Search Results for: blog small changes that can make a big difference

Two Small Budget Home Improvements that Make a Big Impact

Owning a home means that there is always something to fix or to improve. Living in our homes, we tend to see all of the things we would like to change. Homeowners can easily spend tens of thousands of dollars on home improvement projects each year. Most of us, however, don’t have the luxury of an unlimited home improvement budget. Does that mean that we have to forego improvements completely? Of course not! Small budget home improvement projects are quite possible. In fact, if you know where to apply your money, you can experience big changes in your home for … Continue reading →

How Much Money Do You Make?

Knowing that some fast food chains are handing out $5,000 signing bonuses to employees made me jealous… ahem! I mean curious. Curious about how many non-glamorous professions make up the top tier of highest paying jobs in America. If you think actors, professional athletes, politicians and Wall Street wheelers and dealers comprise the top spots, you might be surprised. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the professionals that raked in the most dough in 2010 were: 1. Anesthesiologists = $166,400+ 2. Internists = $166,400+ 3. OB/GYN = $166,400+ 4. Oral Surgeons = $166,400+ 5. Orthodontists = $166,400+ 6. General … Continue reading →

The Crazy Origins of Pinocchio

“Pinocchio” started its life as an 100-some paged 1883 Italian novella by Carlo Collodi. Walt Disney was introduced to the story by one of his staff during production on “Snow White,” and he loved it so much he made it his next film. Given the greater length of the original “Pinocchio” than, say, one of the Brothers Grimms’ super short stories, I don’t have the space to do a full compare/contrast between the Disney film and its source text. What I’ll do instead is list the most notable differences between the two versions. Perhaps the most shocking disparities between Collodi’s … Continue reading →

Small Changes Make Big Differences

So if you are a wife and you have a husband who is like mine you know how hard it is to change their eating habits. With my husband there are a few things that he just loves Dr. Pepper, Coke, milk, tomato sauce on spaghetti or pizza. These are all good foods but not when you only have one kidney. Soda’s that are dark in color contain phosphorus and that is very hard for kidneys to process. I am not sure what is in the cooked tomatoes or milk that are hard on kidneys but the nephrologist (kidney doctor) … Continue reading →

Where to Find the Toy Catalogs

What do your kids want for Christmas? This is the time of year when children start mentioning the things that they are hoping to get as gifts this year. Parents will want to check out the toy catalogs from various stores in order to find the best deal. Walmart has a toy catalog for you to check out. I don’t think that Walmart has always done this, but they do have one this year. Their toy catalog comes with a “Christmas Price Guarantee”. It works like this. You shop in a Walmart store (in other words, not from their website), … Continue reading →

Debt Ceiling Deal Tentatively Reached in Washington

The nation breathed a collective sigh of relief this evening when President Obama announced that a compromise had been reached so that America will avoid going into financial default. The agreement contains a plan to cut two trillion dollars in Federal spending over the next ten years. While lawmakers have not yet voted on the proposal and are not likely to vote until some time tomorrow at the earliest, there have been indications from both sides that it should be able to pass. There is not too much information out there just yet about exactly what the deal looks like, … Continue reading →

Small Changes That Can Make a Big Difference

With all of the attention that big-picture financial issues like the debt ceiling, social security, retirement planning, the real estate market, and so on, it can sometimes seem like the small financial decisions that each of us make many times each day do not have all that much of an impact. Those little things do matter, though, because both the good things and the bad things add up over time. By recognizing that even small financial decisions can greatly affect out big picture financial situation, we can learn to treat those every day choices with more care. Suze Orman, a … Continue reading →

Fitness in Your 30’s

So in my last blog we talked about fitness in your 20’s and how these are the prime years to start off with healthy habits. So now we are going to look at fitness in your 30’s. The 30’s tend to be the time when many of us have started or are well into raising families. The 30’s are a busy decade. In many cases we are married, have children and are working. The idea of finding time to squeeze in some exercise may sound impossible. But it is during this period that it is most crucial you find the … Continue reading →

Conserving Water

Why should we conserve water? One of the main reasons is so we don’t run out. We don’t want our intake to exceed the ecosystems output. Also, facilities that provide water – pumping stations, delivery companies, and wastewater treatment – all consume a lot of energy to do what they do. In California, 15 percent of their electricity is used for water management. Finally, conserving water helps conserve the habitat of local wildlife. So you may be thinking “Sounds great – how do we conserve water?” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has come up with a web page all about … Continue reading →

Saving Money on Groceries with Coupons

While many of our goals for the New Year have to do with health, another top resolution that is made is concerning finances. As a mom with children in middle and high school, I know that saving money is important. It will be just another year and a half before my first one is in college and I would really love to help contribute. Sometimes it’s the small things that make the most difference. When you cut corners in small ways it can add up. It’s just hard to see the big picture when you are making small changes. I … Continue reading →