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P.E.P for the Week-5 Things You Didn’t Know About Coffee Edition

By Miss T. · Comments (0)

Friday, September 3rd, 2010

Welcome to the new PEP of the week. Each week a different theme will be used to give you all some extra added entertainment and reading. Also, the number of links will be changing. Only the top 10 posts of the week will be part of the edition. This will not only make it easier for me to post them but also contain the amount of reading you need to get through.

Before I post the PEP of the week, I just wanted to let you know that the Voting Contest is now closed. Surprisingly I didn’t receive even 1 entry. I guess you (my readers) aren’t into entering contests. I might try again in a month or two.

Well, without further adieu, here is the PEP of the week- 5 Things You Didn’t Know About Coffee Edition.

1. Coffee is the most popular beverage in the world apart from water. It has been consumed by people for over 1,000 years.

What’s Necessary? What’s not Necessary?- we need to remember that everyone’s view of what’s essential is different. (@thesimpledollar)

5 Simple Tricks to Remind Yourself Why You Are Saving-like many of us, I too can loose sight of the big picture sometimes. This article has some great tips on how we can stay focused on our financial goals. (@ownthedollar)

2. Coffee is grown all over the world in over 50 countries.

Finding the Rythym- when our life is off sync, nothing seems to work right. Here are some ways to get the bounce back in your step. (@thesimpledollar)

6 Reasons Why Cash is Still King- this article was a wake up call for me. I constantly pay with plastic and rarely have spare change in my wallet. (@wisebread)

3. Coffee comes second, next to oil as the most traded commodity in the world.

Are You a Socially Responsible Consumer- once again, this post was a wake up call. So many different things to consider when you shop. (@dumblittleman)

10 Ways to Get Fit for Little or No Money- my husband and I have been working out at home for the last two months and it works out great. The convenience is awesome. I found these tips very helpful. (@lenpenzo)

4. Coffee beans aren’t beans. They are actually berries that grown on trees and harvested every five years at the point of full maturity.

Do Your Kids Have Too Many Toys- very wise advice here from frugal dad. We don’t have kids yet but I am already putting my foot down in this area and that our kids will not be overburdened with toys. Hopefully we can set a good example too. (@frugaldad)

Why Buy a Car with Cash- we don’t need a new car yet but it will be an expense in the near future. It sure is easy to just go out and buy one on credit, but as this article points out, we are better to wait until we can buy it in full with cash. (@greenpandatreehouse)

10 Tips to Save on Textbooks- it is the time of year again where every student goes broke at the campus bookstore. I never agreed with how high textbook prices were. Here are 10 ways to save yourself some dough. (@thesavedquarter)

5. Coffee will only stimulate your body so much or to a certain point. After four cups on average, you will not receive any more of a “boost” from the brown stuff.

Using Credit Cards the Right Way- credit cards are not our enemy but they can be if we don’t use them properly. Here are 5 appropriate reasons to use a credit card. (@canadianfinanceblog)

Happy reading everyone and I hope you have enjoyed this week’s PEP edition.

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Categories : P.E.P

5 Ways to Energize Your Body While At Your Desk

By Miss T. · Comments (0)

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

If you are like me and have an office job where you can easily sit on your duff for 8-10 hours a day, then this post is for you. So many of us are under the pressure to work harder and harder that we often fall out of balance. Our bodies are meant to move and spending 40+ hours a week sedentary only does it detriment. Does your neck hurt? Are your muscles stiff? Are you feeling fatigued? I can answer yes to these questions and I am sure you can to.

Well, instead of becoming less productive as a result of my pain and fatigue, I have decided to take control and rebalance; essentially energize my body so that I can continue to produce the same quality results I have up until now. I invite you to join me in these daily routines:

Stretch. Stand up, raise your hands above your head and reach for the ceiling. Hold this for a minimum of 5 seconds and then repeat three times. I do this about once every couple hours and wow does it feel good.
Shoulder rolls. My shoulders are often quite stiff from sitting and typing all day and I have found these really helpful for loosening things up. Roll your shoulders in one direction 5 times and then switch directions for another 5 times.
Neck care. Stand up straight and gently touch your right ear towards your right shoulder with your head and hold for 5 seconds. Then do your left side and repeat this three times. I do these numerous times a week and I do find they help with my neck tension.
Roll your back. We often forget about our backs and yet they are one of the most important parts of our body. They need to be kept limber and stiffness free. While sitting on a chair, slowly bend your upper body towards your knees and hold for 5 seconds once you reach your knees. Then slowly roll back up. This will help release and back tension you have and it almost instantly provides a surge of energy. This is most effective when done 3 times.
Breathe deeply. Every hour or so take a few deep breaths in and out. They will instantly energize you and clear your head.

By following this routine, you will get your blood flowing and you clear your mind. This will in turn help you get more done. It’s your choice, but I recommend giving it a try.

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Categories : Get Healthy

Prairie Eco-Thrifter has been Featured in the Festival of Frugality #245

By Miss T. · Comments (0)

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Many thanks to Tom for including my post on Frugal and Personal Birthday Gifts in this week’s Festival. Please check out the great reads included in this festival as well as the great resources and tips Tom has to offer at his site.

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Categories : Appearances In

Financial Lessons From Training for a Marathon- Part 1

By Miss T. · Comments (0)

Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Financial Lessons From Training for a Marathon will be a 4 week series that will run every Wednesday until September 22, 2010.

In November 2007, I ran my first ever full marathon in Greece! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I had never felt so accomplished and emotionally overwhelmed as I did when I crossed the finish line.

Getting to the finish line was a long journey that started the January before. Along with the intense training schedule there were 8 important lessons that I learned from the experience. These lessons not only applied to my run at the time but have since applied to many different aspects of my life, including personal finance.

Lesson 1: Importance of setting a goal.

Up until that year I had never really run before. Maybe in gym class as a kid here and there but it was not what I did for a regular workout. That year, I decided to make learning to run my New Year’s resolution. I signed up for a local running clinic and began my training the second week of January. I had such a blast. I met some really fun people and it didn’t take long before we were a tight knit group.

No matter how hard or impossible or crazy something might seem, set a goal to try to accomplish it. This is the same with finances. If you need start saving or need to get rid of that credit line, set a goal to do it.

Lesson 2: Accountability.

Accountability is one of the things in life that no matter how hard we may try to avoid it sometimes, it is always there. We need to be held accountable for our actions. When it came to my training, I trained with a friend. Every Saturday we would meet at 8 am to go for our distance run of the week. As we got into higher mileage, those runs could easily be 13, 14, or 16 miles. If it was a hot day or our muscles were sore, that run could last 3 hours or more. It could seem like a daunting feet and I could easily have become discouraged and decided to bail. But I didn’t. Why? Because I had committed to this goal of running the marathon and I couldn’t let myself down. I also could let my friend down who I had committed to train with. I needed to be responsible and held accountable.

It is the same with money. We need to own up to what we spend it on and where it goes. Even if we haven’t managed it was well as we should, being honest and accountable for it is the first step to heading in the right direction. It can be the same with your budget. Your budget is like the training schedule; it sets parameters and guidelines that you are to stick to. Be accountable to those and don’t fool yourself into thinking they don’t matter. It will only hurt you in the long run or in my case cost me the race.

Stay tuned for next week when two more important lessons will be discussed.