Archive → February, 2010
Work Towards Being Debt Free
Ideas to Get Out of Debt
Oftentimes, when New Year’s Eve rolls around, one of the resolutions we may make is to resolve to get out of debt. But, every year the debt keeps growing until we finally realize we are in trouble.
Current statistics show that “8.3 percent of households owe $9,000 or more on their cards. On average, today’s consumer has a total of 13 credit obligations on record at a credit bureau. These include credit cards (such as department store charge cards, gas cards or bank cards) and installment loans (auto loans, mortgage loans, and student loans). Of these 13 credit obligations, nine are likely to be credit cards and four are likely to be installment loans.” Moreover, there were over “two million bankruptcy filings in 2005; an increase of 31% from 2004.”
While the statistics are staggering, undoubtedly the new figures for 2008 will be much higher. This is due to home foreclosures, the economic downturn, and overall increased debt among consumers. Thus, we have become a nation in debt.
The only way to get out of debt is to pay off the credit cards, avoid using credit cards except for emergencies, and pay with cash. According to the Federal Reserve, “a majority of U.S. households have no credit card debt. About a quarter have no credit cards, and an additional 30 percent of households pay off their balances every month.”
Resolving to get out of debt may be the single most difficult challenge we face today. The stress of living from paycheck to paycheck may be the proverbial wall that prevents most consumers from punching a hole in it in order to see a glint of daylight. But, steps can be taken to begin the process of digging out of this tunnel. Start with a budget that you can stick to; keep just one credit card on hand for emergencies, and start paying more than the minimum amount required.
For example, if you have multiple credit cards or other debts, begin by paying off one credit card, then take the money you would have used to pay that card and add it to the amount you would pay for the second debt owed. In this way, you will be adding more to the minimum amount required each month, and the debts will eventually be paid off one by one.
Paying for anything with cash these days seems like an antiquated notion. Every day, we are bombarded with new credit card applications that arrive in the mail. The problem is that we have fallen into society’s mindset that credit cards are a good, necessary, and convenient thing to have. But the truth is that debt is neither good nor necessary, but places us in a position of constant angst.
Here’s a little exercise: Take all the debt you currently have and add up the amount you pay in interest. Shocking, right? Think of what you could do with that money if you didn’t have debt. Credit card debt is the bane of society. Resolve to get out of debt; start planning now with a realistic budget. The sacrifices you make today will bring happiness and wellbeing tomorrow.
8 Ideas for Packing a Great School Lunch
How to Pack a Great Lunch for School
Here are some simple ideas to spice up your child’s lunch box.
- Change the Bread – Or don’t use bread at all. Kids can get bored with sandwiches so why not try the same fillings but make it a little more exciting by changing the bread. You can try pitta bread, bagels, tortilla wraps or even crackers or breadsticks. You can place the fillings on the side and your child can assemble the crackers or sandwiches themselves.
- Try a Salad – Not your typical lettuce and tomato salad, what kid would get excited by that? But instead try a pasta salad or potato salad. Cook and drain the pasta or potatoes and mix with a little mayonnaise or olive oil, add some cut up veggies such as corn kernels, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots; add some sliced turkey, chicken or ham and place in a plastic travel container.
- Fun Shaped Sandwiches – On the days where you go for the traditional sandwich try cutting the bread with fun shapes using cookie cutter. You can also cut slices of cheese or ham into fun shapes. Cookie cutters are something every mom should make good use of. You’ll be amazed at how a boring cheese sandwich will get gobbled up when shaped into a flower or dinosaur.
- Fingers Foods – Sometimes kids, especially younger ones, don’t like to eat a whole sandwich or bowl of food. Instead you can try preparing cut up cubes of cheese, grapes, carrot sticks, pretzels, mini crackers, and ham cubes. Place in a container with individual compartments or just a standard one for a fun lunch. You can also try cutting sandwiches into small rectangles or triangles for easier eating.
- Pinwheel Round Sandwiches – Instead of sandwiches try pinwheels. Cut the crust from two slices of bread, flatten bread using the back of your hand or rolling pin. Spread thinly with cream cheese. Place one slice of ham and roll each slice into a log shape. Wrap in cling film and place in freezer for about 30 minutes. Unwrap and cut into pinwheel rounds.
- Dips are Great – Kids love dipping stuff. For an easy and nutritious lunch snack you can cut apple wedges and serve with a strawberry or peanut butter dip or cut up veggies served with a hummus dip or try a cream cheese dip. For a more substantial lunch add pieces of pita bread, breadsticks or crackers.
- Lunch Notes – Write cute little notes once in a while to put a smile on your little one’s face. A simple note with a smiley face saying I love you or miss you can instantly make a child feel better. For older children try a riddle or brain teaser instead.
- Be Creative – Think outside the box, the lunch box that is. Pack mini pizza slices, mini hamburgers, meatballs or chicken drumsticks. Add some potato wedges on the side. Or try tortilla chips with strips of cheese, turkey and sliced tomatoes on the side. Add a sour cream and/or guacamole dip for instant lunch time nachos, perfect for older children or teens.
- Mini Muffins - You can bake savory mini muffins using chopped, cooked bacon and chives or grated cheese and ham. Sweet fruit mini muffins will be a big hit too.
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How to Use Lettering for Scrap Books
Using Creative Lettering to Enhance Your Scrap Page
When you’re putting together a scrapbook page, it’s the little things that make it unique. The carefully planned layout, the choice embellishments, and the shapes of your pictures all come together to make a page special. To top it all off, you need some beautiful lettering for your title and journaling.
Some scrapbookers shy away from doing their own lettering, usually because they are not pleased with their own handwriting. They use stickers or die cut letters to make titles and do their journaling with their word processing programs. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it doesn’t provide for much individuality. Learning to do your own creative lettering gives you much more flexibility.
Creative Lettering Books and Software Can Help
There are numerous books for scrapbookers that focus exclusively on creative lettering. Most of them have lots of different alphabets, complete with samples of every letter and number. Some are easy enough to do freehand, while more complex ones require tracing.
There is also creative lettering software. It also includes a large selection of fonts, and some programs allow for searching available fonts for certain characteristics. These programs can be used to print out titles and journaling directly, or you can type them in, print them, and then trace.
Creative Lettering Tips
Creative lettering isn’t something that you can pick up in a snap. It takes practice. Here are some tips to reduce the learning curve:
* Choose a lettering style that fits well with the subject of your page. For example, if your page is about a visit to the beach, a highly formal alphabet is probably not the best choice. Selecting one that is pretty yet casual will make your page flow better.
* For your first few attempts, you might want to do your lettering on a separate sheet of paper, then cut it out and paste it onto the page. That way if you make a mistake, you can simply start over with more paper rather than having to completely redo your page.
* If you’re worried about making your lettering straight and uniform, draw some very light lines in pencil to go by. Using three lines, kind of like the paper that children use when learning to write, will help you keep both your capital and your lowercase letters the right size.
* Don’t try to use an ultra-fancy style when doing extensive journaling. It’s better to stick close to your natural handwriting when writing long passages. By all means, feel free to embellish a bit and emphasize important words, but don’t expect yourself to write hundreds of words flawlessly in a style that’s far from your own.
The right lettering has a way of pulling a scrapbook page together. And it’s even better when you do the lettering yourself, because it adds a certain amount of personality to your pages. Creative lettering might seem intimidating at first, but with some practice, you’ll soon be making lovely titles and journals.
How to Set a Valentine’s Day Table
How to Set a Valentines Table on a Dime!
By Kathy Wilson
Valentine’s Day is a special day in my household, and I try to share
the feeling of love and romance with all my family! One of the best
ways to do that is to set a holiday table, and spend time enjoying
good food and drink with your loved ones. (Include your kids in
dinner, and save a special after dinner dessert for romance!) Here are
some great ideas for setting the stage for a romantic dining
experience, without breaking your budget.
Set a background for your Valentine’s Day dinner. Layer your table
with fabrics to invoke the sense of a luxurious hotel. Use sheets,
quilts, tablecloths and placemats in coordinating colors. Pink, red
and white are all indicative of love, but so are deep jewel tones.
Look around your linen closet to find what you may already own! Flat
sheets can be found at the discount shop for $3!
Invest in a roll of wire edged ribbon from the discount store. Tie
bows around chair backs, glass stems, and silverware bundles for that
extra touch.
Use a paper punch and create confetti to sprinkle over the table. This
is a great use for used wrapping paper, greeting cards, or even the
funnies! It adds a great festive touch, and you can even put the kids
to work on this one!
Buy a few boxes of Valentine’s message hearts (they are only a $1 for
three boxes!) and leave special love messages for each family member
on their plate. Or use chocolate bars and cut out the letters to spell
their name or initial as a sweet place card.
Make each family member a Scroll of love. Write them a personal note
telling them all the wonderful things you love about them, then roll
it up like a scroll, and tie with the ribbon. Tie to their chair with
the ribbon, or tuck in with their napkin. Make sure their names are
marked on each scroll.
Use the best dishes you own! Layer plates and soup bowls, make sure
(just for tonite) there is a salad fork and a dessert spoon. Pamper
your family with simple indulgences such as fresh flowers tucked in
wine glasses, or a line of chocolate kisses down the center of the
table. Use candles as a centerpiece, you can pick them up at a dollar
shop! You may wish to save lighting them until the kids are all in
bed, for safety reasons.
Just a few easy and inexpensive changes to your nightly dinnertime
routine, and your loved ones will feel special and precious, as well
they should.