It’s Good to Have Options

My husband will be fifty years old in July. He is a little freaked out about his coming birthday. He never thought he would live this long. He had plans of going out young in a blaze of glory. Instead, he has a house in the suburbs and he is following a middle class dream he never even knew he had. Along with a life style he scoffed at when he was in his twenties, he has lawn mower wrists, a sore back from taking the garbage to the curb and tender elbows from sorting the recycles. His knees creak when bending down to get the newspaper and I have to repeat everything because his hearing is going (really, it’s his loss of hearing and not because he ignores me.)


He thinks our new neighbor across the street is a cute young blonde girl. The new neighbor is really a sixty year old ex-hippie man, a little on the pudgy side (years of munchies eating will do that to you) with slightly sagging pectoral muscles. Obviously, his eye sight is wearing out like every other part of his body.


I suggested it might be time to get some eyeglasses from Zenni Optical, the folks who have high-quality, affordable glasses available online. It’s good to have options.

Internet in Your Neck of the Woods

I get really agitated when my internet connection is down. I go on the internet to post on my blog, to visit my bloggie friends, do research and even to write in bits and pieces from the various places I spend my day. I also use it to communicate with my family. It has brought me even closer with my daughter and nieces and I have even been contacted by old friends whom I haven’t seen or spoken to in many, many years.

I can’t even imagine what it would be like without internet service  even though just ten years ago I had no clue. In other words, reliable internet service is a must. I’d die of old age before my time and of stress related diseases if I had to use dial-up. I do not have Wild Blue Satellite Internet service myself. They say on their web site that 9 out of 10 subscribers would recommend WildBlue to a friend or neighbor. There are many reviews on the internet so be sure to use whatever service you currently have to shop wisely.

If you currently have slow dial up service or you live somewhere that has no service wild blue satellite internet could be an option for you. They say they reach virtually everywhere in the continental US. Their installation fee is currently being waved, meaning free, and their packages start at $39.95.

Get Paid to Shop

Do you like to shop? If you do, would you like to get money back for shopping? You can Get Paid To Shop by signing up at Market America which is free. Then when you buy their products or the products of their partners, you can get 2% back. They have 3,000+ Partner stores with over 35 million products available for purchase covering five countries. By shopping at home you save gas and avoid annoying crowds, both of which I consider bonuses.

You can get gift cards for Market America and such partners as Barnes & Noble dot com, Fandango and travelocity. Other partners include the Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic.

They seem to have a huge selection of items. I did a search for Sharpe’s Peril, a DVD I want and I found it. Just looking around, I saw a cool messenger bag and a very reasonable pack-n-play to keep at my house for my grandson. Not all items they sell are eligible for cash back so you need to watch for their logo.

Each time you buy something, the cash back amount gets put in your account. You can use this money any time towards future purchases or once your account reaches $50 you can have the money sent to you.
They have a referral program too so you can earn additional cash back amounts.

Money Saving Tips

For the past two weeks, I’ve been watching our local utility company put solar panels on street poles. I think they will be using them to power street lamps as they put up new lights, too. I’ve always wanted solar panels on my house and this got me thinking about saving energy at home. And as things usually go, just this week I received this offer to write a sponsored post for the web site Microsoft ® Holm™. Energy saving hints and suggestions are a big thing right now and this website says it gives you help to cut your energy costs. It is brought to us by the Microsoft ® you are used to for your computer programming needs.

The first thing I noticed to cut home energy costs were the little hints flashing in the bottom right corner. A couple they mentioned were saving up to 10% on your water bills just by sealing up water drips or save up to $75.00 a year on energy costs by using your computer’s hibernate setting while you sleep. There are tips for your home appliances like turning the temperature of your water heater from 140 degrees to 120 degrees to save 10% a year or save $100 a year by hanging clothes on the line instead of using your drier.

This is a BETA program which means it is being tested and it is free. I signed in using my Windows Live account. There’s a tab that lists energy saving tips and as you follow the suggestions you check them off and see how much money and CO₂ you save annually.

My local energy provider is not currently partnered with Holm so they can’t evaluate my gas and electric bill directly with the company. I did find lots of articles and links that tell how to do various energy saving things so for a free website it’s worth a visit.

Buying First Home – Tax Incentives

As I drive around my neighborhood, I see many cute houses with For Sale signs in the front yard. We just got two new neighbors on our street since December. If you are thinking about buying first home consider doing so now. The 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits have been extended and are for first time house buyers and current home owners, too.


If you’ve never owned a house before or if you have not owned one in the last three years, you can receive up to an $8,000 tax credit. If you have lived in your current home consecutively for 5 of the past 8 years you can receive up to a $6,500 tax credit. I bet the three little pigs would take advantage of these deals if pigs could purchase houses.


Find out what the extended and expanded home buyer tax credit means for potential home buyer's from Coldwell Banker President & CEO, Jim Gillespie by watching this short, three minute video that explains about the program. 



He also talks about how this program benefits the economy by getting the real estate market going again thus producing more jobs. This puts more money back into the local economies.

Are Sensitive Enough to be a Princess?

The Princess and the Pea by Hans Christian Anderson (the condensed version):


A prince wanted to marry a princess but had trouble finding a real one. On a stormy night, a young woman soaked by rain came to the prince’s castle seeking shelter. She said she was a princess. The prince’s mother decided to test the girl by placing a pea under the 20 mattresses and 20 featherbeds the girl would sleep on that night. In the morning, the girl said she could not sleep because of something hard in the bed which bruised her. The prince married the girl as only a princess could be sensitive enough to feel the pea through all of that bedding.



I wonder if the mattresses and featherbeds from the 1800’s when the story was written down were Eco Friendly Mattresses.

This mattress has high-density body contouring memory foam made from recycled material and EverGreen™, made from all-natural green tea, is embedded into the memory foam for long-lasting natural odor control.


Organic Mattresses have a layer of hypoallergenic Natura Smart Wool for ultra-plush, temperature controlled sleep.  Being a princess myself, I want the perfect mattress for a good night sleep.

Looking for Leprechaun Gold?

Leprechaun counting his gold coins - engraving c 1900

Leprechauns got all of their gold by uncovering hordes from long over wars.
Gold's chemical element symbol is Au which is from the Latin word aurum which means "shining dawn." As of 2009, 161,000 metric tons of gold have been mined since the beginning of human history. This has been estimated earlier this month at just under six trillion US dollars.
Nitric acid dissolves silver and base metals, but not gold.  Nitric acid is used to confirm the presence of gold. This is the origin of the term "acid test."
The amount of gold in the world is finite, but more than 99 percent of Earth's gold is in the center of the Earth. Geologist Bernard Wood of Macquarie University in Australia says, there is enough in Earth's core to coat its surface in 1.5 feet of gold.
The largest gold nugget, "Welcome Stranger," was found in Australia in 1860.
If you wish to buy gold prices can be found at Goldline International.
This is a paid post and I personally have not used their services.

Choices Are a Good Thing

I need glasses to read. Basically, I use magnifying glasses because my bits are wearing out from old age. It happens. I cry myself to sleep at night. Sad, I know. But this post is not about my age related neuroses. It’s about finding inexpensive ways to compensate for my decrepitude.

Last year, I had my eye exam and bought two pairs of glasses in a well advertised package. I spent over $100 for what are basically drug store glasses. As I often forget to bring my glasses with me and I don’t treat them right when I do, I also have several of the pharmacy kind stashed everywhere. They usually cost anywhere from $15 to $20 a piece.

I have read about a new option that I think I will try the next time I need to get glasses. The Brooklyn Liberal Examiner has posted a review online that explains how you can get prescription eyeglasses starting at $8 a pair.

By cutting out the middleman and retail overhead, it is possible to get quality eyeglasses for a low cost from Zenni Optical. They use the latest modern materials and manufacturing to bring their product direct from their factories to us.

I checked out their website and they even have frames for $8 like ones I currently own. For that price, I think they a worth a chance.

Ride ‘em Cowboy! National Finals Rodeo

Believe it or not, New Jersey has its own rodeo and it is quite popular. Rodeo is exciting family fun. Cowtown Rodeo, the oldest continuously running weekly rodeo in the United States, has several events each year that are part of The Professional Cowboys Association which lead to the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When we went camping in South Jersey last summer, our entire family went to a Saturday night rodeo at Cowtown Rodeo, experiencing every American’s wild west fantasy. Bareback Bronc Riding, Calf Roping, Saddle Bronc Riding, Steer Wrestling, Bull Riding, Team Roping and Girls Barrel Racing kept the thrills coming. Imagine packing up, hooking the trailer to your pickup truck and heading to Las Vegas, Nevada, like an old-fashioned wagon train to see the culmination of the rodeo season.

Held at the Thomas & Mack Center, tickets for the ten-day event, held this year from December 2 – 11, 2010, sell out quickly. In doing some searches for this post, I found that they are already scarce. Team-One® has plenty of tickets still available at nfr-rodeo.com and when doing some comparison shopping, I found their prices to be in line with other sites and even cheaper than many. A secondary market ticket and travel broker, Team-One® has been in business for 31 years. While they do sell tickets above “face value,” they provide premium seating to sought-after events. From what I have researched, I would give them the opportunity to create another satisfied customer.

Golden Future

The best investment I ever made was marrying my husband. The simple gold bands we wear are worth more than their weight but certainly put us both on the path to varied and abundant riches.

My husband and I found each other in our late thirties. Neither of us had been married before. We both lived moment to moment, having carefree fun. When we got together, we decided to put down roots and build a more comfortable future. 

While it's true that this is a sponsored post, it is also true that we are considering investing in gold. We have been looking to buy gold online and have been reviewing Goldline International, Inc. Gold seems like a solid form of wealth, so we will being doing our research and considering this company which has been in business for fifty years.

Take Advantage of the Current Real Estate Tax Benefit

Do you yearn for a little cottage with a white picket fence? Does a rambling ranch strike your fancy? Are you perhaps interested in a sophisticated condo in a stylish city?

My daughter and son-in-law want to buy a home of their own in a quaint suburban neighborhood. It is a dream shared by many people. We Americans do not feel complete unless we can own property.

If, like my children, you are considering buying a house, try to do it soon. Right now, there is a Real Estate Tax Benefit to buying a house that should not be missed, if you qualify.

The Homebuyer Tax Credits have been extended into 2010. They have been expanded to include not just first time purchasers, but also people have not owned a home in the last three (3) years and those who have owned a house for the last five (5) years but want to move on to a new house.

Coldwell Banker has an easy to understand informational page that outlines those who qualify for The 2010 Homebuyer Tax Credits. The page includes the deadline dates and income limits you must meet to take advantage of this program. They have also put together this short video that highlights this tax benefit.

Valentine's Day, Chocolate and Haiti

I bet you are all trying to forget that Sunday is Valentine’s Day and here I am reminding you. My bad.

You will need to buy something for your sweetie or you will be in trouble. Dark Chocolate are always an excellent choice. Here’s a unique confection and a way to help out the people of Haiti at the same time.

According to their website, Intentional Chocolate™ will donate 100% of its profits to charities supporting Haiti until Valentine's Day.

On their “About Us” page, they explain that their chocolates are infused with good intensions by advanced mediators (some who have trained with the Dalai Lama) to help promote health and well-being.

Could you give anything better to a loved one?