Saturday, May 9, 2009

Frugality vs. Miserliness

While we are doing all we can to save and be thrifty as much as we can, do we or do we not sometimes falls into miserliness?

 

I am pondering on this issue as once I see my horoscope warning me to step into miserliness…

 

Compared to my DH, he is a far generous person than I am. Being brought up in a family whereby we have to save and be independent (I am cooking for my family from 15 yrs old onwards and starting frying egg at 9) makes me a tougher person when it comes to being parted with my dollar I guess. 

 

So, how to achieve a balance I wonder…hmm..being frugal is fun but being a miser is definitely not the way I would want to be…(my DH would shun me I think!)..

 

So guys how do you all keep a balance between spending and saving? Care to share?

 

Hear from you..

 

Cheers!

Friday, May 8, 2009

New investment.....Easiyo...

Recently I have made an "investment" ...I got the Easiyo yogurt maker. Actually I have seen and heard of it but so far have not make the steps to get one..until Shone & I got Thrush.


And KY is also prone of getting throat infection as she is so fond of eating biscuits, chocolates and crackers but not drinking enough water (unless you count yakult, 100 plus- which is her favourite ...water). and somehow we found out that KY is allergic to antibiotic as more than two occasions she's on antibiotic, her whole body was full of rashes. And we also found out that Shone is also allergic to flu medication(hmm...not sure which exact brand)


So since yogurt is one good option for kids...this would be a good investment in the long run. Cheaper and tastier...Plus DH & I can also our dose of calcium from it and I heard they are experimenting and planning to introduce soy version.


So how does Easiyo tasted for DH and kids...the verdict is...
DH: finished 1/3 of the whole tub...taste good!
KY: tastedhalf bowl (flavoured with manuka honey & blackstrap mollasses sugar), erm...at least she tried..but i think she doesn't like sour stuff
Me: Ok..a bit like calci-yum..but a bit more tastier, creamier and fresh :)

Hope they will come out with soy-based soon...not sure if Shone (the next tester) likes it..will try it when he's one year old!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

How long it takes for anger to “simmer” down?

As I am writing this, I have just blowed off the fire in my heart, brain, and mind.

 

And how long does it takes for this “FIRE” to simmer down? 1 hr 30 minutes! That is how long it takes for a full-blown fire of mine to be extinguished…I hope I can fare better the next round (not that I hope to be getting angry all the time!)  

 

But sometimes, this kinda of fire happens and if we manage to handle it cool-ly , it does help to build our temperament and overall ..erm should I term it as character?

 

I have failed to simmer down before …and the outcome was very disastrous, as before the fire was put off, before this, I would lambasted someone or something to cool off or to express my anger. The result, a ruined or “injured” relationship or stuff…..

 

How you all do to contain that FIRE that arise, and what ways have you all taken to extinguish it before you take the “regretful” action…

 

What I did today was just stopped any other action (which includes any communication or direct contact with anyone or anything….and that includes e-mail/sms!) so that I won’t do anything which I would regret later…

 

Then I went somewhere for a walk, (a walk in the nature would be good else at shopping centre (without spending that is…don’t ever spend or swipe your card when you are in bad mood..that is what I would not do…coz I will tend to spend unnecessarily …which like drug addict symdrome…temporary relief……I might feel better for awhile but not for long after I incur card debts!!!)

 

Next I do some stretching exercise and did the old yet useful advice by almost all practitioner of stress-reducing experts….TAKE A DEEP BREATH…..so the pre-birth/delivery preparation does helps even after we delivered our babies….it REALLY helps to cool me down a lot!

 

And now at least I can start to think clearly and level-headedness on what is the root cause of the start of the FIRE and what I can do on my part(since we can never expect others to change and we will bring only more fire if we were to concentrate on what others did wrongly….) to improve the situation and to prevent future re-occurrence.

 

So alas, I learnt from this FIRE incident.

 

Folks..do you ever have such FIRE incident? How have you reacted? What have you learnt?

 

 

Care to share? Hear from you all..

 

Cheers for the day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Top 10 Reasons eBook Marketing Rocks

I personally love reading ebook, my first ebook was Lord of the Ring and my...I was hooked....Thus hereby I would love to share with you something about ebook marketing...

eBook marketing is one of the most lucrative ways of making money on the Internet. It’s inexpensive to get started, there is minimal upkeep and the profit margin is huge. Whether you want to earn an extra few hundred dollars a month, or make a full-time income online, eBook marketing can be just the ticket.

eBooks are easy to create, sell and deliver and services like Mom PLR eBooks make it even easier.

Read on to find out the top 10 reasons eBook marketing rocks:

1. eBooks are popular.

Despite the so-called economic downturn, the demand for eBooks continues to increase. According to the International Digital Publishing Forum, sales of eBooks in the United States increased, from US$8 million in the fourth quarter of 2007 to over $17 in the last quarter of 2008. There’s no doubt that the demand for eBooks is high.

2. eBooks are easy to write.

You don’t have to be an expert or a writer to create and market your own eBooks. In fact, you don’t have to write them yourself. Services like Mom PLR eBooks create the eBooks for you, and all you have to do is to market them (and Mom PLR eBooks makes marketing easier, too).

3. eBooks are “green”.

Because eBooks are digital, they don’t require paper, ink and fuel to print, store and ship. This makes eBooks attractive to consumers, who are becomingly increasingly concerned about the environment.

4. eBooks are inexpensive to produce.

Because there’s no printing involved, all you need to produce an eBook is software to transform the text file into a PDF. This software is bundled in Mac computers, if that’s what you use, or is available inexpensively for Windows users. Plus, it’s super easy to update an eBook and make it more current, and you won’t be left with stockpiles of old or obsolete versions. That said, if your customers want a printed version of your eBook, you can easily make it available as well through print-on-demand services.

5. eBooks are cheap and easy to store.

If you were selling physical books, you would have to think of where to store all your stock. You could keep them in your house, or pay for storage space elsewhere. With eBooks, all you need is web hosting, which you can have for as little as $5 a month (and getting even cheaper). Plus, you don’t have to worry about protecting stocks from dust, rain, mold and rodents.

6. eBooks are free and fast to deliver.

You can “deliver” an eBook to your customer as quickly as you send Email. This is a big advantage, especially to customers who need to have the solution to their problems right now - like the Mom who is up at 2 am wondering how she can get her baby to sleep through the night.

7. eBooks can be consumed “on the go”.

Everybody’s so busy running around nowadays, and we like being able to bring information with us wherever we go. With a digital book reader or cell phone, your customers will be able to bring their eBooks with them anywhere. They’re much less bulky than printed books.

8. eBooks can be transformed into other information products.

From a marketing point of view, each eBook is a potential gold mine. You can: split it up into articles, short reports, or eCourses. You can transform it into audio and video. You can use it to provide regular content in membership sites. Or, you can combine individual but eBooks into “the ultimate resource” for your niche. As a member of Mom PLR eBooks, you’ll get a 5-day eCourse, newsletter topic ideas, and more tips for using and marketing your monthly eBook.

9. eBooks make it easy to cross-sell and upsell products.

A really cool feature of eBooks is they allow you to hyperlink to websites. This means you can add affiliate links to products or services that are relevant to the eBook’s topic. You could also link to other eBooks that you sell, including higher-priced products and continuity programs. This is why some marketers make money from giving away eBooks.

10. eBooks are interactive.

eBooks are going high-tech! You can now add audio and video files into them. You can insert a survey form that the reader can instantly submit via the Internet. All this makes for a richer experience with eBooks, which is sure to make them even more irresistible to consumers.

In short, eBook marketing is one of the easiest ways to earn passive income online and Mom PLR eBooks makes it even easier.

Click here to try Mom PLR eBooks. Use coupon code “10 off” to get $10 off your first month of membership.

Reuse adventures….

Reuse, what can we reuse…plenty of stuff I think…just look around us…from the moment we wake up I think we can start our “Reuse” adventures…let us ponder together…

 

Once we wake up,

  1. Reuse the water we collected to flush the toilet.
  2. Reuse our not too-dirty jeans (wear it one more time?) I think many people re-wear their jeans more than once (or this is what I heard during my college days.. :P)
  3. Reuse plastic bags for our daily disposals(unless Malaysia refuse collectors have a better ways for us to dispose our garbage rather than using plastic bags…from hypermarkets or a specially-designed for garbage use type(those black or blue bags).

 

As we getting ready for work,

  1. Reuse leftover rice for fried rice for today’s lunch? (Yup I do this all the time…in fact leftover rice or rice being left overnight makes a better fried rice than just-cooked version)
  2. Reuse leftover vege or beans (in soup or etc) for fried rice? ( I once reuse the black beans I used to make soup in my fried rice and it taste yummy).
  3. Reuse papers (the other side) for printing documents

 

Hmmm…what else can we reuse? Running out of ideas for now…guys..what kinda brilliant “reuse” ideas you have been practicing…care to share? Hear from you all!

 

Cheers to Reuse adventures! 

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Reduce first. Then reuse, followed by recyle…..so there’s a meaning in the sequence…

Today after reading the article on TheStar Online on “Climate-saving tips” (http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/5/5/lifefocus/3819859&sec=lifefocus) really brings more understanding for me on how to be more earth-friendly.

 

So, the first thing we should be doing is to reduce. This is the keyword!

  1. Reduce from purchasing unnecessary items, check our pantry/stock first. Even better challenge ourselves to have a near zero spending month and used up what we have in our pantry and fridge. I tried it last month and it does helps to reduce my trip to bank to take out more cash from ATM(that is what I always do when I am running out of cash as I do not carry a lot of cash around)
  2. Reduce travelling alone unnecessary, plan our trips in advance, car-pool, combined same route tasks. Or even better pay bills and buy stuff online, reduce travelling and parking expenses!
  3. Reduce usage of disposable – diapers, chopsticks, styroform, plastic etc
  4. Reduce electricity usage, off the power before going to bed, from electric thermopot, lights, standby mode (for tv, laptops, washing machine etc).

 

Reduce, reduce, reduce…any other “reduce” ideas you guys can share?  The above is what I have been trying to do for the past few weeks…

 

Watch out for my next posting about my Reuse and Recycle adventures!

 

Dear Earth, I love you! And I hope my children get to enjoy a better you in years to come!

 

Cheers to Earth and all my friends!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Great contest for Mother's Day and prizes?..Ladies favourite..check it out!



Hi folks, with the month of May coming..recently I been seeing many contests, promotions and events focusing on Mother's Day.


And this one caught my eye...as the prizes is all ladies' favourite...lovely handbags from AliceWonders.com!


This contest is organised by MomBloggersPlanet.com and and AliceWonders.com (see picture above). And mommies...if you love bags(which ladies don't :P ) check out the store AliceWonders.com and the contest site here at MomBloggersPlanet.com and win yourself a bag of your pick (yes, we get to choose ANY bag of our choice!).
I picked mine (http://www.alicewonders.com/proddetail.php?prod=t1000) and it's this versatile bag with stylish design, never go out-of-date neutral color and with lotsa compartments...PERFECT for a busy moms with kids like us ;)
So let's Vroommmm over there now!
Cheers and enjoy!