inside, out. This is obviously a structural problem which is not easily resolved.

Let’s concentrate on things you can resolve. You can reduce the working space in order to provide a less cavernous space for office workers, by closing off the heating in sections of the office space which are not in use; you can successfully reduce heating bills from business gas suppliers. This strategy will also reduce electricity costs; however, be careful to avoid creating too small a space as you may end up with a disgruntled workforce!

Installing more sufficient insulation in the office’s walls and roof might increase the building’s heating efficiency. It might be worth getting your existing heating system checked out, it might not be operating efficiently, and you may save a substantial amount of money in the long run.

Image via Wikipedia

It’s time to fill the grocery cabinet and the freezer, this means it’s time to go shopping.

How to prepare yourself:

• Make a list of what you really need.
• Check all the newspapers and magazines for coupons
• Check online the site www.Savings.com for coupons and discounts. On this site you will find coupons from several stores.
• If you need something from Home Depot you can get some Home Depot coupons with Savings that will allow you to save a lot of money.
• Eat before you leave the house because we usually buy unnecessary products when we are hungry.
• When arriving at the grocery store, follow the list you made at home and buy nothing else.

If you are having trouble managing your family finances take a look at Mint sit. They have a great system that help you to manage your finances for FREE.

Happy shopping!!!