Buy Better and Have a Better Life

Decluttering Mission: Toy’s Room

Laura — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:53:14 +0000

As I mention in another post we have a room in the basement which we call “The Toy Room”. As the name says: it is a room where we keep our kid’s toys since they were born (oldest is 11). The room is cluttered with boxes with toys my kids no longer use. Some are damaged, other are baby toys, others are not functioning because they don’t have batteries, a lot of them my kids don’t even look for them anymore.

My problem is: my oldest don’t want to give away any toys, he says he wants to keep them for his own children. My daughter wants to give some of them to other children but when she starts choosing them, she just gives up and wants to keep everything.

Today I brought up four boxes with puzzles and we are going to build them. We decided that if one single piece is missing we will put them in the garbage because there is no fun in building a puzzle knowing that some pieces are missing. They agree with that.

Some of the learning toys they have for ages five and under are already in a bag and ready to take to a local institution to be reused. It’s are games that teach the colors, numbers, food, etc. Regarding the damaged toys I’m going to put them in the garbage whether they want or not. They are useless and they are just occupying space.

I decided that some of the toys they want to keep I’m going to make a selection of what is in the bottom of the boxes and pick up those they don’t use for years. The good ones will be reused and the others will go to the garbage.

I would like to know, if you want to tell me, what do you do with your kids toys that they no longer use?
photo credit: caramelody

Decluttering Mission: Toy’s Room is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Decluttering Mission: Garage

Laura — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:25:24 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

It’s time to clean up the clutter in the garage and remove everything that is not in use for years.

I have in the garage several plastic items I brought from the company I worked for. They produced plastic products like basins, dish drainers, flower pots, buckets, garbage bins, etc. and sometimes, the products with less quality, were thrown in the recycling area so we were authorized to bring some of them home. And I brought some too much in fact and most of them were never used because I just don’t need them. I’m thinking about making a selection, the good ones I ask the neighbors if they are interested in keeping them and others, if I can not reuse them I will throw them away. I wish there were garage sales here!.

Other stuff I have in the garage is Christmas decorations which I will keep; music tapes from the 80′ and 90′ which I don’t know if they still work;I also have baby clothes from my kids that I refused to give away because they were from their early days, weeks and months. I still don’t know if I’m going to keep them or give them to someone in need.

I also have some camping equipment from my single years. I have one camping tent with one room, a camping gas oven and one camping cabinet. I really don’t know if I should keep this because the tent is to small for the four of us. On one hand I think my son when he is 25 one day, might want to go camping with friends and the tent can be useful by then; on the other hand I think it will be too damaged for him to use.

Oh…and I have in the garage, home decoration items that I never used and which I don’t want to use. Maybe I will give them to an association to be used in a raffle.I like to reuse everything and if I can make some money on the process the better.

Let see if I don’t forget to take the before and after photos!!

Decluttering Mission: Garage is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Healthy Eating Tip: Eat regular meals

Laura — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 22:15:05 +0000

Image by stevegarfield via Flickr

One of the things people usual do is skipping meals. This can often lead to out-of-control hunger usually resulting in eating too much.

When we are very hungry, it’s also tempting to forget about good nutrition and eat what we find even if it isn’t healthy.

Eating snacks between meals can help curb hunger, but don’t exaggerate and use snacks as an entire meal.

Healthy Eating Tip: Eat regular meals is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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My Organic Garden: Vegetables

Laura — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 11:43:54 +0000

This year I decided to grow a vegetable garden with my daughter.

Every year we have strawberries; they are a “must” in our garden, however, this year we decided to go further and plant different varieties of vegetables. I bought the packs of seeds, prepared a few flower pots, bought compost and we planted the seeds.

The seeds? Seeds of what?
Yes, this was our dilemma. We planted the seeds but we did not use labels in the flower pots. Next time I will have to get a sort of id card software to print out the labels.

I know we were supposed to watch two types of lettuce grow as well as carrots and turnips, I just didn’t know where they would grown. But, when they are make their appearance through the soil it’s difficult to identify what it is but, when they grow a little more, we can figure out by the shape and texture of the leaves what vegetable is.

On this picture I can identify the two types of lettuce, carrots and the turnips. This vegetable garden was not well planed, we just threw the seeds into the soil and waited to see what grew.

It’s wonderful to watch the kids, specially my six years old daughter, checking everyday to see if the lettuces were ready to collect or if the carrots were big enough.

The contact with “live” vegetables gardening is excellent for the children. Most children only see the vegetables in the supermarket and they don’t imagine how they grow. They just think they are “made”, so, I’m very happy to show my children that even in small spaces we can grow vegetables and herbs.

Next year I’m going to prepare more recipients to plant a lot more vegetables.

My Organic Garden: Vegetables is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Eco Friendly Products: Ovetto

Laura — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 01:00:42 +0000

This is a recycle bin made of recycled materials. Gianluca Soldi, an Italian architect, designed this beautiful and fashionable recycle bin which is build with polypropylene, a reused material. This product can match any decoration and its three recipients are excellent to separate the materials you are recycling. Totally awesome.

Stay tuned for more “Eco Findings”.

Eco Friendly Products: Ovetto is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Reusing: From Flower Jars to Wooden Toys

Laura — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:31:26 +0000

Image by incurable_hippie via Flickr

One of the things I always do is reusing the things I have at home. This week I took some time to organize my kids closets and remove all the clothes that are already too small for them. I managed to arrange nine bags of clothes!

Why do my kids have so many clothes?
We receive clothes from family members and close friends. As you know kids grow at a high speed and sometimes clothes are used only a few times and they keep the quality and look. I have no complex of using used clothes and I always transmitted that to my kids.

The bags with clothes were delivered to a friend of mine that volunteers with an institution by collecting used products (clothes, blankets, school material, plastic boxes, etc.) and given them to people in need.

Well, yesterday I received a phone call from my best friend saying that she was cleaning her garage and she wanted me to take a look at the things she doesn’t need. I went there with my kids to find a garage full of stuff all over the place. From cook books to paints, from wooden toys to a desk lamp, from kitchen items to decorative items, she had a little of everything.

We ended up loading the car with two paints, flower jars, some toys, a Matryoshka doll (my daughter loved this one), a complete set of wooden toilet accessories among other small decorative items.

I find reusing a great way to get rid of items we don’t use but that someone will use. My son chose a beautiful blue handmade paint to put on his room wall and I chose a gorgeous dark blue cloth paint (handmade). Both paints have a sentimental value but they don’t match my friend’s home decoration and they were getting damaged by the garage humidity. For me, they will be a great add-on to my home decoration and a way to stay within my budget.

Do you exchange items with your family and friends? or Do you prefer to buy new items instead of used ones?

Reusing: From Flower Jars to Wooden Toys is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Saving Money on Your Gas Bill at Work

Laura — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:36:08 +0000

Image by Whiskeygonebad via Flickr

One of the biggest expenses a business has to pay is electric and gas bills. In fact, these expenses fluctuate because of current business gas supplier prices, and because the usage also varies – payment can end up being different to what was expected.

You will be glad to know however, there are several ways in which you can reduce your business’s overheads. You can then redirect your spare working capital towards more interesting and exciting things such as expanding your business or purchasing new equipment to improve productivity.

Many older offices were not designed with heat distribution and retention in mind. By improving such factors, you can make real headway in trying to reduce your energy consumption and your heating bills.

Some factors are more easily modified than others. For example, many offices have large amounts of windows. In the summer, the sun beats in and creates a very uncomfortable working environment. Money must then be invested in air conditioning systems and fans. In the winter, the large windows let in the cold in from outside and the heat generated inside, out. This is obviously a structural problem which is not easily resolved.

Let’s concentrate on things you can resolve. You can reduce the working space in order to provide a less cavernous space for office workers, by closing off the heating in sections of the office space which are not in use; you can successfully reduce heating bills from business gas suppliers. This strategy will also reduce electricity costs; however, be careful to avoid creating too small a space as you may end up with a disgruntled workforce!

Installing more sufficient insulation in the office’s walls and roof might increase the building’s heating efficiency. It might be worth getting your existing heating system checked out, it might not be operating efficiently, and you may save a substantial amount of money in the long run.

Saving Money on Your Gas Bill at Work is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Eco Tip: Reuse your Newspapers and Magazines

Laura — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 22:53:39 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

I don’t have magazine or newspaper’s paper subscriptions, when I want to subscribe something I do it online through newsletters. But from time to time, when we go to a Magazine Store, I buy one or two magazines to read at home.

I know some people that Subscribe a lot of Magazines and Newspapers, women choose feminine magazines while men prefer auto magazines like ATV Magazine which has a lot if information related to atv racing and autos in general.

Now, what most people do with the magazines and newspapers is to put them on the paper recycle bin but I do a better thing. Usually I grab the magazines I have and I take them to health clinic’s waiting rooms. My opinion is that magazines can be reused (has well as books) and we can give other people the opportunity to have a wide variety of magazines on those places.

Do you reuse the magazines you buy or do you put them in the garbage?

Eco Tip: Reuse your Newspapers and Magazines is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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10 Memorable 60th Birthday Gift Ideas for Men

Laura — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:01:28 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

Unique and unforgettable gift ideas for men turning sixty are endless. You can treat the celebrant to a vacation, record heartfelt birthday greetings; present a slide show of pictures or a compilation of videos, surprise him with a short cartoon animation of his life story, give him family tree picture frames, awe him with a personalized magazine or newspaper, make him happy with collectibles from his birth year, give him a good book to read, give him customized shoes,or give him a digital picture frame.

It is so much harder to choose gifts for men compared with finding gifts for women. It can take you almost forever to browse online shops and walk around town in search of wonderful gifts. If you want to give a truly unique and memorable present for your dad or a male relative or family friend who is turning sixty, consider the following one-of-a-kind ideas:

Treat the celebrant to a vacation
Retirees are dying for a relaxing vacation. Treat the celebrant and his wife to a beach resort where they can both unwind, sunbathe, and just listen to the soothing waves of the sea. It does not need to be expensive. If your budget is limited, you can just choose a hotel with a pool and a peaceful relaxing ambiance just to let them get away from the daily routine.

Record heartfelt birthday greetings
Another one of the truly memorable 60th birthday ideas is a recording of birthday greetings. You can ask the celebrant’s family, relatives, and close friends to say some heartfelt greetings and record them on a CD. Play the greetings during the celebration to make his party more meaningful, and give him a copy of the recorded greetings to complete the surprise.

Present a slide show of pictures or a compilation of videos
This makes a truly wonderful present, especially if the celebrant is your dad or brother who is turning sixty. Gather up cute pictures from his childhood, fun photos during his younger years, and emotional pictures of his recent past. Make a slide show of these pictures and show it during the birthday party. If possible, you can also include video clips you have taken as a family, such as his past birthday celebrations, family gatherings, outings, and holidays. Do not forget to give him a DVD copy of the presentation so he can watch his fun-filled celebration whenever he wants to.

Surprise him with a short cartoon animation of his life story
Get really unique and surprise the celebrant with a short cartoon animation of his life story. Do not worry if you know nothing about animation, since professionals can do the job for you. You can get funny or emotional, whatever you think works best for the celebrant. Do not forget to make it short in order to keep the momentum, and yes, it could save you a lot of bucks. Just make sure you do not omit the most important points in his life, such as his wedding, birth of kids, and other memorable events.

Give him family tree picture frames
Another wonderful present you can give your dad, uncle, or friend celebrating his 60th birthday is family tree picture frames. You make the tree of frames yourself or buy a ready-made one at specialty shops. Do not forget to fill the frames with pictures to complete your wonderful present. Whether it is used in a living room or on top of the home office furniture.

Awe him with a personalized magazine or newspaper
There are many shops you can find on the Net and maybe in your neighborhood that make personalized newspapers and magazines. Have the picture of the celebrant printed on the cover page as headlines and add other events that occurred during his birthday or birth year to give him a feeling that he is going back to the past. This gift will make a really memorable keepsake.

Make him happy with collectibles from his birth year
Learn about the celebrant’s collection and surprise him with a 1950s coin collection or 1950s hit book and music. If he has a certain favorite baseball player or athlete from his younger years, you can search for memorabilia of that athlete and present it to him on his special day. You can find signed baseballs, baseball bats, cards, jerseys, and other memorabilia.

Give him a good book to read
A good book to read also makes a wonderful present. The subjects of wonderful books include places to visit for vacation, senior joke books, things to do when retiring, poems, and biographies of remarkable people, his favorite artist, or his favorite band.

Give him customized shoes
Personalized shirts and caps are quite common these days. Probably the most unique present you can give your dad, brother, relative, or friend who is turning sixty is a pair of customized Nike or Converse shoes with his name printed on them and date of birth on the established area. Be sure to know his size and the type of shoes he may want to use, such as walking shoes, rubber shoes, or sneakers. For sure, nobody will give the same unique gift as you.

Give him a digital picture frame
Photo albums are wonderful to keep, but digital pictures frames are great to put in the celebrant’s living room or maybe in his office if he is not retiring yet. Gather pictures from his younger and recent years, as well as photos of his family and friends during parties, gatherings, and even ordinary days.

One-of-a kind gifts can be easy to find. It takes resourcefulness, creativity, and a really sincere heart to find the perfect present.

10 Memorable 60th Birthday Gift Ideas for Men is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life

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Cellulite vs Weight Loss

Laura — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 10:13:04 +0000

I got a really good comment/question on my last post. Laura asks:

This is quite an interesting subject. I have some cellulite and also some extra weight. I wonder, if I lose weight, will the cellulite go away or get worse?

Well, it depends on the person. Some people get good results when they lose some weight, others don’t. One thing you should never do is a quick weight loss diet. This type of diet makes the skin get flaccid too quickly; a progressive diet is advised because it lets the skin adjust to the weight loss.

However, if you are over 40 years old it will more difficult for the skin to adjust properly to the weight loss because skin loses elasticity with aging.

No matter what, if you are overweighted I recommend you start a healthy diet, reduce the fat and high caloric food. It’s Summer, eat vegetables and fruit, they are fresh and healthy. Here is a good Salad for you.

Cellulite vs Weight Loss is a post from: Buy Better and Have a Better Life