Mariannes Motifs

More Reflections on Sharing Information on the Internet

I just read an article on Huffington Post about how burglers can use information posted on Facebook and Twitter to identify targets for burglary.   It made me think about that old cliche "loose lips sink ships." 

Sometimes people forget that the Internet is, well, public.  Would you walk around wearing a sign that said "I got trashed last night?"  No, then maybe you shouldn't put that in your Facebook status.  Now, I realize tht Facebook does have privacy settings, but once your network has a few people in it, things can get out.

Here are some rules of thumb:

• If you don't want your grandmother, boss, and next door neighbor to know - don't post it on the internet.

• Don't tell the world about your cache of collectable coins, safe full of money, or when you are going to be leavign the house unattended.

• Don't let your kids chat with random people.  Don't let your kids surf without looking over their shoulder.  Teach your kids that if they come across something inappropriate (and chances are they will... just like all of life) just to turn the screen off and come get you.  Or if they are older, just close the window.   Trust goes a long way in parenting.  Curious kids will be curious, but they need to know the safety rules first.   This goes for personal safety and computer safety too. Viruses and malware are very ofter interspersed in with downloads of the more scurrilous types.

• Don't post about work.  If you just leave work out of it, you can't have a problem.  Unless your blog is professional in nature and your employer is aware of it, just leave that stuff out. 

• Don't vent online about your mother in law, sister in law, co-workers, or whoever.  It will get back to them and feelings will be hurt.  Call a friend!

• Do post and share information that can help people.  There is nothing like the good feeling you get when people comment back saying thanks for the information.

• Do blog - it's a wonderful way to express yourself.  The act of writing will help keep your mind sharp and it's wonderful to be able to look back at your blog and see what you were doing and thinking in past times.

• Do research and learn about subjects that interest you.  Again... keeping your mind sharp and making sure your posts are accurate and informative.

• Do take pictures and post them.  My family loves the pictures I post of my kids (yes, they are in fact the cutest kids ever).  Even though there is some risk in posting pics of your kids, it's a risk I calculate and take. 

7 Ways to Save Money

So obviously saving money is more important right now than it has been in a while.  In this post I am going to brainstorm ideas for saving money. 

1.  Bundle services to save money.  Charter Cable is offering some great deals as part of their ongoing black friday special.  One of their deals is cable tv, internet and phone service for under $100 a month and you get a free $150 gift card with a new signup.  They are also doing a limited giveaway of 45 X-Box gaming systems.  

2.  Stay home.  If you don't go anywhere its easier to save money.  Hey, if you got the bundled cable deal you can watch great movies and shows while you are hanging out at home.  And if that gets boring check out the next tip.

3.  Go to the park!  Your local park may have hiking trails, nature watching, a river to watch go by, and all sorts of free fun.

4.  I have been using compact fluorescent light bulbs for years, and am very glad to see they are now available all over the place and in more sizes.  Yes they may cost more in the first place but they last so much longer and are cheaper to run.

5.  Use up your stash.  Whether this is crafting supplies, food in the freezer and pantry, or even entertainment.  Pull out those video games you haven't played in a while.  Cook dinner out of the pantry and freezer, make a project out of stashed scrapbooking supplies or yarn.

6.   Cancel services you don't need.  Not going to the gym?  Not using Netflix?  Cancel those recurring charges.

7.  Rechargeable batteries and charger can save money over regular disposable batteries.  My wireless mouse and keyboard just eat up AA batteries so now I am using the recharables.

 

Simple Automated Online Business

The 70th most popular search on google today is "simple automated online business."  There are folks out there peddling turnkey business opportunities - the compute program does all the work - all you have to do is cash the checks.

Guess what?  If it were that simple the people selling you the software would be doing it themselves, not trying to ge you to buy their magical turnkey solution.

There is no get rich quick scheme.  Getting rich takes time, work, and smarts.  If you have those three things, you too can make money on the internet.  Or for that matter in your local community.  However, starting a business takes more than just writing and cashing checks.  It takes creating a relationship with your customers, and providing a useful service or product.

In this blog, my service is the blog posts I write.  I have have some free patterns, recipes, digital scrapbooking tutorals, and the ever popular holiday coloring pages links.  I put some work into the blog, and in return I get a few dollars worth of ad revenue, and even some Amazon affiliate bucks.  Believe me I am not yet buying my retirement villa in Italy - but I do make $20-$30 a week.  And I think that's pretty cool.  Its $30 more than nothing.  I use the money as my mad money for snagging up good shopping deals. 

SO take it from someone who has tried to take over the world with Internet Entrepeneurship, it is not smooth sailing. There is money to be made but you have to take it step by step.  And you have to have something to say. 

Just like there are no magic weight loss pills that will allow you to lose weight without eating right and exercising, there is no magic automated online business that will bring checks flowing to your door with no work.

Jin's plans for Certification

As part of his program at Strayer (Bachelors degree in IT Networking) Jin will also study for Cisco certification.  This is a very prestigious certification in the field right now, and one of the harder vendor certs to achieve.  Of course Cisco is the leader in network equipment - I don't need to tell you that.

If you follow the link above it will take you to the Cisco webpages for information on training and certifications.

In the Information Technology field it is very important to always keep your skills up to date.  Software, hardware, and infrastructure is always changing, and for your career to grow you have to change as well.  The best people in the highest demand are those who have a combination of old school skills and cutting edge skills and can make everything work together.  For example, I know (oldschool) Unix Sendmail administration, Lotus Domino, Microsoft Exchange, Blackberry Enterprise Server, and (cutting edge) ActiveSynch for iPhone.  Put it all together and it makes one killer email administrator.  (shucks, no need to applaud)

I have been IBM certified in Lotus Notes and Domino Administration for many years, and my expertise and experience coupled with the cert have translated into a great career for me.  Jin is an A+  certified hardware Engineer, which has also been a real help in his career building.  Now that he is getting his BA degree and Cisco certification, I think the sky is going to be the limit for him.  He already has a new job title as Network Administrator II at his company, and got a nice raise the other day.  Yay Jin! 

Father's Day is Coming

My affiliate store AmericaRX sells cologne gift sets, electronic goodies, and the ever popular razors and hair trimmers.  Don't forget to get Dad something nice for Father's Day.

Really Easy Low Cost way to get into the stock market

There is a company called Sharebuilder (owned by ING direct) that allows you to invest in the stock market for a low entrance fee and also features the very powerful tools of automatic investment and dividend reinvestment.  This is a perfect entry point into the stock market and way to get started letting dollar cost averaging and compounding of value to work for you.

To get a $50 bonus applied to your account after your first trade use this link and use coupon code 50G028.

The way a service like Sharebuilder works is that you set up a direct withdrawal from your checking, savings, or even a direct deposit from your payroll.  There is no minimum - It can be as low as anything higher than the $4.00 commission fee!

With Sharebuilder you can get into the stock market without having to have thousands of dollars already saved up because you can buy fractional shares of stocks, or other investments.  They offer over 6,000 different stocks, funds, and other investment options.

Here is a quote from their website about the benefits of automatic investing.

• Long term approach
  Because your plan is based on a consistent schedule, you can build wealth over time.
• Dollar based investing
  Automatically invest any dollar amount, in any of over 6,000 stocks and ETFs on Tuesdays.
• Less hassle
  Turn your plan on and let it run automatically. You can invest on a weekly, monthly or bi-monthly basis depending on your goals and financial situation. Real-time Trade fees apply to all sales.

What to do about too much debt?

Those who frequent this blog already know that I feel our society has too much focus on consumerism.  The two worst scourges of over-consumerism are consumer waste (garbage and environmental damage) and debt.

Today I want to talk about debt.  Its pretty simple: when you spend more than you earn you are going to end up in debt.  I am not going to place blame - it can easily happen to anyone.  Sometimes people even may have gone into debt for a good reason, in attempting to save their house from foreclosure for instance, tide the family over between jobs, or you may be in debt due to an emergency and not having the savings in reserve to handle it.

Or lets face it - a lot of times consumer debt is caused by poor money management, bad choices, tempting consumer goods, and easy credit.

Whatever the reason it happened - its time to deal with it. Here is a link to a pdf download How to Deal With The Calls Guide from Advocate Credit Assistance that may be of some use.

Services like ACS can help consumers negotiate a settlement with credit card companies and other debtors, consolidate loans, and can help you formulate a plan to pay off what you owe.  Be sure to check lots of reviews of any services you might use and compare the different methods and how they might effect your credit ratings and reports.

If you are not in debt take my (free) advice right now -

1. Have your paycheck direct deposited.  Once cash is in your pocket it will disappear.
2. Put 10% towards your 401k if you are eligible for one at your work. (You'll thank yourself later!)
3. Pay what bills are going to be due this pay period.
4. Plan for an unexpected car repair. (tires, brakes, whatever) Put this money in savings and leave it there.
5. Once you have paid the bills for the month and have your savings ready you can use what's left for your discretionary purchases.  Pay cash.
6. Any extra - pay down any debt you have starting with the highest interest rate first.  Mortgages and can be paid educational loans last.
7. When you are on your feet - then you can support your favorite charity.

Don't be stupid out on the water this summer.

A few years ago Jin and I were invited to spend the day on a friend's sailboat.  There was another young woman on the trip as well, as she was hanging off the back of the boat and fell off.  While the young guy piloting the boat was turning it around in order to go back and pick her up she was treading water and looked ok, but when we passed by her she got scared and swam away from the (rather big) sailboat instead of toward it to get picked up.  By then I could see that she was getting tied and scared and not treading water as well. 

At this point the pilot had to turn the boat again and I got ready to jump in if she didn't get picked up this time around as I could tell she was starting to struggle.  Thankfully Mike grabbed her and all was well.

When I was a kid my parents bought a small sailfish type sailboat and my brother and I were not allowed on it until we passed all our YMCA swimming tests.  Although I am not a sporty person, I am in fact a very good swimmer, and know how to just float to conserve strength, which this girl didn't. 

As it is Memorial Day weekend my thoughts are turning to the number of boating accidents that sadly occur every summer on our lakes and waterways. The State of Arizona has produced some videos and information to promote boating safety and particularly to combat the very dangerous practice of drinking while boating.  It seems that too many people that would never drink while driving a car don't have the same compunction about drinking and driving a boat.

Even when alcohol is not involved people forget that kids and really anyone should wear a life jacket.  If my friend had been wearing one when she slipped off the back of the sailboat we all would have been spared a very scary experience!
Here is a great video about boating safety:<
And another:


And here are some links provided by the State of Arizona as part of their "Boat Safe, Boat Smart, Boat Sober" campaign.

Boating Operating Under the Influence
Arizona Boating
Boating Education Online

Tips for Flying

Traveling?  Here are some health tips for flying on an airplane

Get earaches when you fly? - try Earplanes ear plugs.  Also, try taking sudafed 1 hour before you fly.

Don't want to catch a cold?  Coat the inside of your nose with a thin layer of neosporin antibiotic ointment before you get on the plane.  It helps keep your nostrils moist and filter out germs.

Pregnant and flying?  Or worried about leg cramps or leg blood clots?  Wear compression knee highs.  You get them at any drug store and they just look like regular black knee highs but they are tight.  These will stop you from getting the terrible leg cramps.  Also help avoid the dreaded spider veins.

credit for these tips goes to frequent travelers - my mom, who travels the world for fun, and my buddy Melissa, why travels about every other week for work.

Getting Guys to Help around the House and Various other Marriage Tips

This is part 5 of the popular "Marianne's Life Advice in a Nutshell" series.  Remember, folks, this is free advice and worth every penny!  Some of our earlier articles in the series were about what to do in case of being laid off, and the sure fire cure for mild depression.

Getting Guys to Help around the House and Various other Marriage Tips

A.  Nagging actually makes guys less likely to do whatever it is you need them to do.  Its far better to give them a written list of three or four things.  Put the one thing you NEED done and three things that would be nice to have done.  You'll be surprised that a couple of the nice to haves might get done along with the one need to have and you won't have to yammer about it.   They seem to end up doing the nice to have done tasks as a procrastination for that one yucky task you really need them to do.  (You can actually psych yourself out this way too by giving yourself such a to do list.)  So, go get out your ink pens and make a list.  Check out "Getting Things Done" for a great method for doing your list.

B.  If you ask your partner to do something and they don't to it in a timely manner, don't nag them about it, just do it yourself with a smile.  This actually makes them really mad for some reason.  The less you act mad about it the more it annoys them.  Like, I will say Jin, will you take out the trash?  And if he doesn't do it I will do it.  Then he will stomp over there and be all like "I was going to take out the trash." and I will be like "No biggie, I took care of it."  He's now all pissed off and next time he might get that trash out a bit faster so I can't one up him like that.

C.  Marriage is not a 50/50 proposition - marriage is a 100% 100% proposition.  Both people need to be willing to make sacrifices and work hard for each other and the family.  Don't forget that you are both on the same team.  Don't keep score - its not a contest on who is the biggest martyr, who changed the last diaper, or who had the worse day at work.  Be ready to pick up the slack when your partner needs you.  Give them a foot rub without them having to ask for it.