Week of 2/27/2008

Financial Planning Made Easy

What impact would 8 weeks of maternity leave have on your dual-income family? How would a change in personal finances affect your hopes and dreams. Now you can find out without paying the high price of a personal financial planner. Finally, someone has come up with a do-it-yourself, Web-based application for plotting your financial future.

Voyant is an innovative concept FREE to members. To join, all you need is an active email address. There are no dues or fees of any kind. The social networking aspect of Voyant allows users to exchange ideas and seek solutions from friends, family and other members with similar interests.

The best way to discover all of the features of this remarkable application is to use it. Try Voyant today. You have absolutely nothing to lose.

Week of 3/5/2008

Stickk It To Me

Are you like 40% of Americans who make a New Year's Resolution to save more money and abandon the plan within a month? If so, you may need an incentive, like the loss of cold, hard cash.

 A couple of clever guys from Yale have come up with a way to help you achieve your goal, whether it be to save money, lose weight, stop smoking or just about anything else you can think of.

A new web site called Stickk.com allows you to create a "commitment contract." If you don't hold up your end of the deal (as verified by a designated "referee"), you pay an amount that you agreed to in advance. The idea is that you'll be more likely to stay the course if you have dollars at stake.

There certainly are less credible ideas out there. If you're really serious about saving but just can't keep the resolution, Stickk.com just might be for you.

Week of 3/12/2008

Household Saver

It's not often that a product comes along that stands out from the rest. It's also more unlikely that the product made its way to market through mail order. One of the best kept secrets for saving money on carpet cleaning, upholstery cleanind, dry cleaning, and a whole lot more is White Wizard Spot Remover and All Purpose Cleaner.

This product has been around for more than a few years, and by all counts, those that have accidentally discovered it give it rave reviews. The Saving Lady has been using it for nearly 7 years and offers the same rave review. "When nothing else touches some of the toughest stains, I can always count on White Wizard to do the job," she says. Another satisfied user states, "If you have an opportunity to try this product, put it to the test in your home and on your clothes and even furniture! You won't be disappointed!" The only negative comment appears to be that the product is not available in stores. Not to worry. You can purchase White Wizard here where we have found the very best price.

If you add up what you could spend on cleaning or worse, having to trash something because you couldn't get a spot/stain out, White Wizard will save you many more dollars than its price.

Week of 3/19/2008

A New Twist on Recycling

It's called "freecycling," and it's a grass roots phenomenon that is sweeping the globe. People join a local online group to give away items they no longer need, and to get things they do need. From Sydney, Australia to Paris, France to Johannesburg, South Africa -- and all places in between -- the growth of this network is truly mind-boggling.

The Freecycle Network's mission is "to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."  And with spring cleaning fast approaching, this might be an ideal time to give this idea a try. Membership is FREE and everything offered must be FREE.

The use of Freecycle comes with a few caveats from Consumer Reports. "Limit how much personal information you give out. And it’s a good idea when delivering an item to arrange to meet in a public place vs. meeting in your home. "  Some groups require approval of all new members with good reason:

• known spammers can be rejected
• automatic signups can be rejected (stops email address harvesting)
• people can be directed to a Group that's more local to them

All in all, Freecycle may sound a bit idealistic, but certainly it's heart is in the right place. It is certain that the earth can only be our dumping ground for so long. Already it is stressed, and it will only continue to get worse.

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