Monthly Archives: July 2010

Rent Books to Your Heart’s Content

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Are you like Peter who is a book lover, whose living space is limited, and who refuses to give in to electronic books? Are you like him who is content on spending Saturday nights on the reading couch but worry about where to store read books afterwards? Let me share his secret. While it is true he would listen to Audio books on cd when he is too busy to sit down and read he has not totally given up on printed books. He is old school like that, the smell of new books excite him. He does not sacrifice his room space either. He would Rent books instead!

Peter found a perfect Book rental partner in booksfree.com. He is only paying at least $10 per month and yet he still gets to read old and new titles during his free time. His bookshelf is currently composed of books he ordered from the site, which were shipped to him for free (and he will ship them back for free also). And Peter need not worry about due dates because borrowers are never charged for late fees. One time, he got the titles wrong and the customer service agent he talked to was very accommodating. Follow Peter’s lead and your issues will be solved, too.

Vacation Ideas for All Sorts

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There are a lot of decisions to make when you begin planning a vacation. Are you going to bring the children, or will it be just a romantic getaway? Are you going to camp under the stars, reserve a hotel, or stay in holiday rentals? Do you want adventure, or just ordinary sightseeing? While you are contemplating your choices, here are a few more to entice you out of the house.

If you don’t have time for a full vacation, you could take a miniature vacation. Day trips could be to nearby historic sites or amusement parks, with something a little extra. For instance, while visiting Disneyland, you could take a morning hot air balloon ride to get a bird’s eye view of Florida. Orlando Balloon Rides will serve you breakfast as you float around. If you’re in Las Vegas and you like to get up early, Wild West Horseback adventures invites you to the Maverick Ranch for a cowboy’s breakfast and trail ride through Nevada’s desert landscape.

If you like the trail ride, you could try a longer western adventure in Wyoming, where Wagons West Wyoming will take you on an authentic covered-wagon trek through Bridger-Teton National Park. You’ll be a little closer to nature after sleeping under the starts and eating from the chuck wagon.

If you like your creature comforts, you can see a large city, like Dublin, from the comfort of someone else’s home. Reserve a holiday rental and be right in the middle of life in the city, close to local attractions and shops, and able to cook your own food if you want to stay in. In Dublin, you could take day trips to nearby castles and keep the holiday rental as your home base.

There are a lot of different ways to see the world. Choose a way and a place that fit your style and go exploring.

Benefits of Using Tax Preparation Software

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Every year a lot of people experience having to prepare and file their income tax returns. Some people may choose to hire someone to do it for them. Using tax software for computing, preparing, and even filing income tax returns is quickly becoming popular. Whether you are thinking of using it for yourself or you are a firm that specializes in income tax returns, below are some benefits to using tax preparation software.

  • Saves Money. For individuals, hiring an accountant will cost more than buying the software.
  • Saves Time. Using this kind of software will make everything faster.
  • Guaranteed Accurate. Whether you are an individual or a firm, you want your income tax returns prepared without error. Income tax preparation software will guarantee this.
  • Maximize Deductions. Tax laws often change and if your software is updated then you are sure to get all the deductions that are currently applicable to you.
  • Learn More. A lot of people have a lot of tax questions and most tax software can easily answer them.
  • File From Your Home. New versions of tax software allow you to file your income tax returns directly from your home.

So even before April is around the corner, it would be a good idea to consider getting this kind of software.

Menu Planners

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Whether you are doing grocery shopping and menu planning there is one thing you should always do beforehand: make a list. It solves everything and can make you save money actually. Of course, you need to plan your week around lean meals and healthy foods otherwise you will need thermogenic fat-burners for all the junk you will eat.

I got this from the How About Orange site, it’s a great way to let househelp or the cook know which one to cook for the day – so cute too!


Another fun freebie from Alma Loveland: a graphic you can download, print, and frame under glass in your kitchen, then use a dry erase marker to write your meal plans on it. The print will fit in a standard IKEA Ribba frame, or you can scale it to a smaller size if you prefer.

Chocolate Overload

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I’ve been eating chocolates for the past five days this week. M&Ms, Tim Tams, name it, I probably have eaten it. I have let my raging hormones decide what I eat, unfortunately. Will I need diet pills? Probably not, if I get my act together.

Studies have found that dark chocolate helps prevent heart disease and cancer, and has also been shown to improve mood by boosting the brain chemical serotonin. Some even consider chocolate an effective diet food, claiming that a chunk of chocolate before meals diminishes your appetite. It is not the case for me, as I am so hungry and crave for more after I finish one chocolate bar.

So how do I stop? Here are some things I saw online that I should do next time!

The bottom line: Chocolate may be getting a bad rap as a sinful food. On the other hand—as always—moderation may be the key. If you simply must indulge, here are some tips for controlling your chocolate cravings and consumption:

 

  • Choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate. Studies based on dark chocolate tend to show benefits that milk chocolate does not.
  • Partner your chocolate with nutrient-rich foods, like chocolate covered strawberries, apple slices or bananas. Add a few chocolate chips in your berry-nut trail mix. Try a refreshing glass of chocolate-flavored milk or soymilk.
  • Buy smaller sizes of chocolate bars or hot fudge sundaes, since research shows you tend to eat the entire amount you’re served.
  • Order fruit for dessert, with a small chocolate truffle on the side.
  • Savor, don’t chew, your chocolate. Sit down, take your time, and focus on the taste in your mouth. Enjoy it thoroughly. If you pop it in your mouth while you are driving, watching TV, or talking on the phone, you’re likely to keep reaching for more.
  • Give in to your chocolate cravings! Every try to stifle a craving by eating something else? You usually just end up eating more and more foods, eventually giving in to your original desire anyway. Save yourself the calories and the torment! A small portion may be all you need for satisfaction.

    • How You Can Save Water with Dual Flush Toilets

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    It is quite ironic that it is only now that there are efforts to really conserve our natural resources like water and trees (and even energy) when the effects of overusage are being felt and seen (drought, floods caused by deforestation, rising costs in fuel).

    However, it always never too later to act. We can all save our environment in our own ways, even right at our homes. For example, investing on a dual flush toilet will help you save water in the long run. You can also convert your current ones into Low- Flow toilets with SelectAFlush. The kit will convert your toilet into a dual flush enhancing the performance of your current toilet  for a fraction of the price of a new dual flush toilet.

     

    Save Water now!

    Hydrate Your Skin!

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    Before you invest on those expensive wrinkle creams that work, make sure you are doing everything you can to hydrate your body.

    I learned this from a great article:

    Maintaining your skin’s moisture balance and keeping it hydrated is fundamental to keeping your skin healthy. Weather, environment, changes from indoor to outdoor temperatures, time in the sun and even diet can all affect the moisture level of our skin. Regular moisturizing will help your skin maintain its vibrant elasticity and prevent premature wrinkles and fine lines.

    Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions about moisturizers is that it hydrates the skin. The truth is moisturizers form a film over the skin and lock in the skin’s natural moisture. This in turn not only increases the skin’s water content, but also protects the skin and encourages an orderly desquamation (shedding) process that makes the skin appear smoother.

    So drink up!

    Practice Portion Control

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    We all have heard it, diet is not enough, one should also know the basics of portion control.

     

    Your stomach is about the size of your fist. Use the palm of your hand to get a good sense of how much protein you should eat at any given meal. Make the rest of the plate full of vegetables.

    Don’t forget to take a daily multivitamin too. Here is a quick reference list of popular food:

    • 1 cup of cereal = a baseball. For example, a cup Cheerios has about a 110 calories.
    • 2 Tbsp of salad dressing = a shot glass. Most salads in restaurants have 2 ladles of dressing on them; 2 Tbsp is a relatively small amount and will average about 240 calories. Adding lemon or mustard or something like balsamic vinegar can make your salad "moist" without adding extra fat and calories.
    • 1 Oz of Nuts = a cupped palm. For example, an ounce of cashews has 163 calories. 
    • 1 Oz of Cheese = a ping-pong ball. An ounce of Cheddar has about 110 calories.
    • 3 Oz of Hamburger = a mayonnaise jar lid. To get a good idea of how big that lid is, move your fingers into a "grab and open a lid" position. It’s a full one ounce smaller than a quarter pounder. Some higher end restaurants serve 1/2 pound hamburgers.
    • 1 Tbsp of Peanut Butter = three dice. Most peanut butter labels have 2 Tbsp as a serving, which is 200 calories. You can make a decent sandwich with 1 Tablespoon. Peanut butter is also delicious with bananas and celery.
    • 1/2 a Cup of Rice = an ice cream scoop. A 1/2 cup of white rice has about 205 calories.
    • 1 Potato = a computer mouse. A potato only has a 100 calories. It’s the stuff you put on the potato that makes the "portion" get out of control. 
    • 1 Dinner Roll = a yo-yo. A dinner roll has about 66 calories.
    • 1 Tsp of Butter = a Scrabble tile. Usually about a Tablespoon of butter is used at about a 100 calories. It’s virtually all fat. Better alternative to butter is olive oil.
    • 1/2 a Cup of Cooked Pasta = a golf ball. There are roughly 200 calories, depends on what kind of pasta.
    • 3 Oz of Fish = a checkbook. A serving of cooked salmon has about 175 calories.
    • 3 Oz of Beef = a bar of soap. There are roughly 200 calories (no marinade or other flavorings)