Oct 16
I had to share though it doesn’t make me look to bright… Before I do though I have to say I LOVE the car I’m driving….
I am currently driving my mother’s 2008 Prius. We have a 2001 Toyota Prius (yes first year they came out in the US and I love it too and would hate to part with it)…. Anyway the 2008 Prius has keyless entry and start. You keep the key in your purse or pocket all the time and it knows when it’s near the car, in the car, and so on….
I decided to go to the grocery store and pulled in. My mother was on the bluetooth talking to me and so I put the car in park and finished the conversation. Afterwords I opened the drivers door and hit the lock, but it wouldn’t lock…. Oops, it won’t lock with the key in the car. I haven’t locked my key in the car in the last 20 years, but it is a nice feature knowing you can’t easily do it. So I hopped out shut the door and tried again. It still wouldn’t lock. So I dug out the key and tried several things including walking a little ways away…. Still wouldn’t lock. Finally I tried reopening the door and fiddled with it a little more.
As a final resort I thought I’d turn on the car and then turn it back off to see if that helped. So I got in the car and Duh!!!! I’d forgot to turn it off. Apparently it also won’t lock with the car running and the key not inside the car. I’m afraid I looked like a crazy person laughing all the way into the store.
Oct 13
Check out http://aprilemery.blogspot.com/2010/04/mammas-bag-of-tricks-quiet-time-bins.html for suggestions on bins. I think these would work well for rainy days besides for quiet time. These also would be great to have for a sick days and road trips. My mother used to store in a closet activities like dot to dots and mazes, and new games for when we were home sick. I think I’m going to get a set of tubs and label them for rainy days, sick days, and road trips and store them in a closet (Road trips I may put in the trunk of the car…. 🙂 ) They could include anything from color books, crafts, games, or even suggestions of activities…. This site includes some more great suggestions too.
I know I have tons of spare crayons from the great sales before school started, so they are definitely going in every box….
Oct 11
1. Have a dedicated Giveaway email and Check it often.
2 Check Twitter, Facebook, and more for giveaways. (You might want accounts on these that are just for giveaways so that you can keep them separate from Real Life. For the really good giveaways on Facebook having two accounts can work to your advantage also.
3. There are some blogs that require email in each comment, you can always include your email in every comment, not just the first one.
4.Have a post in on your desktop or a text program with a list of comments that you can paste in…..
EXAMPLE
I am a blog follower!
youremail[at]gmail.com
I follow on twitter!
@your twitter
youremail[at]gmail.com
I am your fan!
First and last initial
youremail[at]gmail.com
5. If you can use the RoboForm Add on – It makes entering information so much easier….
8. Use Search to find giveaways for specific items.
9. Check the end date!!
10. Don’t expect to win everything.
Oct 09
I just saw an article in Cafemom that got me thinking….
Apparently Social Security benefit statements won’t be mailed this year! To figure it out you need to do the math…..
Social Security Benefits are calculated based on your 35 highest earning years – and are adjusted for inflation. The current calculation – if you are 62 in 2011, take the first $749 and multiply by 90%, then the next $3,768 and multiply by 32%…. Finally multiply the rest by 15%….. The sum of these three amounts equals the initial monthly payment amount. Starting at 62 you also receive a cost of living increase…
You won’t get the full payout unless you wait until full retirement age, it will be reduced if you file early or raised if you delay filing.
There are lots of other things to take into account, like if you are married should you file under your own benefits or your spouse, what happens with Medicare and how much will it deduct. What age is there no additional benefits after to delay filing and so on…..
Finally the really interesting thing is that if you have less that 35 years that you paid into Social Security then those years count as zero. Some people don’t realize their employer doesn’t pay social security until years later. Our first 18 years of work we worked for the State of Illinois at a University. Turns out they are exempt from Social Security and have their own system….. Thus we both have several 0 years. Since moving to Kentucky I have just finally this year reached the minimum number of years paying Social Security to even draw anything…. It’s really good to check early and keep an eye on your earnings.
There are also so many things to take into account, everything from life expectancy to investment income (would you make more collecting the earnings now and investing or delaying)?
