Are you finding that everything is more expensive these days? If so, you are not the only one. It is more important than ever to get a good handle on your household budget so you can stretch your income to last between paychecks.
I checked into a lot of savings opportunities, and really found about 10 ways to save money that I had not thought of before! These tips will not be the right solution for all readers. But these 3 tips seemed to suit most people! I hope they will help you become more frugal without a lot of effort.
Carry cash and not plastic. My fixed bills were pretty stable. My problem was that I tended to spend a lot of money on things I would buy without planning for their purchase. Not of them seemed that expensive at the time, but they really added up over the course of a month. In fact, when I checked my impulse spending, I found that it was a lot easier to get other bills paid off and save money too!
Going shopping without a debit or credit card may seem hard to adjust to for many people. But I replaced my debit and credit cards with cash. I kept one card in my wallet for a true emergency, but otherwise I tried to pay for everything from groceries to shoes with actual paper money! This was an effective way for me to really think about my purchases. It would take some time and effort to go get more money!
Turn on the fans. A cheap fan is also cheap to run. But when I have the fan on in a room, it feels much cooler and fresher to me. This means I could set up my air conditioning at a much higher level. By adjusting my thermostat from 72 degrees to 76 degrees, I saved about ten percent of my untility bill. In the summer, this actually added up to quite a bit of money over the hot months. I live in the sun belt, and it is warm about 6 months of the year.
Plan grocery shopping better. I used to go to the grocery store with no clear plan. Now I try to make trips to those stores where I can find things cheapest. Of course, you will probably still buy food at your food market! But cleaning products and personal products are cheaper at discount stores. Instead of paying extra for convenience, I planned out different trips for different types of things.
Some large discount stores carry both types of items. These stores can help you because you will not have to make many trips to different stores. Otherwise, try to find the type of stores you want that are close to each other. You do not want to save a few bucks because you are a good shopper, but then waste the money on expensive fuel for your car!
I hope you can use these ideas to save money for yourself. If you can lower your impulse spending, home emergy bill, and the cost of groceries, you should be able to put aside more cash. Good luck and good shopping!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Wisdom Tooth Extraction: Put Your Oral Health Back on Track
Wisdom tooth extraction seemed like a very painful process. When I first started getting sharp pains toward the back of my mouth I really didn't think too much about it. It wasn't until I went to my dentist and learned about the third molars and the health of my teeth. I recently just had my braces removed from my teeth. So I felt confident, and my orthodontist was always commenting me on my tooth health. I brushed and flossed every day. So when the pains didn't stop my dentist, broke the bad news to me. I had impacted wisdom teeth. My dentist was surprised that I could deal with that much pain and still go on doing normal every day activities. He said they where some of the worst he had seen and it was going to be painful to have my wisdom teeth removed, and that the wisdom teeth removal should have started years ago.
When I went to the Mayo Clinic as a pre-screening for my Third molars tooth extraction, I didn't want the wisdom tooth extraction to begin. All I could think about was the puffy cheeks and pain that was coming because of my impacted wisdom teeth. I would try to stay positive but it was hard with a guy with dental utensils probing around in my mouth. I didn't want to go through with the wisdom tooth extraction. I figured it really wasn't hurting my oral health by keeping my wisdom teeth in my mouth. My dentist recommended removing my wisdom teeth so they wouldn't ruin my teeth and the years I had with braces.
After the pre-screening they wanted to get my wisdom tooth extraction of my wisdom teeth done as soon as possible. They set up an appointment to have my third molars removed in a week at the Mayo Clinic. I was nervous about the wisdom tooth extraction, and everyone kept giving me extraction aftercare tips. Which came in handy, except many of the tips contradicted each others. I decided that it would be best to ask the oral doctor the best tooth extraction aftercare tips. Meanwhile my impacted wisdom teeth began to hurt worse than ever before. I was glad I made the choice to get my wisdom tooth extraction process going so my oral health would be the best.
On the day of my Wisdom teeth removal I was worried, I didn't want to deal with the pain. I knew the wisdom tooth extraction was necessary. Everyone at the mayo Clinic was concerned with my oral health and helped calm my fears. They filled me with knowledge about extraction aftercare tips to help my mouth heal the fastest and best way possible. Once I sat in the chair and they gave me the medicine I was out. And my impacted wisdom teeth were removed from my mouth. I was surprised that I didn't feel any pain and the extraction went better than the oral doctor thought it would. The rest of the day I was out of it. I didn't remember anything; I kept asking everyone about the dentist, and my teeth. A couple days later wasn't that well. I could feel the stitches at the back of my mouth and my oral health seemed to be worst than it had in years. Overall the wisdom tooth extraction went well and my oral health was back on track.
When I went to the Mayo Clinic as a pre-screening for my Third molars tooth extraction, I didn't want the wisdom tooth extraction to begin. All I could think about was the puffy cheeks and pain that was coming because of my impacted wisdom teeth. I would try to stay positive but it was hard with a guy with dental utensils probing around in my mouth. I didn't want to go through with the wisdom tooth extraction. I figured it really wasn't hurting my oral health by keeping my wisdom teeth in my mouth. My dentist recommended removing my wisdom teeth so they wouldn't ruin my teeth and the years I had with braces.
After the pre-screening they wanted to get my wisdom tooth extraction of my wisdom teeth done as soon as possible. They set up an appointment to have my third molars removed in a week at the Mayo Clinic. I was nervous about the wisdom tooth extraction, and everyone kept giving me extraction aftercare tips. Which came in handy, except many of the tips contradicted each others. I decided that it would be best to ask the oral doctor the best tooth extraction aftercare tips. Meanwhile my impacted wisdom teeth began to hurt worse than ever before. I was glad I made the choice to get my wisdom tooth extraction process going so my oral health would be the best.
On the day of my Wisdom teeth removal I was worried, I didn't want to deal with the pain. I knew the wisdom tooth extraction was necessary. Everyone at the mayo Clinic was concerned with my oral health and helped calm my fears. They filled me with knowledge about extraction aftercare tips to help my mouth heal the fastest and best way possible. Once I sat in the chair and they gave me the medicine I was out. And my impacted wisdom teeth were removed from my mouth. I was surprised that I didn't feel any pain and the extraction went better than the oral doctor thought it would. The rest of the day I was out of it. I didn't remember anything; I kept asking everyone about the dentist, and my teeth. A couple days later wasn't that well. I could feel the stitches at the back of my mouth and my oral health seemed to be worst than it had in years. Overall the wisdom tooth extraction went well and my oral health was back on track.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Beautiful Gardens
Having a garden, even a small one, can add so much beauty to a home. The colours, the landscaping, the wrought-iron furniture all add sculptural and textural elements to an outdoor space.
Some garden ideas are:
Brick and green:
If you prefer stone to grass or plan to do a lot of outdoor dining then nice, large terracotta flooring might be a good way to go. For that hint of greenery every garden needs, try planting some trees and shrubs all around. They will not only offer green, but coloured flowers as well and possibly some nice overgrowth to create a bit of a secret garden effect. Levels work really well in stone gardens. A dug out area for a table, a Juliet balcony up above, and maybe a shaded love bench tucked away somewhere in the corner.
Perfectly manicured:
National parks, private courtyards and hotel lawns are places where one can always find the most beautiful, perfectly manicured gardens. The trees and hedges are sculpted into perfect shapes, the colours flawlessly organised according to palette, with benches and seating areas tucked away throughout the property. Pathways are often laid for guests to wander around and enjoy without stepping on and ruining the grass.
Water parks:
Where there's water there is ambiance. Having any body of water from a small goldfish pond to a large lake adds a whole new dynamic to your garden. Small ponds can be decorated with bright coloured water lilies while large lakes surrounded with a hybrid of trees. Weeping willows, ferns and maple trees all look beautiful around a swimming lake. If you aren't near a natural body of water but have a pool you can plant around that as well. For a more natural look why not build your pool out of real stone and surround it with large bolsters? You can have a rock for a diving board and maybe a low waterfall going into the pool or hot tub. Throw some wild flowers seeds in the surrounding land and watch to see what springs up.
Some nice touches to add to your garden include gazebos, hammocks or water fountains. A mix of green, flowers, water, seating areas and resting areas typically make for a well-balanced garden. Like any living thing, gardens require love and care to properly grow. They need to be nourished with water and sunlight, weeded and trimmed every so often, you can probably handle the small stuff, but for best results and to avoid a nature nightmare, it's best to call in the professionals.
Some garden ideas are:
Brick and green:
If you prefer stone to grass or plan to do a lot of outdoor dining then nice, large terracotta flooring might be a good way to go. For that hint of greenery every garden needs, try planting some trees and shrubs all around. They will not only offer green, but coloured flowers as well and possibly some nice overgrowth to create a bit of a secret garden effect. Levels work really well in stone gardens. A dug out area for a table, a Juliet balcony up above, and maybe a shaded love bench tucked away somewhere in the corner.
Perfectly manicured:
National parks, private courtyards and hotel lawns are places where one can always find the most beautiful, perfectly manicured gardens. The trees and hedges are sculpted into perfect shapes, the colours flawlessly organised according to palette, with benches and seating areas tucked away throughout the property. Pathways are often laid for guests to wander around and enjoy without stepping on and ruining the grass.
Water parks:
Where there's water there is ambiance. Having any body of water from a small goldfish pond to a large lake adds a whole new dynamic to your garden. Small ponds can be decorated with bright coloured water lilies while large lakes surrounded with a hybrid of trees. Weeping willows, ferns and maple trees all look beautiful around a swimming lake. If you aren't near a natural body of water but have a pool you can plant around that as well. For a more natural look why not build your pool out of real stone and surround it with large bolsters? You can have a rock for a diving board and maybe a low waterfall going into the pool or hot tub. Throw some wild flowers seeds in the surrounding land and watch to see what springs up.
Some nice touches to add to your garden include gazebos, hammocks or water fountains. A mix of green, flowers, water, seating areas and resting areas typically make for a well-balanced garden. Like any living thing, gardens require love and care to properly grow. They need to be nourished with water and sunlight, weeded and trimmed every so often, you can probably handle the small stuff, but for best results and to avoid a nature nightmare, it's best to call in the professionals.
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