24
Aug
Never Buy The Following New!
sybille

With money so tight in this economy, most people are looking for bargains in order to stretch their dollar.  The following list provides goods that still have plenty of wear and tear left in them. 

  • Books.  Used books provide significant discounts.  You can buy them online or at bookstores.  Your local library also has plenty of free reading material.
  • Holiday Clothing. There are times where formal clothing is needed for that special occasion.  Most people will wear these types of clothing once or twice and when buy them at a second hand store, you can save quite a bit of money.
  • Jewelry.  Selling used jewelry usually means selling something that has depreciated in value.  Diamonds can be bought at low resale value.  Estate sales and trustworthy pawn shops also have great deals. 
  • Games and Toys.  Your child’s favorite toy is probably tucked deep into a closet.  Trade that toy for nearly new toys which you can find on Craigslist or in your neighborhood.  Always wash used toys before giving them to your child.
  • Maternity and Baby Clothes.  Babies outgrow clothes before the clothes become thread bare.  Being pregnant lasts nine months in most cases and maternity clothes are season friendly; they are almost new when no longer needed.  You can save a small fortune, especially if you intend to have more than one child.
  • Musical Instruments.  If your child is hankering to play a tune, never buy musical instruments new.  Their hankering can quickly get old, especially if practice makes perfect.  Many children choose not to stick with learning to play an instrument if they get bored too soon.
  • Home Accents.  Time takes its toll on most pieces used to decorate a home.  You are not going to pay extra for a much needed item at a local neighborhood garage sale, and you can save at least 90%.  Who doesn’t like to be thrifty?
  • Cars.  The minute you drive a car off the dealership’s lot, major depreciation has set in.  Buying a used car saves money and a trusted mechanic will make sure you are not getting the bad end of any deal.

The money you save by purchasing gently used items can be spent treating your family to a special evening.  Who really doesn’t like doing that?

Category: Economic Times  Tags: , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
19
Aug
Still Unemployed!
sybille

News flash on a personal level.  It has been 16 months since I was laid off.  Still no prospect of finding a job despite pounding the pavements and searching almost non-stop online.  There just isn’t anything available.  (I try not to take this personally.)

The unemployment figures aren’t helping the anemic job market.  They keep rising which makes it even more difficult for the long term unemployed.  It just means having to adopt a more aggressive approach while searching for that elusive job.

Lay offs definitely do not do anything to boost one’s ego.  For the past few months, I have run the gamut with all sorts of emotions felt.  My priority is writing, though.  Prior to being laid off, I worked as a transcriber as well as supervising the medical records department at a treatment center.  So…typing comes natural to me.  It is this avenue that makes me feel as if I am accomplishing something.  I also bid on writing assignments online, but would prefer to make money writing for myself.  Just need to get those ideas into place and work on them.

The lay off affected quite a few of my coworkers.  Our manager did much better; he moved to another job, leaving us to find out, via email, that our center was closing.  Creative accounting “broke” us.  It was said we were losing money.  Our financial books said otherwise.  I cannot let go of the fact that ageism had a big part in all of this since our average age was approximately 58.  Let’s face it, we were a major liability due to most of us approaching retirement within a few years.  In addition, we worked full time.

Now the only jobs available seem to be part time or on call. Definitely no hint of providing medical health insurance.  Experience counts for nothing.  Entry level employees seem to be the ones being hired.  Who are employers kidding?  Work ethics are not what they used to be.  Loyalty is not even promoted in a work place environment.  Why should it be?  We can all be replaced.  Especially is this true approaching retirement years.

I am now heading towards my 17th month of not being able to procure employment that will pay the bills.  Am I discouraged?  You bet’cha!  I just need to adopt a mindset of an inevitability I really don’t want to entertain.

Category: Economic Times  Tags: , , , , , , ,  4 Comments
11
Aug
Keep Dancing By Exercising
sybille

A question.  Do we really need those exercise videos?  Personally, I don’t think so.  After viewing countless videos, I have come to the conclusion that movement is the foundation for every single one of those exercise routines.  There is a primary person “yelling” to faithful followers – “follow me until we can do no more.”  Besides falling all over myself, I knew I could not keep up with those fast paced, pain bearing, grimaced looking people.  There goes my ego.

So what should I do to “save face”?  Take an honest evaluation of myself and what I felt were my personal areas that needed extra attention.  Almost too laughable I must admit but honest I was.

Then I searched online to find out how to safely exercise those specific body parts while standing.  No exercise mat for me.  No struggling to stand up after a vigorous exercise routine.  No pained look on my face.

After finding three “need your help” areas, I set out to find an alternate peppy to slow musical CD.  Mexican music definitely fit the bill.  I was ready!

It took all of three minutes the first time I tried it and it took almost that long to catch my breath.  But I managed to come away doing those exercise routines with my ego intact.  I also found out that the only person I had to keep up with was myself.  No one else was in the room.

I have set a goal of 20 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes in the late afternoon.  Goals I have finally managed to reach after a few days.  Movement is the foundation of all exercise routines.  My troubled areas are “shrinking” and my stamina has increased.

My heart is 64 years old and now, I have reawakened its primary use – to keep me “dancing”.

Category: Unconventional Health News  Tags: , , , , , , ,  Leave a Comment
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