Month: March 2012

Frugal Living Tip: Check Out eBooks from Your Local Library

How Much Can You Save? ? $40+ monthly on Electronic Books for Your Reading Device

Making It Work:

Are you enjoying the latest trend in reading with an electronic reading device? There are plenty:

Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad, Barnes & Noble’s Nook, Sony’s e-Readers, Onyx’s Booxes, Pocketbooks and many others.

Since most of these readers offer you the latest mainstream books at reduced pricing, you’re already paying less money for electronic books than for printed ones. But did you know many public libraries offer to loan ebooks for free?

Depending on the library, you can access the latest books written by your favorite top authors for nothing!

Financially, this is amazing when you think about it, particularly if you’re an avid reader. All you have to do is get out your library card and access your local library’s website using your device. You’ll most likely be asked to enter your library card number early in the process. Navigate to the library’s e-resources webpage, which they’ll have if they offer electronic books.

There, you’ll find a link to the listing of devices onto which you can download the library’s ebooks. Use your device and the library’s software to proceed through the process step-by-step. Then, browse their current electronic book library. Once you find a book you like, click the “download” button to load the electronic book onto your device.

The books will remain on your device for you to read for two to four weeks, depending on the library’s terms and whether your selection is a new book or not.

Depending on how much you read and how often you purchase books for your device, you stand to save $40 or even more monthly accessing your library’s electronic book collection.

Why spend your hard-earned money on books to read once? If you check out electronic books at your local library you won’t pay a single cent!

You can read all you want at no cost to you. Plus, some libraries also offer magazines, journals and other resources electronically for free as well.

Now, that’s a great way to save money and still live well.

Visit Eternal Spiral Book to see their catalog and then head to your public library. You can also browse through Amazon’s site and find titles you like, then see if they are available through your library.

Earth Day is coming up, for example. Why not borrow this handy guide? Earth Day and Every Day: A Beginner’s Guide to Green Activities and Recipes (Green Matters)

Easter is only a few days away: Quick and Easy Easter Dinner Recipes (Holiday Entertaining)

Head to your library to see what other great titles you can borrow.

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The Best Ways to Clean the Air in Your Home, Part 2

(Continued in Part 1)

Now that you know the benefits of keeping the air clean in your home, it is time to consider how to clean it.

5 Ways to Keep the Air Cleaner Inside Your Home

Improve the quality of the air in your home easily with these quick tips:

*Change your air filters.
Filters remove certain pollutants from the surrounding air. This includes, dust, dust mites, allergens, pollen and smaller particles. Every time you open the door or window, you are letting in more than just air. Not cleaning the filters in your A/C or heating units causes them to circulate dirty air plus, it forces them to work harder as well. This in turn makes them burn more energy and operate less efficiently, resulting their losing even more of their ability to pull the dirty particles out of the air.

*Buy houseplants.
Houseplants absorb the waste products we breathe out, provide cleaner air as a result. Several houseplants can help to keep the indoor air free of pollution. Some varieties to consider include, Peace Lily, Gerbera Daisy, Red-Edged Dracaena and English Ivy. For optimum results, keep houseplants wiped down and well-watered and fed, and keep out of reach of all children and pets.

For some people, however, who are allergic to mold or spores, plants might not always be the best idea. Here are some suggestions for helpful house plants which can even beautify your home (with excellent pictures): http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=126#plants-problems
And information about which plants can help counteract certain chemicals in the home.
http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=126
It also discusses health reasons for not to having a plant in the house.

*Keep your ceiling fans clean.
Ceiling fans are an environmentally friendly way to keep the air circulating in your home, but they also collect dust. A dusty fan can keep all sorts of pollutants blowing all around the room and the house. Dust them regularly to cut down on poor air quality. Also remember to turn the direction of the paddles depending on the season. Warm air rises. Have them face down in the winter and up in the warmer weather.

*Check for mold and mildew.
Keep moisture from creeping into the little nooks and crannies of your house, such as around bathroom fixtures, under cabinets and in bathtubs. Mold that becomes airborne can make your family sick. Let shower curtains dry flat and completely after washing. Clean out washing machines and dishwashers to stop mildew from forming. Keep your refrigerator, basement and closets clean and dry. Beware of wall to wall carpeting, as it can absorb a great deal of moisture and start to get moldy.

*Open your windows
You might not want to open them all the time, but letting in fresh air from outdoors can boost the air quality of your home. Also clean the inside of your windows so that dust doesn’t blow back into your home.

How good is the quality of the air in your house? Try these simple ways to keep the air quality high and see if it makes a difference to your family’s health.

 

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April Financial Calendar

1-30 Financial Literacy Month. Established in the US to encourage people to educate themselves about all things financial, Financial Literacy Month is the time to learn more about budgeting and improving your money habits.
Do something this month to expand your knowledge of financial matters—attend a financial seminar or read a book about finances written by one of your favorite money gurus.

1 Are you ready to file your taxes? Ensure you have all the forms and records you need to do your income taxes so you can file by April 17.

6 Good Friday. Spend time with loved ones today.

7 United Nations’ World Health Day. This holiday commemorates the importance of the health of all peoples. Every year on this date, the UN releases its message in terms of current health priorities. Why not use this day to survey your current financial health? It’s time to ensure your budget is in shape.

8 Easter. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Look over your entire investment portfolio this evening to ensure you’ve diversified your “nest egg” to ensure the best results.

17 Income Taxes Due. If you haven’t filed your taxes yet and can’t do it today, file an extension today so that you have until October 15 to file them. If you owe money though, the money is still due, so if you don’t pay until October, you’ll owe interest and penalties as well.

22 Earth Day. Established to celebrate our “neighborhood,” this holiday reminds us to give pause and thanks for the earth. Why not renew your recycling and re-purposing efforts? You’ll save waste at the local landfill and get double-duty from more of your personal belongings. Recycle, re-purpose and save money! For more information, and great activities for the whole family, see: Earth Day and Every Day: A Beginner’s Guide to Green Activities and Recipes (Green Matters)

25 Administrative Professionals’ Day. This day is designated to honor all the administrative professionals who keep the offices going. Why not splurge this year and give the administrative professional(s) at your office a $25 savings bond?
30 Get ready for spring. Have you thought about having a garage sale to make some extra money? Do some spring cleaning and price items you’re ready to get rid of. Deposit the money you make into your savings account. Good job!

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The Best Ways to Clean the Air in Your Home, Part 1

When it comes to pollution, we often think about the air outside our house or apartment, picturing smog and exhaust fumes from cars and trucks. But the truth of the matter is that a great deal has been done to curb harmful emissions from factories and vehicles.

If you are subject to allergies, have you ever stopped to think about the quality of the air in your home?

If you have not had a good spring cleaning yet, now is the time to start thinking about not only improving the cleanliness of your carpets, curtains, counters, and other surfaces, but the air in your home as well.

The Need for Clean Air

Air is a mixture of elements including nitrogen and oxygen. The unique mix provides us with fresh air to breath into our lungs to help us feed all the cells in our bodies with nutrients through the oxygen in our blood stream.

Trees take in the carbon monoxide we breathe out and turn it into the oxygen that we need to breathe in. it is a symbiotic relationship that has kept life thriving on this planet for billions of years, until of course we started to de-forest our planet.

When it comes to clean air in your home, you really can never have too much of it. Most people don’t think about the air that they breathe in their homes, but they might be polluting it far more with their own habits than any factory or car exhaust. Polluted air can fill the lungs with particles that can predispose us to certain illnesses and other health problems if we are not careful, including asthma and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).

The air passes through our nasal passages, our sinuses, down the back of our throat, all the way down to our lungs. If you find yourself coughing or sneezing more than usual, it could be seasonal allergies, but more than likely, it will actually be the air quality in your home.

If you or any member of your family suffers from respiratory problems, you might want to consider the best ways to purify the air inside your home.

(Continued in Part 2)

 

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How to Host a Successful Online Direct Sales Party, Part 5

(Continued from Part 4)

8-Run Your Parties like a Business
Remember that in-person parties are fun, but online parties can be the secret of your ongoing success in direct sales. Therefore, view them as a real business with the potential to make substantial profits through repeat sales from happy customers.
If there are any customer service issues, follow up promptly with either a return policy (though it will probably not be worth it to have the item sent back to you, or a partial refund of their order, which you can issue from PayPal.

One other thing to keep an eye out for from PayPal is people who pay via their bank accounts. This can take 2 to 5 business days to process the transaction. Do not ship the items until you have the money. Also do not forget to check your PayPal account every day for transactions. Some will be processed directly. Others will need to be accepted manually. You will need to fulfill all orders that are coming in, so be sure that the customer’s name and address are mandatory fields in your PayPal account or your PayDotCom interface.

PayPal is a great way to process transactions online, but if you want to keep track of an extensive catalog of items, use PayDotCom if you can afford their $1 per transaction processing fee on top of PayPal’s percentage. (Hint, offer bundles or gift baskets of lower priced items or buy one, get 1 50% off deals in order to create one larger but still cost-effective price to make the most of the $1 fee.)

If you’re unsure how to host an online party, consider attending a few first yourself. Take notes as you go along about what went well, and what could be improved upon. Then start planning your own party. In this way you can learn as you go without any pressure, and this can help your host your first successful online direct sales party whenever you feel you are ready.

FURTHER READING:

How to Start a Successful Direct Sales Business (Business Basics)

How to Market Your Direct Sales Business Effectively (Marketing Matters)

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How to Host a Successful Online Direct Sales Party, Part 4

(Continued from Part 3)

7-Following Up
Be sure that whatever links you send them to will give you credit for the sale. Also be sure to provide your contact information in case people have questions later. Create a plan to follow up with attendees a few days later, possibly in the form of a survey or just further chances to ask questions. You might want to create an email list of the attendees in Aweber to make this easier, or add them to a live events customer list.

Send them a thank you note and maybe a coupon or discount on a future order.  Use coupon codes for each event, such as LE020212 for a Live Event that took place on 02/02/12 or OE for Online Event. This will help you track the lifetime value of these participants and help you know whether continuing with online events is a worthwhile way to spend your time.

Then start planning and reminding them of your next date. Plan different or even better games, spot prizes and so on.

Follow up also in the form of every order that you send out. Again, they should be able to use coupon codes so you can track the sales and they can get discounts for what they order.  Getting them to pay by credit card or PayPal will be cash in your pocket up front, rather than having to chase party attendees for the money for orders that they placed.

(Continued in Part 5)

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