The Three Rs stand for Reduce, Reuse,and Recycle. These categories can overlap in some ways and the best products can go through all three stages. The best thing is that the three Rs can save you money as well as being better for the planet. I just wanted to write a short post talking about the three Rs and how you can use them in your daily frugality.

Reduce - When you are trying to save money and get out of debt, you think of reduce as in reduce spending. Buying less and consuming less is a great way that “Reduce” can save you money and help the planet. Another way reduce can help is by focusing on the amount of packaging you use with the products you have to buy. Do you buy small 4-packs of toilet paper or, worse yet, individually packaged rolls? Do you buy small bottles of hand soap for your bathroom or kitchen sinks and then throw them away when they are empty instead of refilling them from a economy sized bottle? Theses are all ways you are spending more money and creating more waste than you have to. Buy in bulk whenever possible. Almost anything can be frozen to last longer if you buy more than you can use right away. Warehouses like Sams and Costcos sell restaurant sized cans and jars that save money and cut down on trash created. Remember, recycling requires energy so even if those little cans of veggies are recyclable, it’s still better to buy one large can than a bunch of little ones.

Reuse - With a family of five and a vast extended family, very little doesn’t get handed down or reused by someone else in the family. I reuse the same plastic bottles over again for cleaner supplies and we reuse the large plastic bins that our kitty litter comes in to catch rainwater for the garden. Clothing that is stained or torn beyond repair can be used for future patches, quilting materials, or scraps for braided rugs. Use your imagination and you can find all sorts of wonderful reuses for items you would normally throw away. As for your socks with no matches, this site gives you all sorts of good ideas for what to do with those.

Recycle - so much has been talked about dealing with recycling that I’m not going to spend a lot of time repeating what you already know. I will remind you to watch the numbers your plastic items since not every community excepts every number. In fact, try to go one better and don’t buy plastic products that you can’t recycle. It’s always a good idea to buy products with as little packaging as possible anyway. If you have questions about the recycling process in your area, contact your local city hall and they can direct you to the proper person to answer your questions. One last note, if your area makes you pay for the “privilege” of recycling, start writing letters to your local representatives to get that changed since it can discourage people from recycling.

Since we have started using all three Rs in our household we have dramatically reduced the amount of trash that we throw out. In fact if we miss putting our garbage out for pickup for one week, we can easily make it to the next week without worry. And the next week, the trash bin still wouldn’t be full! I love that we are doing our part to help the planet and the money that we save of course comes in handy. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box (how cliche is that?) and experiment with different ways of recycling, reusing and reducing your consumption.

Your planet will thank you

This is a subject I don’t see talked about much online. Most people I know use Internet Explorer or Firefox. I have one friend who uses Opera but I don’t know much about that browser. I believe Safari is intended for use with Mac computers so I don’t anything about that one either.

The three browsers I have various amounts of knowledge about are Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Flock. My experience with Flock is limited but since that is the one being used with the 30dc this year I felt it was worth checking out.

Mostly I stick with Internet Explorer. It does what I need it to do and they are constantly upgrading it to include the features that people like in the other browsers. The only problem I have with IE is that it is more difficult to add an add-on from a site that you like than with most other browsers that have drag and drop features.

I have worked a bit with Firefox. I like the general feel and the password remember feature (which has been added to IE now with Window’s Vista). I was able to do a few things on Firefox that I couldn’t do on IE due to fewer security restrictions. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing but it helped me do what I wanted to do. I can see how Firefox could be helpful to someone who works online and who surfs the net a lot (I basically stick to only a few tried and true sites) because there are many available add-ons that help sort searches easily and remember sites and network for marketing purposes. All in all, Firefox was an effective browser that was easy to learn to use and similar enough to IE to make the transition mostly painless.

Flock, which I’ve only just downloaded and tried a few times, is made by the same company that makes Firefox but which a specific purpose in mind. Or should I say, several purposes. Flock can be customized according to your specific needs and the software walks you right through it. I got sort of a feed-reader feel from it. You sign into all of your communities, such as Facebook, Twitter, or Flikr, and the browser keeps you updated and signed in so you can easily communicate with whoever or whatever you want. Specifically for Bloggers they have a posting function that allows you to write a post, add from sites and simultaneously post to numerous blogs at once - So Simply! It also has customization for “shutterbugs”, “social animals”, “media junkies” and “newshounds” that will allow any person plug right into whatever they are most interested in.

Flock is what I would consider the next generation of web browsers. I highly recommend checking it out especially if you are joining the 30 day challenge this year.

Now, what does all this mean if you are an Internet Marketer? Even if you are happy with your current browser, it’s a good idea to stay in-the-know about what other browser your readers are using. Since every browser is a little different, you want to make sure your site or blog looks good no matter where it’s being viewed.

Download other browsers and check out your sites from each of them. Most of the time you probably won’t find anything to worry about but the few times that your blog isn’t syncing just right with the other browser is money you are literally throwing away so it is worth your time and effort to make sure things are smooth on all web fronts.

Happy Browsing!

Financial freedom can not be accomplished without saving money. I don’t only mean spending less on things but actually putting money into an account that you do not intend to use except in the case of an emergency.

The best way I have found to save is forced saving. Have the money automatically taken out of your check or even your bank account. I have an account with TDAmeritrade and have had a good experience with their service. A friend of mine has 10% of his paycheck taken out of his check and sent to his savings account on payday. Either way, the money is gone before you can spend it and that is a good thing.

The amount you should save is a topic of some debate. Some people say 3 months living expenses, others say 6 months or even more. I say it has to do with your comfort level. If you have two incomes and there is little chance that you would be left without any income for a length of time, go with 3 months if you’re comfortable with it. If you are living on one income and things could become devastating quickly without that money, save 6 or 10 months (whichever puts your mind at ease).

Always remember that when it rains it tends to pours so save enough so that if a few things go bad all at once (like your car dies and your oven explodes - don’t ask why I use that example) you’ll have enough to cover both problems without leaving your savings depleted.

The last issue to cover is the type of savings you should use. Basic savings accounts are perfect for your emergency fund since the purpose of that money isn’t to earn interest and you can get access to the funds in a flash when that emergency arises. You can always put other savings in a money market account to earn more interest or if you know what you are doing and feel brave, splash around in stocks.

The most important thing is that you have savings for an emergency, savings for your future (house, college or retirement) and savings for earning money. These accounts take awhile to start and build up but every baby step counts so don’t put it off because you can’t put a lot away each pay period. Even ten bucks a month will add up eventually. Build the amount up over time as you reduce your spending, increase your income and pay off your debt - Make saving a priority and you’ll end up financially free before you know it.

Think about all the highly successful people you know or have heard about. Can you remember even one of them saying, “I really hate what I do but I knew it was the quickest way to make money?”

Probably not. The secret to being successful in life is to find something that you enjoy doing, something that doesn’t even feel like work sometimes, something that you would choose to do even if you didn’t think you could make money with it.

This is why so there are so many articles and books written about turning your hobby into a business and finding your passion in life. For some people this is easy, they know at an early age what they are drawn to, for others (like me) it is not so easy and requires a bit of trial and error.

You see, along with loving what you do, you also should have some sort of aptitude for it. I know people who are great writers but don’t enjoy it and I love singing but can’t carry a tune with a handle. There are plenty of test around that are supposed to test your aptitude and interests. Maybe some of them actually work but I think people are too unique to sum up with a test. Once you find something you enjoy doing that you either are already good at or can be learned to a skill of expertise go with it, put your whole self into it and don’t worry about making money - that part will come in time.

In short, it’s a journey to find success in life and it’s something different for everyone. Enjoy the journey, laugh at and learn from your mistakes, above all follow your heart.

Happy Seeking!

As an Internet Marketer it is easy to let your computer get bogged down with ebooks, programs and other clutter. This clutter can reduce the efficiency of your computer, make your work harder to do and harder to find. That’s why it is so important to maintain your computer every month.

While certain tasks do need to be every single month, others can go a couple of months before having to repeat them. Cleaning out your cookies, Internet history and temporary files should be done at least every month although I would recommend doing it every two weeks if you are like me and do a lot of surfing the web.

Once a month check out your installed programs (how you would do this would depend on your operating system but it’s usually under something like “add and remove programs”. Get rid of everything you aren’t using and don’t plan on using. I know I download a lot of trial games for my gaming blog and I usually have a ton of them to uninstall when my monthly maintenance time comes around.

Even though you uninstall something, the folders and some little bits, like saved games and graphics can remain. Go into your hard drive file and look in the programs folder. Delete any folder containing a program you have uninstalled or don’t want. You should also go into your documents folder and delete articles, ebooks, and other documents you no longer need. All this will free up space on your hard drvie and help your computer work better.

I recommend analysing your hard drive every month to see if it needs to be defragmented (you should be able to find this option by right clicking on your primary hard drive). If it recommended defraging, definately do it but if it states that your “volume” doesn’t need defragmenting, I wouldn’t worry about it. Just keep checking it every month because eventually you will need to defrag.

Finally, scan your computer for spyware, malware and viruses. I use Macafee antivirus and like it pretty well. There are plenty of free and inexpensive programs that are perfectly adequate for the job. I had a real bad time with Rising Antivirus and I strongly recommend staying away from it. It hijacked my computer, wouldn’t allow itself to be uninstalled and wouldn’t let me run anything or go into safe mode. It was a complete nightmare.

Just by completing these simple monthly tasks, you should be able to keep your computer running well for a long time. Happy Computing!

I’ve never been a big fan of paying other people to do things I could do myself. I’m talking about mowing my own lawn, cutting my children’s hair, doing my own nails, and managing my own money. Granted I’ve made a lot of mistakes with my personal finances and I’m only starting to get into a better place but it just doesn’t make sense to spend money paying someone to fix your finances when you are having money troubles.

The economy is getting worse daily and we are going to have to start changing the way we look at the tasks we delegate. Previously the first rule of time management was to delegate tasks that others could do but when money is tight, you have to pull yourself up by the bootstraps and do the dirty work yourself.

This also holds true in the niche marketing business. There are plenty of people you can hire to write your articles for you, design your blogs for you, SEO for you, even write the blog posts for you! Not to mention other smaller activities associated with running a niche blog.

I’m here to tell you that, other than domain name and web hosting, you don’t have to pay one red cent to have a successful blog - and you shouldn’t. There is plenty of free information online and helpful forum where people will answer just about any question you have. Most of what you’ll learn about blogging will be from reading other blogs and of course there is also the 30 day challengeto give you a month-long crash course in making money through Internet marketing.

Watch you expenses, do things for yourself, and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

The reason so many articles are written about how to save money on food shopping is because it is one of the items in your monthly budget that you have control over. Even so, I see more people stubbornly holding on to their old way of grocery shopping despite being in financial trouble. Food is food, it is for sustanence and nutricion and not pleasure or entertainment. When the going gets rough, the tough need to get smarter about how they spend their money. Here are a few simple ways to cut down on the amount of money you spend on groceries.

• Buy generic. The generic (or store) brands that you find at your supermarkets are made by the same companies the make the brand names. The price is less because you aren’t paying for the brand name and the fancy packaging. For the most part, you family will not be able to tell the difference between the brand name and the store-brand and may even like some generic items better. I know my family prefers the Shaws brand english muffins over Thomas’ brand. We buy almost nothing brand name and if we do it’s because we buy it in bulk from our local Sam’s Food Warehouse. And that brings us to our next tip.
• Buy in bulk - If your family is big enough (more than two of you) buying in bulk can save you loads of money. Buying meats in bulk and then seperating them into meal-sized portions before freezing them can save you up to a $1 a pound on chicken and hamburg and up to $2 per pound or more on pork and beef. You can also buy paper goods like toliet paper and paper towels (if you still use them) and we’ve found cheese to be significantly cheaper at 12 dollars for 5 lbs.
• Buy less and make more - when it comes to snacks, you can make cupcakes, muffins, and cookies much cheaper than you can buy them. Yes, this takes some time but not as much as you would think. It takes me about 10-15 mins to make muffins for my family’s breakfast from an inexpensive mix. Cookies may take longer but it gives you an opportunity to spend time with the kids and they will appreciate the cookies much more knowing that they helped make them.
• Create a Meal Plan - You can easily create a weekly menu around the items currently on sale at your grocery store. By making a meal plan you are less likely to find yourself undecided about what to make for dinner and running to the nearest fast food restaurant. Also, you’ll avoid buying foods “just in case” you might need them - you’ll know exactly what you need and what to buy. A meal plan also makes it easier to buy ahead in bulk.
• Write a list and stick to it- Writing a shopping list is easy. Sticking to it is the hard part, especially when your favorite treat is on sale. Commit to not buying anything on the list but make sure you put something you consider a treat (only one okay!) on the list so you don’t feel too deprived. The only time you should buy something not on the list is when a staple (like flour, oatmeal, or brown rice) is on sale and you can stock up on it.
• Avoid the Endcaps - The endcaps are the shelves at the end of the aisles in a supermarket. Sometimes they have items that are on sale displayed on these shelves but not always. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that just because they have it displayed somewhere special that it is on special itself.

By following those simple tips you will find youself not only saving time but also money on your monthly food bill. Happy Shopping!

I’ve seen this concept on some other blogs and thought it was kinda cool so I figured I would give it a try. The first couple will probably be kinda lame and cliche but I’ll try to mix it up a bit with interesting “thirteens”

My First Thursday Thirteen - My 13 Favorite Movies

1. Ever After: A Cinderella Story - This movie stars Drew Barrymore as an independent, free-thinking, do it herself type of cinderella. I love the idea of a cinderella who wins her prince over with her brain instead of her beauty and “charm”.
2. Stand By Me - This movie adaptation of a short story by Stephen King never fails to touch my heart. I think we all remember what it was like when we went to junior high or high school and find ourselves suddenly growing apart from the friends we had had in elementary school. Not to mention those dog days of summer when the sun felt so right and everything smelled of heat and dirt and sweat and grass, and flowers. You knew school was right around the corner and even though you were kinda bored and kinda looking forward to going back to school, you didn’t want to waste one second of the summer. And everyone remembers what it was like to be bullied and to be smaller than someone (or a whole lot of someones)
3. The Breakfast Club - Again, this movie makes me remember what it was like to be young, unsure and an outcast. I think the lesson that everyone is some clique’s outcast is valuable. There was a lot of young talent in this movie and it’s kinda sad that most of them are no longer actively acting (except maybe Molly Ringwald depending on how her new series goes)
4. The Shawshank Redemption - ever the sucker for cleverness, this movie has to be one of my favorites. Although it is sad and funny and thoughtful, I still consider it a feel-good movie in the end since the bad guys all get what’s coming to them and the good guys get what they deserve.
5. Titanic - yeah, I know, it’s corny and sappy and cliche but I just love it. The elegance, the sociological aspect, the tragedy. And when that ship tilts straight up in the air my heart and stomach always sink at the magnitude of it all. I do wish Leo’s character had made it too.
6. I Am Legend - Definately one of Will Smith’s best roles. I’ve never seen the part of insane scientist played better. Then you have to put yourself into the situation, what would you do? How would you survive? Do you think you would end up going mad too? If you haven’t seen this movie, check it out.
7. The Stand - By now you’ve probably figured out that I’m something of a Stephen King fan. This is one of his best novels and one of the best movies ever made. Add to that the fact that I think the end of the world as we know it will probably go something like this without all the supernatural stuff and seven hours just doesn’t seem all that long.
8. Charlotte’s Web - I’m talking about the cartoon version that’s been around forever, not the newer real world version. First of all every time I watch this movie, I’m a little less afraid of spiders. Second, the songs are so touching and heartfelt that you feel like you are growing up along with Fern and Wilbur and Charlotte. This is a great movie to teach children, and adults too, that the cycle of life is natural and in it’s own way, beautiful.
9. The Day After Tomorrow - I don’t know what it is about end of the world movies that appeal to me, I guess it’s the survivalist in me peeking out. In this movie, global warming hits in a big way and half the world ends up under an ice age. A father travels through the deadly cold to reach his son who is fighting for his and a small group of other people’s survival in New York.
10. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off - This had to be on the list. Who doesn’t wish they could have lied through a day off like that? Or at least knew someone like Ferris? Even Cameron loosened up a little in the end. This movie is in the top five of “Movies I wish I could have been in”
11. Sound Of Music - As a general rule I love musicals but Sound of Music will always be my favorite. Not only is this a beautiful love story, it’s a story of family togetherness, and standing up for what you believe in even through a horrific war. There is also a great bit of humor throughout. Definately a classic.
12. Catch Me If You Can - Okay I’ll admit it, I have a little crush on Leo DiCaprio but even putting that aside this movie was a winner. Based on a true story, the main character was so likeable and clever that you find it hard to hold his criminal behaviors against him. Tom Hanks also plays a wonderful role as Leo’s nemisis rounding out the fabulous plot.
13. Spaceballs - Just when you thought I was this mature, upstanding adult, I throw in a completely funny, nonsensical movie to throw you off. Even still, Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs never fails to make me laugh until my sides hurt.

Well, that’s my first Thursday Thirteen. I hope it wasn’t too lame and I hope you got some ideas of movies you’d like to see or watch again from my list. If there is a particular list you would like to see from me, leave a comment and I’ll do my best.

Last weekend my husband and I watched the movie “The Bucket List”. I won’t spoil it for anyone but I will say that it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. It wasn’t only very, very funny but it also made you think about what is really important in life and who is really the lucky one. I have a loving and supportive husband who works two jobs so I can stay home with my children and work on my Internet Marketing business and my writing. I have three beautiful and healthy children who are smart and independent and all very, very different. I have a home, some interesting pets, enough books to keep my interested and a loving extended family who might not understand me but is very proud of me anyway.

I am lucky.

My house is run down. The roof leaks and is terrible stained. The floor sags. One of the sills (the wood that the house sits on) needs to be replaced and the wall is rolling of the foundation. These are things we will probably never have the money to fix. My husband’s car is about to give out on him. My husband, my son and I all have illnesses that require medications and doctor’s visits quite often which is expensive. We currently have a pile of medical bills from frequent hospital stays and emergency room visits that we simply cannot pay. Finally our mortgage is set to go up $400 a month this November and it’s unlikely that will be able to pay that.

I’m still lucky. Almost all of our problems are money ones and we’ll still be here when those problems are gone. For when the day comes when money isn’t the biggest issue, here is my own “Bucket List”

1. Own a small farm
2. Become a foster parent
3. Run a successful business (hopefully this one!)
4. Write a poem to honor someone
5. Visit Australia
6. Write a song about my life
7. Paint a picture for no one but me
8. Go rock climbing
9. Milk a cow or goat
10. Make my own beer and wine
11. Travel across America
12. Finish a novel
13. Cook a meal from food I am 100% responsible for producing
14. Learn Spanish
15. Skydive once
16. Make a quilt
17. Visit the Louvre museum

That’s probably not going to be all. I’m sure I’ll add to the list as I get older. But that gives me something to get started on.

Peace. Love. And Happiness.

Welcome to the first of my KISS posts - a series of posts that will take complicated concepts and break them down into very doable steps. Todays KISS topic is budgeting, something that many people have build up into such a monumental undertaking that they put off doing it indefinitely. Unfortunately there are several very important reasons why you should have a budget:

• When you keep track of your spending, you can see where you can cut back to save money
• By knowing exactly what your expenses are, you can determine exactly how much money you need to earn (or how much more) in order to live.
• Once you have an accurate budget, you can set up a plan for paying off debts, saving money, or buying something you’ve been wanting.

So how do you set up a budget? It isn’t as complicated as most people make it sound. In fact, all you need to do is list all your monthly sources of income and all your monthly expenses. Subtract the two columns and BANG! You have your budget (hopefully one with a little income left over)

Now I’m going to take you step by step through the process of making a budget.

1. Determine your total monthly income. This include all sources; jobs, child support, government support checks, income from rental properties, etc.

*If you have a variable income source (one where you get a different amount every week or so) take the last month or two of pay stubs and come up with an average weekly or monthly income. Avoid using only pay stubs from an unusual pay period (like a retail job at Christmas time) because that will create a false average that you’re not likely to meet the rest of the year.

2. Now that you know what you’re bringing in every month, it’s time to figure out what you are paying every month. This is a little more complicated and will require some guesswork (or time investment) in order to be as accurate as possible.

3. Start with fixed payments. Your mortgage or rent, taxes, utilities, credit card and loan payments will go in this category. These are expenses that you have very little control over (other than conserving utilities) and don’t change very much throughout the year. For your utilities, such as heat, that go up in the winter try and figure out an yearly amount and divide by 12 to come up with a monthly figure.

4. Next you are going to want to put variable costs that are also necessities. Food, gasoline for your car, clothing, medical expenses go here. Medical expenses may also go under the first item if they are monthly and never change.

5. Finally you need to list all your items that aren’t necessary to live but that you aren’t willing to go without. Presents for people’s birthday, entertainment, cosmetics, personal grooming, buying your lunch at work, etc. Also include memberships that you aren’t willing to cancel here.

* In order to come up with very accurate figures, you can save all your receipts for a year and then you’ll have actual proof of what you spend where. Believe me, you may be surprised by how much money you waste. Of course this takes a whole year to do and you probably don’t want to wait that long to make a budget. So, start one with a little guesswork and some wiggle room and then adjust it when you have the year’s receipts.

6. Now you have your budget! Hopefully you earn much more than you spend but if not know that you are in good company as most of the country is in the same boat. Review and see where you can cut down, if only temporarily, until you have some debts paid off.

Good Luck And Happy Budgeting!