Great Career During a Bad Economy

I think there are still some great careers during this bad economy. One area that comes to mind is a healthcare career. There will always be jobs open in the medical field as long as people get sick or hurt. I constantly see many vacant jobs in the want ads. It can also be a very rewarding career, especially if you like helping people. It also pays well.

Be Smart About Diet Pills

Many diet pills will promise that they are the diet pills that work. Talking with your doctor first before using any diet pill is best. It could contain an ingredient that might interact with a prescription you are taking. It could also cause adverse side effects so be informed about the particular pill you are considering taking. Diet pills can help aide in weight loss, but it will be even more effective when coupled with good nutrition and exercise.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #58

Today's thrifty living tip is use baking soda for a nice soak. It makes your skin so soft and it's really great for tired feet. I have even used it as a facial scrub. I find it to be gentle but still be careful not to rub too hard. Actually baking soda has many great uses, and I will discuss more tips in the near future.

Going to Walt Disney World!!!

We have been putting off going to Walt Disney World for over 2 years. This is the year we finally go. I already booked the rooms with that great promotion they are running. You get 3 free nights when you pay for 4 nights at one of the resorts. We are going to stay at the French Quarter, and I can't wait until May. I really need to start getting in shape since you do tons of walking. I have been walking a mile each day so far this month. Then next month I'm going up to 2 miles, and 3 in March, and so on. By May I am hoping to be walking 5 miles daily. This will also help me to lose that weight so no Leptovox for me. I also have been drinking more water each day. I feel so much better already with just the simple daily walk and increased water intake. I have lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks so I'm really proud of my progress.

Car Insurance

If you are going to drive a car, then you will need low cost auto insurance. I'm so glad they have cracked down on uninsured motorists here in Louisiana. They still do random insurance checks from time to time. Of course our rates are much higher in this state compared to other states. If you ever have the misfortune of being in a car accident, then you will be grateful you have it.

Crocs: Ugly but My Feet Don't Care

I have seen quite a few articles criticizing that Crocs are ugly and so unfashionable. That is probably true, but I must say that my feet just don't care about fashion. I used to think they were one of the most hideous things ever created. After I bought a pair, I have since stopped caring. I'm all about comfort these days and crocs provide me with lots of it. You really don't have to wear them in public, but you should at least have a pair for around the house.

They do make several different styles but I really love my Cayman crocs in chocolate. I personally don't care for the bright colored ones so I chose a nice neutral color like brown. Another great feature is I can just hose them off during the summer if they get dirty. I also find they dry pretty quickly when they do get wet. My son and husband have both gotten a pair and they also love wearing them. I mostly wear mine during the warmer months which is most of the year in South Louisiana.

The Maserati of Watches

Most people I know think that Rolex is one of the most expensive and best watches you can buy. I just came across a real luxury watch called Audemars Piguet. These are some really beautiful watches. I really liked the details and the leather band. If I was wealthy, then this is the kind of watch I would love to have.

Do You Watch The Young & Restless?

I admit it that I love Y&R. It's my only soap that I watch and have been watching since I was 10. My grandma lived with us and got me hooked. Does anyone else think that the truth about Chloe's baby will come out soon? I don't get why Cane didn't realize that Billy could have been the father since the paternity test said you are not excluded from the group. A group means more than one person. Hello?! Lily's aunt is a doctor so why not ask her. Ugh! Sometimes these little details that are ignored on the show makes me crazy. When did Abby become a teen? I love how a kid is 7 or 8 and comes back almost double the age.

Horse Riding

I have never rode horses before this weekend. Ok unless you count the time that I was 4 years old and rode a pony at a party. I never knew how much fun they were, and I can see why so many people love them. I always love watching the Olympics with the hurdles. I really love those nice english saddles that some riders use.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #57

Today's thrifty living tip is use a pumice stone to clean hard water stains. This works really well with porcelain sinks, toilets, and even tubs. You can buy them at Lowes or any hardware store. We have an older toilet plus hard water. So deposits will build up over time, and it's the original toilet to our 50 year old house. You do have to apply some elbow grease and it took out all the old stains. The inside looks brand new again. They are relatively cheap and I think I paid under $4 with tax. It's a lot cheaper than most chemicals and it's not toxic. I would recommend putting on a pair of latex gloves first.

Another Busy Weekend

Whew! It's been another busy weekend around the house. We took a road trip to my sister's house, and rode horses at her sister's ranch. She even has a couple of Shetland ponies that our son rode. He did get on one of the bigger horses near the end of our visit. We went to the local feed store with her to get some horse supplies. We had a blast and can't wait to go back.

House Decorating Ideas

I admit that I've been bitten by the decorating bug. My favorite channel to watch is HGTV. I have gotten some really creative ideas on decorating my house. Since I'm not very savvy, then I take all the extra help I can get. I'm so glad when I came across this great website called Inviting Home. You can get inspiration from their picture gallery, and they have a wide variety of products you can purchase. This is a great site for the professionals as well as the novices.

I've been doing a good bit of remodeling inside the house that I can't for spring to hit the outside. I worked on my porch last year so I need to concentrate on the rest of the house. I want to have it painted and put in new screens on my windows. I think putting in new nice decorative shutters will finish the look. I really like the look of the panel ones which I think it will make them easier to clean than the slats. The color I really like is the Garnet.

The other great thing about decorating is you can use something you wouldn't in an unique way. You could use a pair of shutters to make a headboard. Or you can use a smaller set of decorative shutters on a wall with a mirror in the middle and a shelf underneath for a window look. Then add some decorative hardware for a finished look. There are many ways to decorate your home so check out this great site today.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #56

Today's thrifty living tip is use powered milk for cooking. It's cheaper than fresh milk, and can be stored much longer. You can even use it in your own dry mixes like pancakes or biscuits. You can even further your savings by stretching fresh 2% with half powered milk. You won't notice the difference in taste.

Another Small Hiatus

I have to apologize again for not posting much this past week. I've been really busy getting the house organized and getting rid of the clutter. I'm trying to become a better housewife with doing more house work and less computer work. I must admit I'm really enjoying my time away from the computer. I have noticed that I don't have as much energy as I would like so I'm going to look into buying some discount supplements.

Happy Birthday Little Man!

Today my little man turned 8 years old! Where does the time go? It seems like yesterday he was just a little baby. Sometimes I wish I could stop time or at least slow it down. He is just growing up so fast. We had his party on Saturday with just friends and family. He wanted a Wall-E cake from the bakery and it was delicious. I also brought a Mardi Gras king cake to his school with some drinks for his class. He had a great day, and he even made Honor Roll on his report card.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #55

Today's thrifty tip is use clear mascara to keep your eyebrows in place. I learned this neat beauty tip when I was a teenager in high school. Another alternative is to use a little hairspray on either a toothbrush or those little brushes. I actually have that little eyebrow brush that cost me a couple of bucks. Sometimes I can just brush my eyebrows right before spraying my hair, and I purposely make sure that a fine mist will hit my eyebrows. I find any of these work very well, but I like the last one the best so they don't feel so stiff.

Entrecard Top 10 December Droppers

I am posting my top 10 Entrecard droppers for December. First I would like to thank everyone that drops on my blog daily. I really appreciate it, but I was a little lazy this month on dropping. I was so busy with the holidays. Thanks again to all my droppers. I'm showing a little link love. Check out these great blogs!

The Ad Master

Lofty Matters

Programming Made Easy

Is 8 Enough?

14-Year-Old Kid Tech Guru

Mr Soleh’s Outburst

Everyday Living

My World in My Own Word

Alteredevents

Faris Fakri

Invest in Quality Tools

This may not be very frugal unless you buy the tools on sale like I do. Some people are lucky enough to find people selling their tools at yard sales or in the paper. Buying used out the paper isn't always cheaper than buying new ones on sale. We purchased a nice set of air tools for $200 that came with a hard case to keep everything inside neatly. We received a brad nailer, framing nail gun, angle nailer, and a staple gun. We used the staple gun to put up our screens on the porch. We were quoted $350 for the same job that we did ourselves. That was just for labor and didn't include materials. We saved $150, and now have a great set of tools that will last us for many years. We have several projects planned for this year using our new tools.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #54

Today's thrifty living tip is use use recipes from old cookbooks. I prefer to use the ones from the 70's and before. My favorite one to use is Better Homes and Garden that is dated from the 1960's. I like it since there are great tips that many people don't use anymore and I'm not bombarded with name brands. Of course we no longer have to sift our flour, but I find many of the recipes are easy to make and are timeless. Another reason I like them better is they are usually obtained either free from a relative or very cheaply at a yard sale or thrift store. I bought the one I use often for a buck, and it's still in wonderful condition. I also like that it was made in a binder style so the book stays open and it's easy for me to read it while cooking. I have also found some really great recipes on the internet. I recently made pizza dough from scratch that was very delicious. My husband and son loved it. My next projects is to experiment with making bread from scratch.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Sorry for the late post wishing all my readers an awesome Happy New Year! I hope 2009 is a great year for everyone. I'm not sure what the future will be for my three other blogs that I'm writing, but I will continue to write on this one. It will depend on how busy I get with the teaching. I think part of the other problem is with Payperpost. They are offering more posts, but the majority are $5 and 200 words. That's a lot of words just for $5 and not really worth my time. Let's just say my future with them isn't looking too promising. I do enjoy writing the other blogs, but I do neglect more than I should. I just find it hard to come up with good content for all of them. I could write most of the content right here on this blog. I haven't made up my mind yet on what to do with them.

I decided to make a few resolutions for the new year. If you made any, then I would love to read them. Please share them in my comments section.

1) Take our first family trip this year. I have been putting it off for over two years so this is the year we finally take that trip. We already have the money set to the side so no more excuses.

2) Walk a mile daily. I have a great DVD set called Walk Away the Pounds. I really need to get in better shape for our vacation. I also want to increase my water intake to a gallon daily. I used to drink that much water and I felt great.

3) I really need to get back to gardening. I love having fresh vegetables and fruits. I also want to plant strawberries for jam and for smoothies. I am thinking of buying a couple of blueberry bushes. I also want to make my own spaghetti sauce plus dabble in canning. I'm thinking about planting a couple of dwarf fruit trees.

4) I have several financial goals for this year. They mostly consist of savings, but I will elaborate more in another post soon.