Traveling Tips

Courtesy of Manheim, Michael Philip

I've been thinking a lot about airplane travel as I get closer to my annual Christmas trip to California.

A friend of mine went out west last week.  She flew out of Chicago okay, but lost her purse, so had no ID to show at the airport.  She was able to board the plane home with the assistance of a few things she happened to pack.  Magazines with her name and address and a bottle of prescription medication.  Good to know, right? 
Well,one of the things which was suggested to her was to carry with her, a copy of her driver's license.  Obviously, not in her purse but in her carry-on so if her ID was lost sometime in the future, she would have a copy of her picture ID with her current address.

I am everyone heard the story of the gentleman who refused the full pat down at the airport and drove to his destination in California instead?  Well, there has been a few tips offered on the Internet as to what not to wear at the airport.

There are the old standbys of  having as little metal on you as possible and empty your pockets.  Then there are some other added precautions

As a woman, it is better to wear pants to a skirt.

Avoid sweat pants and other baggy clothing.

An article by Morris Brown from ezinearticles.com has a few other suggestions for getting through airport security.  Avoiding under wire bras (I think most of us girls were aware of this before all the new rules) but also watches and other jewelry.

The other tip I like from this article was to make sure any electronic devices are fully charged so if you are asked to test the device, it will work.

Just a quick one

My apologies..I didn't mean to go so long since my last post.  I am a little overwhelmed by the information I am collecting to share with you all and I am trying to organize it in some fashion. 

So, random note, I love the section in Real Simple each month that shows different uses for everyday things.  One of the things I eager to try is using a bundt pan as a roaster.  Well, I tried it last week, didn't work so great.  Either their bird had a smaller cavity or the bundt pan had a bigger whole in the middle but my chicken just flopped over, leaning against the outside rim of the pan.  So, I improvised and put a cooling rack on a cookie sheet and cooked the chicken that way.

Now, some quick information about eggs information also gleaned from my Real Simple magazines.

First, storing your eggs.  They should be stored in the coldest part of the fridge.  Who knew?  The refrigerator manufacturers put those egg shelves on the fridge doors.   Also, I haven't had this problem, but eggs can absorb odors in the fridge, so it is preferable to store them in an airtight container.

This I thought was real cool and maybe one cold, snowy Saturday, I will give this a try...here is how you can tell if you can still use your eggs.

Get a bowl of water and put an egg in it.

- If it sinks, and lies on its side--the egg is fresh.
- If it sinks and stands, large end up--the egg should should be eaten in the next day or so.
- If it floats--throw the egg away.

I am hooked

I am addicted.  I have discovered a world of free samples.  I have found a few websites which pull together offers from all over the Internet for samples of all sorts of stuff.  So far, I have gotten samples of nutrition bars, Emergen C, hand lotion, Kashi TLC crackers, and yesterday, I downloaded a coupon, brought it into CVS and walked out with a hand sanitizer pen.  I should be expecting Wisk laundry detergent, Wellness dog food and  Dove deodorant samples.

I love getting these little packages in the mail with my little goodies.  Speaking of mail, if this is something you decide to pursue the samples, you should never have to pay for shipping.

So, here are the sites I have been going to:

The Freebie Blogger
Absurdly Cool Freebie Finder
All You Magazine's Sample of the Day

You can subscribe to each of these so that an email comes to your inbox every day.
The each have links to get your free sample. Some of them, you have to move fast because they have a limited number of product to give away.

Now, I know some of you don't like filling out forms and getting additional emails.  Well, often you have a choice as to whether the company sends you additional special offers or promotions.  If you do get additional emails, you can throw them into your spam folder so that is where any future emails go, you can open them and unsubscribe (there is usually a link at the bottom of the email), or, some people choose to open another email address where they have these emails sent.

If you have any particular sites that you go for for freebies..shoot me a comment.

Dr. Seuss and World Music

Good Evening-

There isn't a connection between the two but saw both of these and decided to put them into the same post.

DR. SEUSS
I saw this article from Pickthebrain.com by way of Wisebread.com, "8 Must Read Lessons from Dr. Seuss."  Great article.  Takes lines from Dr. Seuss' most well known books: Green Eggs and Ham and Horton Hears a Who and puts them in the context of real life lessons.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

"2. Trouble Your Troubles


“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind. Some come from ahead and some come from behind. But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see. Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”


When troubles show up, you have to show up bigger. Don’t let troubles trouble you; you trouble your troubles by showing up with a “big bat!” But not literally…. You show up with a “big bat” by showing up with big courage, big faith, and big determination, if you do, you will trouble your troubles….
3. You Decide


“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”


How simple, yet how profound! You decide where you go, only you. You are only limited by your ability to believe in the impossible.


4. It’s Up To You


“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”


No one is going to rescue you, they’re not. You have to dig yourself out of the ditch. You have to care enough; you have to be motivated enough, to change things. It’s up to you.


Things only change, when someone cares an awful lot."

Click on the title above to read the rest.

WORLD MUSIC
Periodically, I look for free music downloads for my iPod.  It's an opportunity for me to listen to new music, broaden my horizons.  Amazon.com always has various types of music available to download for free.  The ones that caught my eye tonight were world music downloads.  I just downloaded these so not sure how they are yet but if you page down on any of the links, you will see other free music from around the world.

Six Degrees Records Global Grooves Sampler
Altracao Presents: Music from Brazil
Big Sound 2009 Summit & Showcases

Cold and Flu season part II

Have to say--I tried the ibuprofen for the sniffles I had, think that and the Benedryl I bought on Wednesday, really seemed to help.  A note to those who have not purchased Benedryl in a while.  They have changed their packaging and it's called Benedryl Allergy now, just make sure to buy the stuff that makes you drowsy.

Anyway, there is a part two to this....A couple of days later, I was watching FOX Chicago news in the morning--the local, less incendiary FOX station.  There was segment with a doctor from the University of Michigan, Dr. Mark Moyad discussing the flu.  Here are the main points:

Flu Shot- get it now, takes 3 to 4 weeks to build up the antibodies.

Vitamin D- boost immune system--1000 IU.  This is a good vitamin to take anyway since most people are vitamin D deficient.

Often dehydrated and need electralites instead of Gatorade or Pedialite, a lower calorie alternative, Coconut Water--more potassium then an apple or bananas.

If you have a fever go in and see the doctor.  Fever points to the flu. 

The full segment is below.



To let the people you know, know you care, go to click here.  Kleenex will send a small box of tissue to anyone you request.  Have not lodged a full on campaign to my friends and family yet but my friend and her husband seemed to get a kick out of it.  And, hey, who can't use a tissue, especially this time of year.

It's Cold and Flu Season....Part I The Common Cold

As I am sitting on my sofa sniffling this evening, thought I would share some information I learned on a podcast of NPR's Fresh Air.  It was an interview with science writer Jennifer Ackerman, the author of  Ah-Choo!  The Uncommon Life of You Common Cold. 

I know advice like "wash your hands" and "don't touch your face" (easier said than done, and, that is based on scientific study) has been heard over and over again but there is more information that I wasn't aware of.

1.  There are places one might not think about where germs hang out.....I have been conscious about door knobs and phone receivers, but never thought about elevator buttons, copiers, office refrigerator and microwave handles, or hotel remotes.

2.  There are 200+ viruses that can cause the common cold.  This is why some colds last longer than others.  The most common is the Rhinovirus.

3.  Colds start typically start in the throat which is where the receptors are the viruses inhabit to do their work.  The body responds with inflammatory agents, which inflame the body's tissues, causing  runny nose and cough.  So, it's the immune system that cause the symptoms that make us feel so awful.

4.   Sleep deprivation increases risk of getting a cold.  Sleep deprivation is caused by less than 7 hours of sleep a night. Also, chronic stress can make one susceptible.

5.  Here are some of the conclusions from the many studies she researched on various remedies:

Vitmin C--can shorten colds but only minimally for the common person, can dry secretions.
Zinc--no real benefits--side effects of gels and sprays can cause permanent damage to sense of smell in some people
Chicken Soup--may have some medicinal benefit--lung special Nebraska whose wife made soup members of her family when they were sick.  He put some in a petrie dish and found the chicken soup had some anti-inflammatory effects.  Chicken soup has never been tested on humans so the extent of its medicinal benefits it not known.
Empathy--There have been studies done that empathy can cut a cold by a full day.

6.  Jack Waltney studied common cold for 40 years- He recommends two single drugs. 
At earliest sign of cold, one should take a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory, like naproxin or ibuprofen, or other pain reliever to ease cough and sore throat and first generation antihistamines, like Benedryl (the ones that make you drowsy) to relieve runny nose and sneezing.  The antihistamine limits build up of nasal fluid which can lead to secondary infection like sinusitis. 

If you find this useful, please feel free to pass it along.

Random Uses for Every Day Items in Your Kitchen

I love finding different uses for stuff I already have in my house which might potentially make my life easier.  The idea of re-purposing stuff is very "green." My Real Simple magazine comes up with suggestions every month.  Here are a few items that you have in your kitchen:

1.  Non-stick cooking spray makes your food slide off the pan but did you know that spraying it on your shovel will allow the snow to slide off easier? (April, 2010)

2.  I am not very adept at opening bottles of wine so inevitably when I do open a bottle, the cork breaks.   I was thrilled when I found out that if you use a coffee filter over the mouth of the bottle, I could pour wine for my friends without getting cork in their glasses. (April, 2010)

3. That tea steamer you bought a few years ago when you were gung-ho on using loose tea and it's been sitting in your utensil drawer with the other cool utensils you bought but never use?  Here is another use, next time you back cookies or brownies, you can use the tea steamer to dust the desserts with powdered sugar.  (April, 2010)

4.  Loved this one.  Lots of people hang up their pots and pans in their kitchens.  Cast Iron  pans are magnetic so you can tack up recipes or reminders for the week with magnets. (February, 2010)

5.  To keep your boots' shape, you can stick empty wine bottles in them (see #2).  I remember that my folks used rolled up newspapers to accomplish the same thing.

Do you have some ideas of other uses for items in your kitchen?

Found Money -- Part 3

Finally, the third and last installment.

5.  For Home Owners -- donations for itemized tax deductions

Although this is not immediate gratification, donations of  items or money to a charitable organization with a receipt can mean more money in your pocket and less in Uncle Sam's at tax time.

6.  Look at your deductions.

This was a tip from Money magazine but my father was trying to convince me for years.  If you are getting a tax refund every year, you are giving a tax free loan to the government.  If you go to IRS.gov  , there is a withholding calculator you can use by plugging in a few numbers, you can determine how many deductions you should be
listing on your W-4 to get the amount you pay to the government is the exact amount you owe them, or close to it.  Thank you, Dad.

7.  http://www.missingmoney.com/

This one is kind of fun.  It is a site which a number of states are working together to help people find lost funds.  This includes escrow accounts, CDs, trust funds,bank accounts.  Illinois is supposed to be added to their database soon.   For Illinois, the State Treasurer has a search for unclaimed funds. It is a program is called Cash and Dash.

There are other sites but some actually charge a fee to have access to their database.

So, ways to put some extra cash in your pocket.  Hopefully, one of more of these ideas will work for you.

Smartypig.com -- a contest I couldn't resist

I was going to do part 3 of my found money series, but this came into my email from The Digerati Life this morning.  There is a site called Smartypig.com .  It is a free online piggy bank for people saving for specific for goals like a vacation or car.  It is a savings account which is FDIC secured that earns 1.75%, the big difference is you define the goal which you are saving for, so you could set up multiple accounts if you have multiple goals.  Anyway there are lots of details regarding how to set goals and what the site can do to help you achieve them.

Anyway, they are running a promotion for people who have an account or open account.  It's called "Race Out of Debt"  Follow the instructions on opening up an account, and setting up a goal, which will  be set up under the "Race Out of Debt" category and you will be entered in the contest. There is a minimum deposit of $25.   You can do this between today and September 27.

On September 27, they will select 8 finalists, each who will be "assigned to live pig on the Smarty Pig Farm."  The pigs will race and the finalist with the winning pig will  get $4,951.  The winner will be announced on the website on September 28th.

It is such a random contest, and a great idea for a site, I just had to share.

Happy Savings!

Found Money -- Part 2

Okay, so here a a few more ideas to make money on stuff that is just taking up space in your house.

2.  Craig's List

I think this is a hit or miss proposition. It is important to know that any posting will only be up on the site for 7 days.  I was able to get rid of a stock pot out of four items I posted on Craig's list Which I did twice over a two week period.

Definitely think this is a worthwhile, especially if you have time to post your items more than once.

3.  Cash for gold, and silver.

I was purging a bunch of stuff  and found some old broken chains and mismatched earrings I had been holding onto for years.  I had seen the "cash for gold" ads on TV.  I was hesitant to go through the mail, like I had seen in the TV ads but thought if I could find some place local, it would be worth a try to see if I could sell anything.   Anyway, found an estate dealer in the city who bought scrap gold and silver and made a little cash off of what was useless to me.

Important note:  I found out that one of the cash for gold places was being sued for paying people significantly less than the the worth of the gold that was sent.

Definitely think this is worthwhile proposition, if you have old jewelry that's broken, not being used or has bad memories. 

4. Recycle your electronics for cash.

Old digital cameras? cell phones?  There are three sites which buy your old electronics for cash.  This information is courtesy of the website the Lazy Environmentalist. They each have free shipping. The one I used to sell an old digital camera was Gazelle.com.

Gazelle.com - Will take used cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, laptops, GPS units, camcorders, gaming consoles, iPhones...you can go to the site, and find the make and model of what you are trying to sell, it will ask you about the condition and, where relevant, what of the original items you may have.  It will provide you with a buying price.  If you decide to take the offer, a mailing label will be sent to you.   Where possible Gazelle refurbishes them and makes them available to its partners for resale. It's possible to get great deals on refurbished at items at major retailers like Target thanks to Gazelle.

They will pay you in cash, a prepaid visa, you can donate your money to a charity of your choice, or you can get an Amazon gift card and they will give you 5% extra. 

"Buymytronics.com - Buymytronics.com is on a mission to recycle used, new, and broken electronics. To make it worthwhile, the company pays you for them within 48 hours of receiving them. Send founder Brett Mosley and his team your old cell phones, cameras, game consoles, camcorders, and iPods, and they'll send you cash."

"Greenphone.com - You don't have to sell your soul to prevent global warming, but you can certainly sell your cell." Visit Greenphone.com to find out how much your used cell phone is worth and then print the free postage label and mail your phone to the company. Once Greenphone.com receives and verifies its condition, the company will cut you a check." Or, they will donate the money to one of the charities on their list.

From e-mail dated, July 21, 2010 "#1 Earn Cash by Recycling your Electronics" from Free Report: The 5 Laziest Ways to Go Green Without Spending a Dime.

Next....Uncle Sam can help too!

Found Money--Part 1

Sometimes, its nice to have a little extra cash.  There are ways to find additional money without having to get a new job.  A few of these I have used in the past, which I will get to later, but, while getting rid of a bunch of stuff over the last few weeks, I found ways to capitalize on some of the items I owned.

1. The Yard/Garage Sale.

It started a couple of  years ago, I started sticking things that I wasn't using in my storage unit.  The thought was I would eventually have a yard sale, maybe even recruit a few of my neighbors to join me.  Well, the storage unit was getting more crowded and I kept putting organizing a sale off.  Well, this year I finally set a date in August.

As I was getting ready for the sale, I found an article on the Real Simple website on how to throw a yard sale, things you need, ideas for pricing, supplies you need, how to set up, etc.  It was extremely useful.  The most useful information in the article is the secret to the succes of a garage sale was getting people to the sale, and, boy is that true.  Obviously, the more people who see your stuff, the more likely you are to get rid of it.  I put up signs around the neighborhood, put a listing on Craig's List, the Chicago Reader's site, garagesalehunter.com and yardsale.com.  Now, it doesn't help that I live on a street which is 2 blocks long but,  I definitely think that running  a few print ads would have proven beneficial.  I sold some things, made a some money but compared to the amount of time I put into getting ready for the sale, the amount I earned, didn't seem worth it.  Still,  it was money in my pocket.

Tomorrow -- ideas for liquidating things you may be thinking about getting rid of.

And, There's More Free Music.....

Found more places to download free music--very psyched. Great way to expand my music list without spending a dime!

Loved this one. Amazon. com--They have hundreds of music downloads. My last look at the site showed 110 free album downloads and over a thousand individual songs..huge range of music..classic rock, latin, dance, country, opera, children's music, rap... Install their downloader and go to it.

Now for music loversof all genres--go to mp3.com. Free music downloads, videos, photos, forums, even reviews of mp3 players. If you have a band, there is an opportunity to sign up and post your music as well. Very cool

More Free Music...from Starbucks

Starbucks has created a 10 song free music mix available to download to iTunes, now until August 31 in honor of their new frappuccino--it includes Macy Gray, Shout out Louds and Frightened Rabbit. A cool way to pick up some new music. Go the Starbucks site to get it.

Groupon and beyond.....Part 1

Groupon

A lot of people are using Groupon these days...Groupon, for those who aren't using it yet, is a website that each day, features an unbeatable deal on stuff to do, eat, and buy. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, they provide amazing deals. If the number of buyers meets or exceeds the number of customers promised, the deal is made. I have bought a few and have never not been able to get a deal because the minimum number of deals have not been purchased.

Groupon is available in a number of cities, including San Diego, Cincinnati, DC and Vancouver. I've got a great deal on a mani/pedi. The range of "groupons" is amazing, here are just a few; tickets to baseball games, tours of Chicago,spa treatments, deals at restaurants.....If you haven't signed up, I highly recommend it....sign up here. Click "Visit More Cities" to pick yours.

Groupon has just developed their own app for your iphone. You can manage your account, purchase and redeem your Groupons from your phone.

You Swoop
This one is Chicago based. They offer deals on events, sports, restaurants, health and beauty, etc. It does not rely on a minimum number to be sold before someone gets a deal. They also select one of their subscribers each day to get the "swoop" for free. If you'd like to check it out and maybe sign up, click here.

Deal of the Day On-Line
Also a Chicago based site. In addition to the types of deals the others offer, I was able to get a room in my condo painted for less than 50% of what a company usually charged. More information

More New Music!!!

Smashing Pumpkins is offering free down loads for four of their songs. Click here

Goldstar

Goldstar: "Check out this site I found called Goldstar. They have half-price tickets and member reviews of concerts, sports, theater and more. There have even be deals on massages at local spas!
I'm already a member! https://www.goldstar.com/join?p=F910164RB"

The site gives access to events in Chicago, Boston, the DC metro area, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Orange County, Seattle, Portland, OR and San Jose.

Free Music!

As a "thank you" to their fans, Nine Inch Nails is giving away their album, The Slip, free! Just click here.

Tickets to sold out events

New discovery to get rid of tickets to events you can't use or find tickets to events in Chicago. http://www.tickets4cause.com/ If you have tickets to a sporting event, musical, or concert, you can donate them to this site and 100% of the price will go to a donation of your choice. There is a list of charities to pick from and if you can request to have your charity added to the site.

Great opportunity to get tickets for events that are already sold out.

Do you have something like this in your city?

Free things to do in Chicago

Love, love, love free. Looking for something to do on Saturday and found a number sites, the one I did a little poking around on is http://www.chicagofree.info/. Great site. Lits things like coupons for things like free PGA golf lessons, there is a free Haagen Daz ice cream day coming up on the 18th. Free admission to the Green Festival on the 22nd and 23rd. And you can subscribe to a live feed to get updates on what is happening.

Seems like a lot of cities have this kind of site, here's New York's http://www.thingstodoinnyc.com/
San Francisco's http://freethingstodoinsanfrancisco.com/
Photo by Sergio Lora If you have sites for other cities please send them

A site after my own heart

Anyone who knows me, knows I have an extremely small bladder so I was kind of excited to find a site that would tell me about where I could find the nearest bathroom anywhere in the world, http://www.sitorsquat.com/. Put in your location and it will list public restrooms and if the information is in their system, it will let you know if the place is open or not.

It's a little unnerving, when I pulled up the site it brought up my neighborhood. It doesn't have every single bathroom in the area but there is a place for people to add a toilet. There is also an app you can add to your iPhone or Blackberry.

This isn't just for those of us with small bladders, it can also be used by people with urinary or bowel conditions, Mom's looking for the nearest bathroom with a changing table. The iPhone app now lets you search by specific criteria. You can use the site without joining but if you want to make a bathroom that you like your favorite, or comment and rate a bathroom, you do need to join.

Picture

coupons!!

I love grocery shopping. And, I love coupons. I don't get the Sunday paper so I was looking for other alternatives on the web. The first thing I found was the Penny Pincher's Gazette, http://www.ppgazette.com/ . It is a site that has three different coupon groups, Smart Source, Red Plum and Coupons.com. Often, it has better coupons than I have seen in the paper. You selct from the coupons available and then print them out.
State Library and Archives of Florida
Now, for people who shop at Dominick's, Safeway for you all on the west coast, there is a website called http://www.shortcuts.com/ . You can print out coupons, which you can use anywhere, here too, but you can sign up and register your store card, (Kroger's, Dillon's and Shop n' Save are on the list of stores too), you select from the electronic coupons and the coupons are transferred to your card for the next time you shop.



Where do you find savings for groceries?

What a Neat Idea!

Ok- "neat" is kind of dated but "great" was taken, so here we are. Ideas come from all kinds of places. I come across them through the magazines, websites and blogs I read, the television I watch, and even the people I talk to (for my grammar militants "the people to whom I talk.") --speaking of which, did I put the period in the right place...but I digress....I wanted to find a way to share the information with people and also store it so I don't have post-it notes and random pages of magazines lying around.  I thought if I found this information interesting then there might be a few other people who find them interesting as well.  So, the informaiton will probably be centered around the following topics: money (saving it and getting it), recycling, reducing and reusing, and probably a little about health and wellness.  I hope you enjoy the posts.