Retirement, what will you do with it?

Candle making

2012-03-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

Candle making may not be "up everyone's alley", but I was impressed by how easy it is to learn candle making on your own, in your own kitchen! What an idea to do something creative that doesn't require a lot of lifting, stooping or bending! Bonsai is a great idea, however there is some daily, time consuming care that requires the kind of care you would give to your pets. Daily watering and weeding for starters. You have to know a lot about the art of bonsai to just make it live. You can't sell them to just anyone. They will die even with the best care by a very knowledgeable person. So candle making it is.
Candle making supplies are cheep! To start all you need is the wax, wicks, the barrel of a Bic pen and a few wide mouth canning jars. There are plenty of sites online that will give you plenty of insight on candle making and craft stores that carry candle making supplies. I suggest starting with the supplies you can get at your local craft store. That way you don't end up with 10lbs of wax and 100 wicks requiring shipping cost from a wholesaler.
Candle making does not require a lot of lifting, stooping, walking and bending. We are occupied with ideas for unique candles when we aren't able to be around to make candles. Wax melts at 150 degrees Fahrenheit so you don't have to worry about severe burns. The only thing that truly frustrates us is waiting to sell them.

Planning for retirement

2012-02-23T08:16:00.000-08:00

Like I said before there's lots of information out there about how to save, how much to save, and who you should consult to ensure you're saving correctly for retirement. There is a price you have to pay for all this "information". Everyone is looking for a cut of what you want in the end to retire on. Has no one noticed a large percentage of pre-retired people who have lost their retirement savings, or most of it? Just talking to people who are retired already gives you a good idea of their new financial status since 1998 and 1999. Anyone who thinks they are immune to this trend will not be prepared for the basic realities of retirement.
They will call the retirees of the near future something like "the retirement survivors", "The do it yourself retirement community", and so on. For these people the $500,000 portfolio they've always suggested will not exsist. Recovery from the recent recession will be unattainable for most retired people. By the way I get my information from Bnet, and CBS Money watch.
So how do we combat our possible fate upon retirement? By thinking ahead about what we already have;
We know our consumer needs will plummet. We will no longer need the money to commute to and from work. We know the possibility of our medical needs will do nothing but probably accelerate. We know our vehicles will no longer need to be the ones we depend on to get us to and from work.
Most of us know we will need to downsize our primary residence. We know we will change our eating habits. We know we will be just as affected by inflation as anyone else, but we have plans. By starting to think about retiring at least 10 years ahead of time we will reduce the strain of switching over to our new lifestyles and try to enjoy them once they've come.
If there is a retiring generation that knows, "reduce, recycle, reuse" we are the first. Just by using this simple formula we can go forward more prepared for the realities of retirement than any other generation before us, at least since the depression era. Only the people who remember the depression well had a better system of recovery from being broke than any generation following. They formed tight knit friendships that would help them recover together. They all started out being broke and as they recovered each had their own paths to a better life style. Some became wealthy, some middle class and some that never fully recovered. The only bond that kept them all together was their memory when they were all broke. Their friendships were forged in unity against starvation and from being in the same income class from their start up; broke. They knew and enjoyed the same functions because they were the most inexpensive activities available. They remembered those good times together because that was all they had.
Today, the closest knit group of people you'll find is the retired and soon to retire. Not because they came from tough times but the tough times probably to come. From this group of people we can learn. Many have had their finances all but wiped out. So the problem to come is; how do we live as cheaply as possible?
All I can say is we are looking in our own back yard! We can forget the $500,000 savings just for retirement, that's gone. So what do we have left? We have a home. Our children are raised. So we began thinking what kind of improvements can we make to it to make it the most valuable when we do retire?
As I say we are 54, soon to be 55. Some may say this is too early to plan for retirement as far as selling and relocating to a more practical existence. Too late! We started planning 10 years ago and followed through. Now we are looking at the house we will eventually will sell. We have a list in our minds of the many things we can tackle now to make it as profitable as possible. That includes updating, almost renovating portions that could use some tender loving care. We started in the kitchen and the bathroom, the two things people focus on inside the home when deciding to buy. The bathroom sink and plumbing are upgraded. In the kitchen the counter needed granite and only granite. We updated the back splash and replaced the appliances. All matching black with stainless steel. From what I've learned these two places are overlooked by homeowners to be updated. We assume it's because of the expense.
We also looked at the front of the house for "curb appeal". It definitely needed attention and still does. I hated to say goodbye to the original front door but........ One new and improved front door and a bowed window later it definitely says welcome. We already know lots of factors affect the sale of a house. We cannot control home values in our area, property taxes, interest rates, or it's location, so what can we control? Windows, siding, attic insulation and ventilation, seal the air supply from the furnace and air conditioner. Not only will this add to the desire to buy, it will be enjoyed by us in the mean time. The basement has never been insulated, that comes next.
Some of the things we won't do yet is landscape the front yard. That will get done about 5 years before we sell. I hate yard work. The hard wood floor in the hallway from the kitchen and in the bedroom will get refinished shortly before selling. Timing is everything.
Some things we can't do is expanding the garage to a two car attached. It already is close enough to the property line. The cement driveway will probably stay. Boy is that spendy and there is little known about how much effect it will have on the value or curb appeal of our home.
But we didn't stop there. A few years ago we bought a small piece of property in a private resort campground located in tourist country. We are part of an association to govern how it's run. For around $1000 a year we can stay there for about 7 months out of the year. Many of my neighbors are either retired or getting near retirement age. That takes care of all but the coldest of months beginning in November and ending by the 1st of April, five months. So the next question is; then what? We'll figure it out.

LaBella Gift Baskets

2011-12-28T15:45:00.000-08:00

Although I stopped being part of the Labella "family" I have not stopped forever! I plan on being back, only my plate has been overloaded with demands of family. My personal life is not anything to write a book about but it is demanding at times. My autistic son is my primary responsibility and I take on that responsibility with both a heavy heart and without doubt I am the best person for the job.
He is a challenge at times. Today I received his seventh cell phone via UPS for him and now hope he comes to get it before we leave for South Dakota for the New Year. I am in charge of his spending habits with the little money he does receive. I know I can't just help him by giving him extra money because like his cell phone, it can easily be lost or broken or dropped somewhere it can never be retrieved from. So I go shopping with him and give him extra things for the holidays.
Then there are our other two sons whom we can't leave out just because one needs so much of our attention. One day we will be relocated and won't be able to take care of our autistic son and will need something to take up my time, even in retirement.

If Labellas proves to be succesful I just may take it into retirement!

2011-09-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

I have been making money with Labella Gift Baskets. Here's my link. Better yet, here's my blog! You can tell I've been working, coming up with ideas, and getting responses. If it doesn't get anywhere in one year I'll probably give up. But it won't be for the lack of my trying! I know it's never going to bring me big bucks but even if it's half of what I used to make full time I will stay with it! Here's to a year of hard work!

LaBella may be cheap to have as a business but....

2011-09-25T16:02:00.000-07:00

As I've said many times before, I have time on my hands. I've been unemployed for three years now. I market for a exterior home contractor. I make money with that to stay with LaBellas and have money left over. I'm gaining ground all by myself and that's just fine with me. I love what I do and will have part time employment throughout the year. My Gift Basket business is growing but it is a business. It better be flying a year from now!

Retirement is only for the very young

2011-06-22T09:50:00.000-07:00

When does retirement really start? Only in your head! Face it, you may not hold a paying job, you may be receiving money from the money you put away, but retire? How many people go into retirement with a set game plan on what they are going to do with it? Almost everyone is doing anything other than retire to their easy chair in the living room in front of the television! "80 is the new 60, 70 is the new 50, whatever. So, left with all this health, energy and creativity what are we doing with it? designing new gardens, redecorating, a lot more travel, and joining new groups and their functions. Who really retires?
What it means is you don't have to answer to anyone's bell. You are responsible for your schedule or lack of one. Many take on a new venture tailored only for them. Retirement jokes are passe'. How you spend your time and peoples view of you is not the same as your parents retirement, or is it? My parents retired to travel and visiting family. Fishing, hunting, gardening and continued support of the families church. Call that retirement? No easy chairs and television for them! I have this feeling the same will be said for me and for my husband. How do you go from 100 miles an hour to zero? You don't. You hit the ground running just like any other day you've lived. Nothing but the physical and mental capacity God gives you to the end will stop you. I don't know how long I'll live but, I will live it well!

Is La Bella Gift Baskets a scam

2011-06-14T08:32:00.001-07:00

I joined La Bella Gift Baskets last Weds for $1.98. This gives me 7 days to get my website, read or listen to everything I can on the website and ask my initial questions. After that I have to pay $19.98 or, what I call $20 for every month thereafter. I’ve only paid to join one other online program. I will not join any program unless I’ve read a review about it by the one person I trust online. So I decided to join this one.

First I’ll cover the pros: I know it’s not a scam and I haven’t made any money yet! They have a tremendous support system. The training site is set up just for us beginners and there is a welcome conference call and they walk you through the training page step by step. Your web site is divided in half. They’ve packed in a lot of information into one easy to use site. It gives the visitor the chance to order and join as a consultant. The support is so comprehensive it can seem annoying, but it shouldn’t be. Its set up to do two things: They strive to attract even those with no knowledge of online earning. They support even those with no knowledge of online earning. Even those with a 40 hour work week and raising children as a single person you have a chance to make money and run a business. Last of all, it’s cheap to join. You are not left with a reason why the program didn’t work for you because it’s not clumsy, difficult to understand or has too many steps in it to achieve.

The cons are just like any other reputable online business with a twist. Successful online business owners are by definition willing to try and fail and try again. However with this one you can get a lot of training in the keyword and SEO writing department. Online sales takes knowledge and if you feel you have something to learn and want to do that cheaply $20 a month gets you in contact with those who already know. For instance the guy who referred me is a website designer and has offered me his services for free right from the start. I have very basic knowledge of keyword use and SEO. He should be able to help me understand it more.

What can you bring to the table: Just like any job the more you know going in the better. I do have two web sites that this will fit into quite well. So my websites will help push my website the top of the search engine heap! The people who read my websites will also be able to follow my weekly triumphs and failures with this program. How well I do will make some impact on LaBella Baskets as a whole.

Some feel the commission is too low. However, I’d like to know compared to what? There are other gift basket businesses out there but I’ve found them much more difficult to start up and only 6 to 8% commission for their affiliates tops. Feel free to correct me but I found that first you have to join their affiliate program. They need you to already have a web site that will cater to their program. Also 8% percent of we’ll say a $40 basket is $3.20.

Should you join? The jury is still out on that one. Even if this turns out to be successful for me I won’t be saying you should also join. What I can bring to the table and what you can bring to the table will be different. I can tell you it’s not a scam. If you find it’s not a possibility for you your money will not be totally wasted. You will learn about the online earning industry as a whole if nothing else.

LaBella Gift Baskets

2011-06-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

I've been watching LaBella Gift Baskets in blogs across the internet for about a year now. I got in and set up my business for $1.95?!
In preparation for that big day of "rest" we are supposed to get on some unknown date in some unknown year you know I've been I've been looking at every aspect of who I will be and what will make me happy once that day comes. I've found the best his to find this out is by getting to know the people who've already retired. I don't ask them how they like it, I observe. Several people I've gotten to know well enough I can see what they do when at home, behind the scenes. The happiest women have the money to spend on travel and shopping. Men are content with puttering in the garden and maybe traveling sometimes. The others that are happiest, volunteer and spend a eat more time at church. The retired folks that seem to just plant the face of contentment busy themselves with baking bread or taking up a hobby. The happiest have some kind of mission in life. That usually consists with earning or playing with their investments. Guess what my goal is going to be.
I loved managing other peoples money when I was in the work world. I was always told in school to stay away from mathematical fields. Put a dollar $ign in front of the number boys and girls! I often wonder what those teachers would say if they saw me fly through a spread sheet!
So right now I am engrossed with this online busine$$ opportunity.

Grandparent scam!

2011-05-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

Recently, well maybe about two years ago I met a couple who got ripped off by this scam. Sorry that this post is so negative today but the gravity of it is so scary it is worth the space to hopefully help someone who may ever encounter this one.
These people were always the sweetest couple coming into the bank. They retired and truly enjoyed their time by flying around the country visiting their children and grandchildren. They were patient, loved people, and proud of their offspring. Five of their grandchildren were in college and doing very well. They made very little income for the time being, students usually are. This is the grandparents story:
Late one night the phone rang, a young man was on the other end, sobbing. In the background was a bunch of traffic noise and it sounded like it was raining. He said "this is your grandson John. I'm on my way back to school and I was in an accident. Mom and Dad aren't home and I need help." You could only imagine the fright this put into their minds! He said he was fine, but his car was totaled and needed to get back to school about 100 miles away. He said he was told by a cop on the scene there was a Western Union Office just down the road and the cop would bring him there. He said about $2000 would help a lot till mom and dad got home.
You guessed it, the money is gone, grandson never called and they didn't call their son first. These are intelligent people who ran a lucrative construction company until their son took it over 10 years ago. They were ashamed they were fooled. However I reassured them they weren't the only ones taken by this scam which only made them cry! They teared up, fighting back tears they said they felt really bad for all those taken advantage of!
That's the way these people are! They live very comfortably in a very nice home in a wealthy neighborhood. They have a house keeper and a handy man that comes to their home. They have a summer getaway and a winter retreat home. They travel twice a year abroad.
I asked them if it would make them feel better if I try to get the word out to the world about their story leaving all personal details out. Of course they emphatically said yes. So now that I don't work for that or any other financial institution here it is for your consideration.
Next time I'll tell you about the scam involving my own mother. She of course had me as her guidance and I stopped it from creating a nightmare for her.
See you next time and stay safe!

Retirement Dreams are slowly coming into focus

2011-05-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Retirement and all it has to offer is really starting to come into clear focus

My three sons; I didn’t do it, I don’t know and Not me are out of the house. When they lived here several phenomena of the non-paranormal kind frequently happened:

All 5 rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom ran out all at once, but only totally ran out on me!?

The paper towel dispenser only housed the empty cardboard tube holder.

The new gallon of window cleaner was used by someone in a week. All the windows were still dirty!

Spots, splashes, furniture moved, dust, dirt, oil spots in the driveway and cars disappearing for seemingly no reason, happened all the time. And no one in this house did it!

Anything in any drawer magically finds its way to another drawer, sometimes even to a cupboard.

Today my only problems that remain are;

The electrical cord for the vacuum is never long enough!

Stuff still finds its way to the wrong place.

The dogs need to go out more often.

The answering machine fills up really fast.

Power outages actually affect ALL the clocks in my house.

I miss Not Me, I Didn’t and I don’t know.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

Insurance, home, auto and recreational vehicles

2011-05-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

I have just been reminded I should talk about insurance and what to look out for! This was also reinforced by the latest offer of providing me with a lower rate. After years in the financial field that offered everything, I've learned all that I know from the financiers point of view. For these reasons offering me a 3% lower rate than the insurance company I have doesn't make me jump ship!
Use the Better Business Bureau site as a tool to make your final decision.
While an insurance company may have excellent customer service scores, you have to take into account ambient knowledge to make sure you choose the right one.
Is it worth the 3% decrease to find out later you have been dropped for having too many claims? No one can stop nasty storm damage. But it has been known to happen. I know that both St Farm and Travelers have nasty business practices. Sure they can promise lower costs but it's how they can afford to do that that counts.

State Farm has been known to haunt people for money due to incomplete police reporting at an accident site and for poor investigation techniques landing them in trouble with Attorney General's consumers offices across the country.
I am tired of virtually every type of business luring in people with discount plans knowing the rates will be going up in three months.
What about all your insurance policies on what you own? Combine them and get a discount, that's what they all do anyway. And the safe driver check? Most insurance companies give you a safe driver discount, if you want that in the form of a check it will cost you a service fee.
These tips are brought to you by someone who's witnessed these and many other poor service techniques from the inside! Be wary, be safe!

Empty bank accounts

2011-05-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

Three people around our neighborhood are out of work that I know of. Retirement is a dream from their past that will be hard to fulfill. Count me in the mix and that makes four. Two have very young children at home. The other was trying to set up her retirement before she lost her job last October. She is a single woman who's son is raised. But she is the sole provider of all her income. I guess we are the luckiest among the unemployed. Our children are raised and vacation property has been paid for. Our biggest problem is when and if we will be retired. The little old lady next door cannot afford to replace her windows, pay someone to shovel her walkways and since the television switchover she can't watch TV anymore. Times are just too tough to be excited about retiring. We're going to need part time jobs to survive.

Gas and food prices

2011-04-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

I wonder how many people are suffering from what I call the perfect storm after the 2009 recession. So many people have had their retirement wiped out, lost their job, and now struggling with the recovery prices? I'm lucky in a way, My husband landed a decent job 3 years ago. Two of our three children moved out (yes we charged them room and board and yes they were still expensive). Our third child moves out in a few days. We can barely live on what hubby brings home. Gas and food prices are incurred by all. There is no deep discount for the wealthy. I never see any statistics on this scenario. I just see job offers that require the use of your own insured, well kept car to deliver stuff for $10 an hour. When they say we're gaining ground getting out of the recession I have to laugh. We aren't by much. I hope you are doing better than this.

weight loss

2011-04-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest goals over the last two years has been weight loss. It took 2 years to loose 120 lbs. I have about 30 left to go. My biggest challenge has been maintaining perseverance. I know it took a long time to pack on and that it would take a long time to make it go away. I've always known a weight loss program would never keep me involved for that long. This being the fourth time I've done this my program is what it's always been; eat right/exercise, in that order.

Marketing consultant in Minneapolis

2011-04-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast people latched on to my idea. In my quest to find little part time jobs as a semiretired person I found out what the economic climate of the nation is and how badly companies on both seaboards need to know someone in the mid west who knows the mid west culture. As I worked for one company on the east coast and another on the west who thought they knew our culture they began to latch on to me for my "expertise". We do not have the culture they thought we did! They thought we had all kinds of small businesses run by families, therefore open to new ideas and supportive of new business moving in near them. Most of those closed down do to the recession. What is left is corporate run chains who think in only dog eat dog terms. They hire employees who get a very small piece of the pie in their paycheck. They will never see any actual income simply because the boys at the top get it.
Now that we're recovering from the recession ever so slowly these companies have lost touch with what the climate is. It's changed. I'm proving that to them. So now I'm a resource, not an employee. Weird.

The new climate of job interviews

2011-04-06T17:29:00.001-07:00

I decided I needed to fill some time up with something productive. By productive I mean anything that shows me something new to do, of use to me personally in the future or even make a few bucks. Why would a little part time, sporadic job need to know my driver’s license number? Why do they need to know about a speeding ticket I got 10 years ago? Not that I did but. It’s an opinion poll taking job. Why do they need to know about that felony I got back in the dark ages? Not that I did, but. And why do they do a credit check? Why do they need to know my license plate number? I have no idea.

The same thing happened when I applied for a virtual assistant position. I am on my own computer, in my own house, using my own cable access to the internet! I do not know why. I am not a corporation with a panel of attorneys dictating how the company should act legally. I’m sure there is some law suit somewhere that was won because some important document wasn’t attained.

Today the application process includes enough documents an entire tree is used. There are disclosures, release of information documents, clarifications, explanations, company descriptions, right to privacy notices, acknowledgement of receiving right to privacy statements, who can who liable and who can’t. Soon be prepared to bring with you both of your grandmother’s maiden names, your grandfather’s first names, your library card, your grocery list, your priest’s name, your gym membership card and anything else of new found importance.

Retirement Dreams

2011-03-30T15:25:00.000-07:00

Retirement means many different things to many different people. It could be a time of strife. We hope for a time of comfort. Some will be content with the comfortable surroundings in their long time neighborhood. Others will want to travel. Still others will make their goal to live as grandly as possible with limited funds. It was while I was doing research on this very subject I ran into this little gem:

Family Association Campgrounds

Don’t laugh at this idea! These are great, inexpensive alternatives to paying out hotel bills and handing over money to rent a place to relax at.

The intro:

These places are built with the idea to have people purchase a small piece of property therefore being part of an association to make sure it continues to run well into the future. The small pieces of privately owned land are equipped with water, electricity and telephone land lines. Each property has space for a shed to store things in, parking for at least two cars, plus room for a fire pit, a large amount of fire wood, charcoal grill and space still to move around and plenty of seating. People will put anything from a tent, to RVs that stay year round on it with a good sized deck and some use their space to get off the road with their RV buses.

The cost is usually less than buying a new car. Many of the lot owners with RVs put in central air, large sanitary sewer holding tanks and large, free standing LP tanks so they don’t have to frequently run and get more. No reservations necessary as you are the owner of your place. You can have all the comforts of home, only away from home and most are smaller. The refrigerator and stove are usually smaller while some RVs are now built with room in the bedroom for a real queen sized bed and a full sized bathroom.

Your association fees, property tax, most services and upkeep is very low in cost. The association fees usually cover the cost of community amenities such as: pool upkeep, hot tub, electricity, water and upkeep of roads, club house and other community owned property. Local firewood suppliers, holding tank pumpers, tree trimmers, etc. charge very little for their services because so many of your neighbors in a small area have the same needs you do. That’s why you’ll never see a “truck charge” on your bill. They’re already there performing the same service for your neighbors.

Property taxes are low because:

You don’t have a very large piece of property and there are no permanent buildings or foundations you therefore aren’t taxed like you would be for a cabin. People use this little getaway for anything from tent camping to parking their big RV bus. You could be a tent camper, but if you’re located near the wealthy guy down the way with the big flat screen television mounted to the side of his RV bus, you’ve got an instant byob sports bar to visit.

The drawbacks are few and for those who don’t mind “roughing it” will have even less drawbacks. The colder the climate is, the shorter the season. As the temperature drops toward freezing at night the water is shut off. Up here in Minnesota there are some pretty adventurous folks who can get beyond the frigid winter temperatures, like snow mobile owners, hunters and ice fishing folks. They can “get by” without a few conveniences. We’ve even had a few weekends we’ve spent at our little “get away” when we had to start the furnace. You have to think a little “out of the box”. The food you bring won’t need a cooler because of the outside temperature. The first time we went during winter I put the frozen food in the refrigerator. My husband wondered why I didn’t put it in the freezer. I simply stated, “Because the refrigerator IS a freezer right now”. The outdoor temperature was 10 degrees at the time and even if we started the furnace it’s insulated enough to keep that interior temperature till the next afternoon when we planned on leaving.

To sum it up the idea is to have someplace to go you can call your own. The kids can run when they want, where they want and get the kind of amenities they’d love to have in their back yard and in their neighborhood. Children over 16 can go to the pool on their own. Because it’s a gated community all the kids can run around and be safe or ride their bikes to the club house and know their bikes won’t be stolen. During summer it reminds me of the kind of neighborhood we grew up in during the 60s and 70s. Everyone is looking out for each other.

People who are ready to retire as well as retired people enjoy the environment. Many men in the community enjoy working in the out-of-doors so much their wives joke about “keeping an eye” on their husbands activities that way. Any way you look at it, it’s truly a great idea someone had long ago. If you’re interested at all go to Coast to Coast Resorts. You don’t have to own a big 40’ RV to become a member and you don’t have to be a member to discover camp grounds and RV parks across America in their system. You can also go into their forum where anything and I mean anything associated with camping is discussed among people who travel. I found one discussion about coolers and another about cooking over the open campfire. Just an idea.

Would you like to see $1000 by this time tomorrow?

2011-03-24T10:24:00.000-07:00

I've been sitting on my couch all morning drinking coffee in my robe and slippers. It's after 12 noon. So am I being lazy? No, consider it a well deserved rest. I spent the last three days at appointments for professional reasons and topped if off with 2 1/2 hours of shoveling snow late yesterday. I live in Minnesota. This morning I've been surfing the web and was reminded of something I saw too many times a little over a year ago:

Would you like to see $1000 by tomorrow?

I spent all of 2009 hunting (researching) online for earning opportunities. I know at first glance what will be coming up by the first ten words of one of their sales pitches. I had to experience it for myself. These days they’re only a chance to get a good snicker in.

The one in the title has to do with promising too much money for too little time spent doing it. These are usually the ones that tell you that what they have to tell you in the next 30 minutes will change your life and they will give you all the information for free! In reality what they give you for free is promises. They will end up telling you what they are going to tell you. All you have to do is buy their free how to guide for as little as $50, others would charge you much more, but we have this limited time offer for a few select customers only, no one else. And today we are cutting the price to $40.

You see where I’m going with this? Before you do anything, make a commitment, or (God forbid) send any money to anyone, look it up online. In your address or search bar type in “is stupidadd.com a scam”? Of course you would replace the words “stupidadd” with the real website. If lots of personal experience feedback is listed great. Just make sure it’s actual feed back because some of the owners of these “opportunities will load up the search engines with propaganda from the company itself in an attempt to bury the truth on you, so that you don’t see it. There are really good sharks out there!

So anyway, you will notice that these types of adds that want you to spend $40 bucks send you a book that “tells you” all the wonderful stuff they are going to tell you in the next one you buy for only $40! Then that one tells you all the wonderful stuff they are going to tell you next time for only $40.

Don’t laugh, there are people who’ve spent $120 and more doing exactly what the website got them started in, in the first place. They bravely share their story on exactly how they got fleeced and how much they spent doing so! Proceed with caution. Even friends can accidently mislead you.

I won’t be able to get you $1000 by tomorrow but hopefully I can help you keep your hard earned money in your pocket, not theirs!

Brand new furniture!

2011-03-23T08:41:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid my friend’s parents had ancient furniture and very little decorating. That is of course until the kids grew up and out of the house. We didn’t live in a poor neighborhood. We weren’t wealthy, but we certainly could afford decent, up to date furnishings. After all many of the families spent money on programs their children were involved in and could afford pets. I knew I would be different if I ever had kids myself, however it took a lot of persuasion on my husband’s part to do that.

So when my kids were 15, 11 and 10 I purchased my first matching sofa and love seat. Now, I had boys, very active boys and their father (my husband) ensured they stayed that way. How many times have I had to say, “No wrestling in the living room”? So when I came home from work I would notice things like curtain rods partially hanging on the windows, and tell tale signs of the dogs on the light gray carpet. Thank God I didn’t spend a lot of money on that furniture! It could have been a very expensive lesson.

When the boys moved out and we began to upgrade. Since then we’ve replaced doors, windows, telephones, and furniture. After 27 years of raising kids I feel human again. (Don’t hate me). We actually went for broke on some sculptures and antiques. Is it through some kind of miracle that we can come home and find things where we left them? There are no new mysterious chips, nicks, or scratches. The flatware isn’t bent up for any reason at all. Pancake turners aren’t melted beyond use. Even the hood over the stove can be kept clean easily! I’m thrilled. Next, what about an upgrade on the car?

I do have one tip for you that I didn’t have to learn the hard way: Knowing my kids would be driving my car I purchased one that looked like it could house great power under the hood but, it didn’t. It’s a sports car body that has a four cylinder engine. It’s great on gas, however it has no “get up and go”. It’ll get you there cheep and safe. Personally I think I saved lives. You do the math: three boys, seven years of them driving my car and only two speeding tickets.

If I ever buy furniture for my boys I won’t feel the slightest bit guilty buying it from the Salvation Army!

Staying connected when we retire

2011-03-22T11:24:00.001-07:00

One of the best pieces of equipment this generation is going to have when we retire is satellite communications. Most of us are not reluctant users of cell phones, the internet, and social networking. We already have researched what we need and have a good understanding of what we use. Land lines are gradually going away so as we travel we only have to find electricity to charge our equipment.

I can see this as an area to think about actually downsizing. Smart phones, etc may not be absolutely necessary to some of us especially if we often find ourselves in the unconnected wilderness. This is where I step in. My hubby and I went for the Verizon phones because of the coverage. While the others talk about the coverage they have, it is still limited due to their towers only being available where the population is the densest. We use ours for “ship to shore” communications. I know that’s very nautical of me but sometimes my husband is out on the boat while I’m back at the camp fire and talking with neighbors. ATT may be chosen by many but when it comes right down to it, you won’t be finding us in a large metropolis very often. Yes, we have a “ship to shore” radio on the boat but we don’t want the world hearing our casual conversation. Yes, we are adventurous. I hope they develop a plan for a cheaper rate for the retired. I dream a lot too!

Just finished my taxes and on with the year

2011-03-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

This year we'll be getting back over two thousand dollars. This wasn't luck, this was what I do for our W4s every year. Next year our autistic son will probably not be here so leaving him off the W4 will probably not count. But this year our return will come in handy, of course. We installed a new door on the front and insulated the attic. That came in handy too for the Federal return. Next year we plan on building a screen porch witch will help with the heating and air conditioning bills.Times are tight for everyone.

Retire In Comfort

2011-03-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

No matter what the retirement age will be that social security tells us we can retire at, planning is everything. We know retirement money from social security will be tight. I think retirement services should be free, but I dream of a perfect world. My husband and I are actually scoping out useful retailers that think about things before we do. Let’s face it, the older we get the more that goes wrong physically. I’m one of those people who’s all about statistics and spreadsheets. We tend to see our hearing and eyesight diminish. We will have a tendency toward diabetes, arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and thinning and graying hair. None of this is new news! I figure why not get a jump on it? We have one good thing going for us; we are not entering new territory! Billions of people came before us! The beginning of the baby boom is now on the verge of entering the retirement zone. Our biggest concern is retirement money. Our next big concern will be how we will be able to downsize comfortably.

As I have since I was a kid I pay attention to other people’s life style, how they do it and what seems to make them happy. The unfortunate thing is few like to share what they did before they got there and how they changed their way of living after. All I can do is observe! And I do observe. I’ve heard from a couple of women that their husbands retired at least 6 years before they did and their husbands never touched a vacuum during their entire married life. This would be a definite stress factor for me. I would insist on all those cleaning robots and give the china and crystal to my kids. We’d be using a lot of paper plates but the laundry would always be waiting for me! “Sorry honey but a cleaning woman will be here once a week. Are you cooking tonight? It would not be pretty!

Trophy fishing in retirement

2011-03-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

Minnesota’s fishing season for walleye and northern opens soon. Two hours north of me is the ”Walleye Factory”, Mile Lacs lake. Around that lake is a whole bunch of littler lakes that are great to fish for anything else. They are also great to fish in windy or unstable weather. No one want’s to be caught out in the middle of Mile Lacs if a storm pops up.
Any way I anticipate we will be doing a lot of fishing when both of us have a lot of time on our hands. We’ve been fishing together and with our children for over 30yrs. I caught my first trophy walleye when I was 8 and my first trophy northern pike a few minutes later. Again, I was lucky, my father brought me everywhere fishing. We went on three Canadian Fishing trips together. Thanks DAD! In the mean time I’ve learned a few of the lake fishing rules, not river fishing, that’s something entirely different.
These three rules never change no matter what Country or state you are fishing in: 1 Go where the fish are, 2 Go where the bait fish are, 3. Use the right tackle and bait for the species.
Fish like a certain kind of habitat within a lake. The DNR will tell you specifically what is in a particular lake. Near us is a lake that has mostly pan fish. We aren’t going to try to go for walleye or northern in that lake! The DNR will also tell how and where to catch them.
Watch where the wind blows. Lots of people believe the wind blows the bait fish to the far side of a lake, opposite from where the wind is coming from. So northern winds blows food to the south end of the lake. But when you look at what fish bite on you really have to wonder. Walleye feed on both minnows and mayflies’ hatching. Minnows like rocky shores on any side of a lake. Mayflies are out deep in a lake. Northern like to bite on red and white Daredevils along weed lines and deep holes. Bass hang out under docks, on any side of a lake. There, I’ve said it. Disagree if you will but I catch fish just fine thank you. One thing is for sure, the fish are where their food is. They aren’t swimming with their food, they are nearby. They swim where they are most comfortable near their food, usually swimming deeper, coming up once in a while to feed.
I’ve got two rods only. One is for northern; the other is for the little stuff like bass and the skittish walleye. Nothern run bigger, hit or bite harder, and fight something fierce. This calls for a strong, stiff rod, a real that can pull them in and line strong enough not to break. I use 45 lb test line at least, I’ve got an 18 inch steel leader as well. I always use a Dare Devil, red and white on one side and silver on the other. Walleye on the other hand are skittish and particular. My rod is light and very flexible. I had an Ugly Stick for a while but switched to something lighter. It’s loaded with 5lb test line and I even leave the bail open, feeling any activity with my fingers. Here in Minnesota Lindy Rigs are the order of the day, 14 ft long Lindy Rigs! Minnows are the bait.
My husband likes to bass fish. During that time I read. He casts a minnow under every protruding thing along the shore line. Anything that has a shadow.
Just following these simple rules increases your chances to catch fish. Many believe our success is affected by phases of the moon. Change in the angle of the light and unstable weather I do believe has an effect on when fish will bite more I do believe. I do know that when the walleye fishers go out at midnight on opener they’ve had to wait until daylight started breaking before anything bit. I am not this excited about fishing.
On a final note we find much information on where to fish, how to fish a local lake by hanging out with the locals! These people by nature are protective of their knowledge, unless you go into a bar. Yup, a couple of drinks and you have something to take notes by! They’ll share advice right down to what colored beads to use and what order to have them in on your rig! One huge tip to take though, don’t ask a lot of questions, just act interested in what they say. Even if they talk about their dog in the mean time, just look interested. Also, knowing someone who lives in the area who is open to giving up their secrets is huge. If you don’t have access to these resources hire a guide for half a day planning on going back on your own to practice what you’ve learned. Think of it as a half day of school and probably fish as well! Watch everything they do, they do everything for a reason. There is a guide up near the Canadian border who has a twitch in his finger suddenly fishing for walleye, jerking the line just a little with his bale open. It must work for him!
So keep your eye on the sky and your nose to the grind stone. The fish aren’t going to jump into your boat!

Retirement abroad

2011-03-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

I was looking around for retirement ideas that actually save you money and ran into MSN. Do I plan on leaving the country? Well Spain is a nice idea, health care is cheep. No, I don't plan on it, but 4 million Americans do! To retire for cheep in paradise I would have to leave my kids and grand kids. I'll have one or two dogs to think about, what are their veterinarian clinics like? Plan early!

Feeding Humming Birds

2011-03-03T13:16:00.000-08:00

Hi again! I'm in from talking to my neighbor. She too noticed the Cardinals "making noise" lately. She's the kind of neighbor that always claims responsibility to anything good happening in the neighborhood. You know the type, they will say "that's because I just put out the feeders". Or she'll say "I created a Cardinal habitat for them and they live in my trees". Oh well. I'm looking for another type of feeder, hopefully that I've never tried before. It's been a while since I've had a domed one that ground feeders like. But the price differences this year are very drastic. I've seen them for as much as $80! I'd rather make my own! So anyway I was surprised to find Amazon is selling them for less than $50 and shipping is free! So here it is -
Ebay doesn't even have it any cheaper. I've been to Menards, they don't have it at all yet. My neighbor will say I'm borrowing them from her. Now I'm going to look for red fuchsias for those beautiful humming birds.