Saving Money

5 Ways to Easily Save Money

January 4, 2010 By Sherry Tingley

Why is saving money now more important than ever?

Take a look around you folks. It’s no secret that the US economy as well as other global economies have been a state of unpredictability for a year or more. The 4^th quarter stock market crash of 2008 is more than evidence of that. Not to mention the fact that the auto and finance industries have been in trouble as well as the real estate markets and various retailers. As a result, more and more people are focusing on creating and developing their personal budgets, and trying to save money so known and unknown expenses are covered.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the importance of creating and maintaining a personal or family budget since this is such an invaluable financial tool. Not creating a personal budget is like that old adage about “failing to plan means that you are planning to fail.” And that is basically what you are doing. You have no control over your money, your finances will most likely end up in disarray, and you will never be able to get ahead financially. The bottom line is that you should not be spending more money than what you actually have.

Five Ways to Easily Save Money

There are many ways that you can effectively budget just as there are a number of ways that you can save money for future purchases or unknown expenses. Additionally, this will relieve the stress that occurs when you are struggling to make ends meet and pay your bills. Here are 5 tips you should consider for saving money:

Tip #1: Create and develop a personal budget

This is pretty much a no-brainer, but you would be amazed if you knew that people were surviving by the skin of their teeth without employing this invaluable financial tool. If you haven’t created a budget in the past, be sure to start one now. When you budget, make allowances for a saving category and save that much money each and every month.

Tip #2: Get better at recycling, repairing, and re-using household items

This is part of the “Going Green” mentality, but it still makes a lot of sense. In addition to this, you should consider using alternative energy sources and purchasing only those consumer goods that are manufactured from either recycled goods or sustainable resources.

Tip #3: Cutting food waste will cut spending

What is the point in purchasing more meats or fresh vegetables than you can possibly consume at one sitting? More importantly, how much sense does it make to let leftovers go to waste and then get thrown in the garbage?

Tip #4: You can still maintain a normal lifestyle inside or outside of the home by shopping sensibly

You don’t need to spend a fortune to dress and look good, nor do you need to spend a lot of money on food if you just pay attention to discounts and sales as well as not being a name brand junkie.

Tip #5: Automated Payroll Deductions

Some companies will allow you to send part of your paycheck to a savings account. You just tell them how much you want to send from each paycheck and they will transfer it. This automated process makes saving money much easier.

Health Benefits of Drinking Alkalized and Ionized Water

January 2, 2010 By Sherry Tingley

Drinking alkalized and ionized water can make you feel more energy, release excess body fat and stored toxins, balance blood sugars, lower blood pressure, cleanse and heal the colon, improve arthritis, diabetic conditions, slow the aging process and heal a variety of skin conditions.

Based on clinical experiences in Japan and the United States, drinking alkalized and ionized water has helped people feel more energy and regain a sense of health and well being.The Enagic Corporation, a Japanese water technology company, has patented a machine that will alkalize and ionize water and now it is finally available in the United States. That machine produces “Kangen” water.

Kangen drinking water has produced so many positive, healing results with people who are having health issues that Japan has named this device a “medical device.” This water technology has been used in Japanese hospitals for over 30 years. You may be wondering what benefits this Kangen drinking water could give you.

Here are the top four reasons for drinking Kangen water:

1. To Balance the Body PH – The water raises the PH of tap water by “ionizing” the water molecule resulting in H+ and OH- ions. Overall, this increases the bicarbonate buffers in the blood, balancing the body and helps in neutralizing and excreting built up acids and toxins.

2. It Increases Hydration – Ionization reduces the size of the water molecule by 2/3, making it more able to penetrate the cellular membranes in our bodies. It speeds up the building of new tissue and waste removal through the lymphatic system.

3. Increases Blood Oxygenation – The OH- rich alkaline water makes more oxygen readily available to enrich the blood. Increased oxygenation can speed healing and increase one’s energy level.

4. Neutralizes Free Radical – The alkaline water with an abundance of OH- ions have extra electrons that easily neutralize destructive free radicals circulating throughout the body. Kangen water carries a high negative ORP (oxygen reduction potential) when it is first produced, making it a potent antioxidant. It also improves the absorption and utilization of food or supplements. This allows the natural healing process to predominate and promote health. Here are some surprising benefits of using other PH levels of water that the Kangen Water Machine produces.

Strong Alkaline Water with an 11.5 PH has some very powerful absorption properties that makes it excellent for use as a cleaning agent. People have used this water to remove carpet stains, clean household items and as a pain reliever in muscle strains or deep injuries to the body.

Beauty Water with a 5.5 PH has amazing properties when applied topically. This PH is similar to your natural skin’s PH and acts as a toner. Used on the face and skin, it softens the skin and makes it look beautiful. When sprayed on hair, it makes your hair shiny and radiant looking.

Strong Acidic Water with a 2.5 PH is not to be used for drinking. It has the ability to kill germs. In fact it has been used in restaurants to keep utensils and cutting boards clean and used in hospitals as a disinfectant. As seen on a short movie clip at our websites, bacteria die on contact with the 2.5 PH water. This type of water has been beneficial in replacing pesticides in agricultural crops in Japan.

Please use the contact us link to find out more about the Kangen Water Filter for your home.

Tips to Saving Money on Your Vacation at Disneyland

November 14, 2009 By Sherry Tingley

Considered as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland is a child’s utopia. For adults, planning a trip to Disneyland or even to other amusement parks can be a nightmare. Following these tips will hopefully bring the fun back into visiting these places.

Avoid the front gates – Although naturally, these would be the places parents turn to for purchasing tickets, it is possibly the least cost effective. The regular amount is multiplied depending on the number of people you are with. With the Disneyland Resort, there are multiple theme parks, at least two located in California alone. For each of the Disneyland resorts, a separate admission fee is required unless a Park Hopper Pass is purchased.

Park Hopper Pass – This pass allows the user to visit both Disneyland parks in California. These passes are valid between one to five days. Similar to the idea of annual passes, the prices becoming cheaper as the longer days are purchased. Try purchasing these on ebay to save money.

Buy online – Disney offers discounts for tickets purchased online in advance. These can be directly printed or sent through mail.

Annual Pass – Amusement parks usually offer these passes to encourage visitors to come more often. For residents living near Disneyland, this is the most cost effective if utilized more than five times during the entire year.

Package Deals – Intended to entice more tourists, some hotels within the vicinity of amusement parks or other tourist attractions offer a discount on admission tickets if staying with hotel. Disneyland has three seasons: Value Season, Regular and the Peak Season. It is most advised to book during the Value or off peak seasons as these will give the visitors the most discounts. Special Adults Price For some years during the months of January up until early spring, adults can avail of the same admission prices in Disney as kids do.

Discount Passes for Residents in California – Disney offers special discounts specifically for residents in South California, teachers who are members from various state unions, university students, some employees, retired individuals as well some car organizations in the state.

Birthday Passes Started in 2009 – Disneyland has offered a special discount for birthday celebrants. To avail of this discount, inform the park in advance and claim at the front gate with a valid ID for verification. Unfortunately, this pass is only given to the celebrant and valid only for that day. Military Passes For soldiers in the military, whether in active duty, National Guard, Reserve, DOD or retired, Disneyland also offers special discounts depending on the time of the year. This requires presenting their military ID at the gate.

Travel Agency Discount – ARES, a travel agency of good reputation offers discounted tickets on its website which can be purchased and used for admission into Disneyland. Do research and inquire about other local travel agencies on whether they offer discounts on other amusement parks or tourist spots.

Foreigner discount – Residents from the United Kingdom can avail of discounts from Theme Park Direct. UK residents intending to purchase must take caution and compare conversion rates before buying.

Being aware of these options will hopefully make planning the trip to Disneyland a less stressful and burdensome task.

10 Steps to a Healthy Diet Plan

November 7, 2009 By Sherry Tingley

Eating a healthy meal once a day is not a difficult task. In fact eating healthy meals all your life is easy. Here are a few tips on how to keep from eating unhealthy food and binge eating:

1. Set a goal – If there is a need for you to lose some weight through eating healthy, set a goal for yourself on how much weight you aim to lose in a month’s time. Of course, you would need the assistance of your doctor to determine the numbers that won’t be a health risk.

2. Commit to your eating plan – If you are doing it just because your doctor told you to, it won’t work. You have to be committed to eating healthy and you have to know that doing this will do your body a lot of good.

3. Plan a Menu – Plan a menu that suits your diet. If you cook it yourself, it’s better so you know what’s in the food you eat. Research online for easy to cook recipes that you can try. This way you won’t have to stick to eating carrots or celery or any of those boring and bland food.

4. Do Not Eat Fast Food – Do not order from any fast food chain. You have to think that this will not only ruin your diet but will also defeat the fact that you have a healthy diet plan.

5. Reflect – Before you give yourself a fresh start on your eating plan, reflect first on why you are sticking to your diet. Reflect on why you are doing it and once you know the importance of your diet plan you’re good to go.

6. Recognize that people around you are not on the same diet plan – With other people in your workplace eating burgers and other greasy types of food, temptation to eat fast food is everywhere. With this in mind, you can tell your colleagues or the people around you that you are trying something new so you’d have to say no to that pizza they are offering you.

7. Support System – A support system plays a huge part in staying on your healthy eating plan. Tell your family or your friends what you need to do and make them understand why you are doing this. With a good support system, by the time you feel like stopping your eating plan altogether, they will be the ones who will encourage you to continue with your diet.

8. Learn to Say No – Let’s face it, not many people will understand why you no longer eat what you used to eat. If some of the people you know keep on nagging you to eat something that is not included in your eating plan, just say “No”.

9. Live and Let Live – Accept the fact that your family or your friends may not join you in your diet. Do not feel alone at all just because of your diet. Let them enjoy what they eat while you enjoy yours.

10. Give Yourself a Holiday – You can take a break on Sundays and then go right back to your diet plan on Monday. Giving yourself a holiday is a good idea so that you won’t get tired of your eating plan.

5 Reasons Why We Fail To Save Money

October 19, 2009 By Sherry Tingley

Money makes the world go round. That is something we all have to admit. We often try to save money but once spring sales or holiday sales kick in, we blow all our savings by breaking the bank.

It sure is hard to save money especially if you see something on sale and sometimes when we window shop. We also have a tendency to buy things. Most of the things that we buy are not necessarily what we need but we buy them because they’re just too pretty to be sitting there at the shop.

Apart from binge spending what else stops us from saving money? Here are a few things why we fail to save enough money:

1. Just Not Having Enough

This is the most common reason for many people but not having enough money to save is not the real issue. We usually do not have enough because we spend too much money. Growing savings in the bank requires us not to spend and that on its own is a rather difficult task. One thing all of us should remember though is –it is doable.

2. Not Starting Early

Saving money should be part of a person’s values even at an early age because the earlier we all start saving, the more money is saved in our bank accounts. Children should learn how to save money at an early age so they can be educated about finances. Financial literacy is sadly not taught in schools even if it is vital for day to day activities. If you have children teach them how to save so they won’t have to go through what most people are going through –not having enough most of the time.

3. Not Prioritizing

After getting our paychecks, we usually spend on a few things that we don’t actually need. Prioritizing what needs to be paid first would definitely stop us from spending on unnecessary things. Prioritizing would also keep the bills from piling up. This is something that most of us want to escape from –paying three or even five months worth of telephone bills or cable bills. Something that should have been affordable in the first place turn into big amounts just because we do not know how to prioritize.

4. Not Budgeting

Not doing our monthly budget is one culprit of overspending which leads us to not saving a dime. Budgeting will lay down all the things that are needed to be paid and what are needed to be purchased. By budgeting you sometimes come to the realization that there were quite a few things bought last month or last payday that aren’t actually needed.

5. Not Paying Up

A person who has a lot of debt and is not keeping current with their payments gets more interest fees and owes more than they did. Having to pay on credit cards for a very long time makes saving money barely possible. Put an end to this vicious cycle by making payment arrangements with creditors.