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Important Car Maintenance Before Winter
Winter can be a difficult time for your car engine. Falling temperatures can make your belts contract and cause the moving parts in your engine to dry out more quickly. It is a good idea to visit a professional auto repair service in the early autumn to make sure that all of your car’s systems are ready for the winter.
An engine inspection is even more important when you notice a noise in car. Engine noises can mean that your oil is dangerously low or that something is not properly aligned in the engine. An auto repair service can perform a comprehensive engine inspection to discover anything that might be causing the noise in car before it becomes an expensive problem to fix.
Extremely low temperatures can cause your car’s battery to die if it is too old or weak. It is much more comfortable to have an auto technician check your car battery during a scheduled inspection than to find yourself stranded in a parking lot with a dead battery. An auto repair service will have the right tools to check your battery strength without even removing the battery from the car. The inspection is quick and inexpensive, but can save you quite a lot of trouble during a cold winter. If you do need a new battery, the shop can install one for you on the spot.
3 Home Repairs You Must Do Right Away
If you are the proud owner of a home and have been living there for many years, you are probably accustomed to the daily noises that are particular to your home. It is understandable
you are used to those noises and pay no particular attention to them because you hear them every day. But, keep in mind that some noises can be an indication of more serious problems in the home. Therefore, it is important for you to take action to avoid costly repairs. Here are three home repairs you must do right away before they become a serious problem.
Drain pipes
If you notice the kitchen sink is not emptying as quickly as before, or you hear gurgling noises when you use the sink or run the dishwasher, you probably have a clogged kitchen pipe. Any gurgling noises you have in any sink or bathtub means your pipes have a blockage that will eventually stop the drainage in those places. Calling a plumber before you have an emergency it’s the only solution for this problem. Furthermore, in less than an hour, a plumber will unblock any problem you have and will clear the way for the drainage to continue flawlessly. If you wait and let the problem continue, or have an emergency, you will pay extra for any plumber to come and fix the problem. It is better by far to be proactive and get a solution to the problem as soon as you notice there is something wrong.
Clogged Gutters
In the Northeast Ohio area, the fall season is full of chores every homeowner must do to prepare their home for winter. Clean gutters are one of those chores that if you forget to do or choose to ignore to do it, can become expensive later on. After the leaves have fallen and before the cold weather sets in, cleaning the gutters should take precedent over many other chores. Clogged gutters mean the rainfall and melted snow will pool around the foundation of the home and eventually seeped into the basement. If the gutters are clogged, you will hear the puddles forming around the foundation during a heavy storm. The damage might not be evident right away, but the damage is there and can become an expensive fix to do. If and when the gutters are clean, every homeowner should make sure the spouting is firmly in place and they are not damaged. If the spouting is damaged, it can easily be replaced at very little cost.
Leaky Roofs
A leak on the roof might not be too costly to repair if it’s small and it’s done quickly. A roof with a leak that is not fixed quickly is bound to be expensive to fix. If your roof is old and needs to be replaced, it is better to do it right away. As homeowners, we tend to postpone home repairs because we cannot afford them at that particular moment, and it is very unwise to do so. Postponing fixing a leaky roof is financially irresponsible and will be more expensive in the long run. Call at least three companies and ask for a quote and references. You can Google them before you call to find out what customers are saying about the company. Look for good and bad reviews about them, and when calling them, ask a question that is particular to your problem.
There are many home repairs that are very expensive to do if they are ignored. And many homeowners believe they cannot repair them right away unless those repairs are absolutely necessary. On the other hand, fixing roofs, gutters, spouting, and pipes in the home before it is an emergency, can save you money, and many headaches in the future as well. It is imperative you do not postpone any of these repairs for the future. You, without professional advice, can distinguish between a problem you can fix or one that requires professional help.
Teens and Technology
The time our children spend glued to their phones seems unhealthy to many parents, and although it is an activity we all do, it seems it is not as unhealthy as we thought it was for a teenager. According to recent studies about the impact, the use of technology has on the well-being of adolescents found it is not as harmful as we think it is. Mainly, because such adolescents do not view their technology usage as harmful. And, secondly, according to the review, global mental health problems have not increased in recent decades. In other words, the increased usage of technology-driven gadgets-smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.,- by teenagers is not considered to negatively affect their mental health.
Notwithstanding such studies’ findings, the time teenagers spend on their smartphones or tablets might keep them away from other constructive endeavors. If you are a concerned parent and want to minimize their time spent using their iPhone, here are 8 tips to help you breach the subject.
- If you are a concerned parent and find your teens’ smartphone usage unhealthy, read bout recent studies about the topic before engaging in a losing battle with your teen. Instead, try to have a calm conversation with your child or teen about their smartphone usage and ask them what they think it’s the right amount of time for them.
- Compromise but do not set rules they will find unfair. If they have done their homework and extracurricular activities and they are relaxing, let them do it peacefully. Respect their free time, even if they choose to spend it with their smartphone.
- Encourage them to practice an activity to help them build a skill instead of using their smartphone. Music, painting, drawing, or a physical activity class will keep them away from the smartphone while developing a life skill they will appreciate later in life.
- Ask them to read a book. There are lists of books for teenagers that will surely capture their interest. You can research a library’s teen recommendations together to find the perfect book to read.
- Exercise together if you can. Biking and hiking are two activities teenagers can do with their parents without feeling embarrassed about spending time with them.
- Be an example to follow. If you cannot put your own smartphone down, you cannot ask your teenager to do it. Grab a book or seek your child to start a conversation. Ask them about school, friends, or even the videos they are watching on their smartphones. You can always start a conversation and ask your child to join you.
- Have a daily meal together with your teenager. The diner table is a neutral, peaceful place to have a conversation where everyone can join in. If you have more than one child, ask about their day individually and offer a comment or two before going on to the next. Everyone should get a turn to speak and to be heard. Ask for silence from the other members of the family till the speaker is done.
- Respect your teenager and listen to what they are saying. Even if you think they are spending too much time with their smartphones, listen to them before you complain. You are the manager of your teen, not the boss.
Every teen is different. They have different needs and different problems. Many of them can easily adapt to any situation and never have a serious problem. They can have excellent grades but be depressed about an issue. As parents, we can form a healthy relationship with them by listening and guiding them, instead of imposing rules and forcing them to follow. Let’s put away our smartphones and begin a healthy conversation.
Daniel Moneypenny, Star Networker & Dealmaker
Daniel Moneypenny is a rockstar at networking, making deals happen, and naming companies and their products. I know a lot of people and can honestly say no one is even a distant second to the hustle and value exemplified by Daniel Moneypenny. I have had numerous conversations with people who have just met him, and then been introduced to me as we have some things in common. They always start by asking, “Is he for real?” My answer is always the same. Yes. But you better be serious because it is drinking from a firehose. He is going to connect you with a lot of great people and make things happen, and you must be ready to keep up.
I had a chance to interview Daniel Moneypenny, Founder of Emaginit and Capture Qwest, in his home.
How did Daniel Moneypenny get started and develop himself into a top networker?
In high school, I got “C’s and D’s.” Then “went to the military, the 82nd Infantry Airborne, in Wiesbaden, Germany. I ran track for the army track team. And I was part of the Prix LeClerc team.” After he came back from the service, he did his undergrad from 26 – 30 and got almost all A’s. An English professor noticed he was excelling at writing and encouraged the skill.
Before long, Daniel had “a couple of businesses, a running store, an antique shop, had the first Finish Line running store in the country.” This led to him developing ads for his businesses and other businesses and doing some branding work. Within a short period of time, people recognized his talents and his fees escalated, turning into a lucrative branding business. “We ramped it up from $500 in the name up to 30, 40, 50k for a name, which is a fact, and for large names of billion-dollar companies. We’ve named many billion-dollar companies around the world and hundreds of products.” The whole time, he was also building his Rolodex and developing his network.
Daniel continued to go into more detail, “So I took all the branding, all those relationships. Because they are very discreet, they are very personalized relationships, people must trust you, you’re going to go away and create for them. I was always a zero-fee guy, meaning if I did not get a trademarkable entity, I did not get the fee. We have a 94% success rate. So that was a good way to build a reputation. You cannot charge people money for stuff they can’t use, although a lot of people did that back in the day. So, I had all these relationships over the first 18 years of branding and talking to people, and networking. I starting to do professional networking, even while still doing branding. “
Over time, Daniel explained he developed relationships with over 41,000 companies. I asked him how he manages so many relationships.
“We network with about 41,000 firms and make connections with about 1,200 people that are in an exclusive network. They pay a front-end fee to join and then commissions on the back end. So, the branding lead into the networking and that led to the M&A.”
So, branding leads to networking, which naturally leads to helping people with bigger deals, and a Mergers and Acquisitions service. We have a “big wheel of buyers and sellers and my partner Sean Coleman and I are currently in about 70 deals. So, branding and relationships are turned into networking. That turned into deals, buying, selling, finding, doing recaps. And we get a finder’s fee.” Daniel went on to stress it is always a win, win, win relationship.
How do you manage your network of people who you work with?
Daniel answered, “It is almost impossible… but we have some good people in the network. We vet them before they come in. And we watch them as we go along. Occasionally, somebody will cheat us, we kick them out. We do not sue them. But we kick them out, they can never come into our network again. It’s the 80/20 rule of 50 years ago, almost still goes today in anything, but it’s more like 85/15, I think has moved into that. I think there’s 50% of people that can still provide you with most of your revenue.”
How many things have you branded roughly, and do you have some examples?
1000s. We have samples all over the website, all through the website so you can see them. Lots of company names, lots of product names, lots of product extension names, lots of corporate identities, product campaigns taglines that campaigns. I started out they were called slogans in the 70s. a slogan was $500 in corporate positioning statements $20,000 there is a difference in language there.
How many businesses have you been involved with that people have bought, sold, or raised money for?
“I have been part of many deals. People have bought many nice-sized businesses through us. Smaller deals where a business was sold or raise money for, another 30+” replied Mr. Moneypenny.
What is the most fun thing you do and what is the least fun thing you need to do?
“The most fun thing I do is obviously see my family happy. I like to work out, I have a lot of friends I work out with. I love history. I love to travel. The least fun thing to do. Accounting, end of the year, things like that. Anything to do with a myriad of numbers. I do not like that. But I like connecting. Literally, we connect 1,000s of people in a year.”
Does Daniel Moneypenny stop networking on vacation?
No. Much, much to the dismay of my wife. No, I mean, I do back off. No, I mean, as soon as we go to the beach or go for sushi, I take cards with me. I am never not networking. And that is a good thing. And a lot of ways. I mean, I do turn off. And when I am at home I do decompress quite a bit. But I am always networking and I mean ALWAYS.”
What does an average day look like for you?
My routine would be I’m up really early, like 5:00 to 5:30. I read the papers and work on some emails and things like that. Light stuff. Then working out. I like to kick back on Sundays and stuff like that. But my days are chopped up between in-person meetings, lots of electronic correspondence, some phone calls. I don’t really like phone calls or Zoom calls. I really like to be with someone, look at them and see them. But an average day is just a very robust busy day doing a lot of things, often including travel, for a lot of people and taking care of my family, they take care of me.
Do you do Pro Bono work?
We also help a lot of people out. It is not all about us. We are sharing our success with people all the time. On our website under who we are, there’s a pro bono page with several hundred, 501 C3 and entities that we give time, money, creative and all those things to. Daniel made sure to point out that “Time is money, and money is time.”
Who should reach out to you and how can they find out more about you?
I think that is a good point to make for something like this where people might see the word networking and think you just want to meet anyone. You generally will make money on any kind of transaction that you help create. That is how you make your money.
Daniel Moneypenny explained, “That’s how I make my living. I still do the branding, and then the network, where receiving commissions on things from people that were placing new business, the network is when people have a business, and they want to have more business driven into it. Instead of spending a lot of money for a sales team, they can have us come in for a small front-end fee and commissions on the back end of everything that we send them.
But yeah, so almost everything can be sold. Almost everything has a price. Not everyone is for sale, till sometimes you ask them. I have no problem asking someone if they would entertain an exit. And sometimes they say no. And the next day they are calling you. You never know. It is all strategic. It is all timing.
We all know that timing is everything, and it could not be truer than today. And with the baby boomers like me, coming out of 911, the 2008, 2009 real estate problem, and then COVID, there are a lot of transactions going on right now. People between 60 and 80 have had it and they want to maybe settle down and spend some of the hard-earned money that they have spent a lifetime building. So that is why it is very robust right now. And everyone knows that. And it is a good time. It is a good time to be out there. And you never know who you are standing next to. You never know who you’re going to meet. So, it is always good to be nice to people. Talk to everyone. If you can, if you have an opportunity, help them out – you just might be standing next to your future.“
Sage advice from Daniel Moneypenny. I want to thank him for taking the time to invite me to his home and do this interview. If you want to find out more about Daniel Moneypenny’s Branding service, Network Service, or M&A service, follow those links. His website is a wealth of information from his client, his pro bono work, and his network. It only takes a few minutes to see how wide his personal network is.
What Happens When You Stop Drinking Alcohol?
This is NOT an article about not drinking for two years, or about substance abuse. I am writing this based on personal experience of developing a bad habit of drinking too frequently in the afternoons and evenings, even though it did not appear to have a negative impact because I was not getting drunk.
There is a large group of people out where who are casual drinkers, who probably drink more frequently than they intended. I, for one, thought a glass or two of wine daily was good for me, years ago when I started the habit. Of course, that usually turned into 3-5 glasses in an evening.
Over the last year, I have stopped entirely for a few weeks and then gone back to drinking again, several times. This has given me a real insight into the positive outcomes of cutting way back on alcohol. I have good data because I wear a fitness tracker and pay attention to the data. I also run a business and am acutely aware of productivity. Not just butt in seat time, but actually getting shit done.
One important point about this is that one day, either drinking or stopping drinking, is just a blip with little effect. What I mean by that is the positive effects I list below get stronger the longer you do not drink, and if one day you have a couple of drinks, but do not “start back up” drinking regularly, you are not going to lose all the progress you make. This article is about changing your trend of drinking from regularly to rarely, and these effects will show themselves over time.
Productivity
When drinking regularly, I would never work at night unless there was a client emergency. In fact, sometimes I would have a drink at 3 or 4 and really not do much but read the news in the afternoon. One I stopped drinking for more than a week, I actually got rather bored in the afternoons and became much more productive. When working on projects I enjoyed, I would even work late into the evening because I liked the work, I was focused, and I was making money. This added thousands of dollars to my revenue per month and I became better at getting things done and learning new things.
Weight Loss
As someone who is not in their 20’s anymore, losing weight and keeping weight off is more difficult. I would say I eat extremely healthy compared to average, but alcohol leads to eating more other carbs, and that leads to steady weight gain and difficulty losing it again. The best example is recently I went on a slow-carb diet where I cut out obvious carbs. I know I can lose weight very steadily on this diet, as I have done it before. In the first couple of days, not drinking, I lost nearly 6lb. Then a negative experience with someone gave me an excuse to have a drink, which led to 4 days of drinking wine again steadily. Even though the diet remained perfect, I gained 2lb during that time. The only difference was the wine, and it was not excessive. Three days of cutting out the wine resulted in another 5lb of weight loss. Especially if you are a little older, you simply cannot lose weight while drinking alcohol.
Better Sleep
This should come as no surprise to anyone, but on average, you sleep better when you are not drinking regularly. There are other factors like exercise, but alcohol does affect sleep, and sleep is critical to your health and wellbeing. What I found is that actually, drinking can help you fall asleep faster in the evening, but the issue is that you get a lower quality of sleep and for me, I frequently woke up at 3 AM not feeling great, and at that point, I would have trouble going back to sleep. This often resulted in only 5 hours of sleep or less overall. Not drinking would result in about 6.5 hours of sleep or better. This is tracked in the smart device I wear and is based on data, not my personal opinion.
Exercise
For years, I rarely miss a day of getting a good 4-mile walk in, at a minimum. While not intense, I prefer the low impact regularity of it, and I play tennis and am active in other things as well. While drinking I did do all these things. But by not drinking I did them better. It basically came down to feeling better and simply skipping fewer days, because I didn’t have the excuse of feeling sore or crappy. The net might only be 10% more exercise when not drinking, but 10% more exercise over a year adds up to a lot more fitness activity.
Savings
People that go out and drink spend a lot per month. Over time, I really started just drinking to relax at home, which resulted in my only spending $200 to $300 a month on alcohol. While not outrageous, that is over $3,000 a year which could have been invested, used to fix up something in the house, or reduce high-interest debt. It is not a game-changer, but should not be ignored either. Once I stopped spending money on alcohol, I felt a little freer to splurge on things for myself and my family, because I knew I was saving all that money.
Heart Rate
One interesting data point to keep an eye on when you drink is your resting heart rate. This was the most obvious change that occurred right away. The resting heart rate reduction and increase would happen the very next day when I would start drinking or stop drinking. Typically, I was in the Good range anyway because I exercise and eat well. However, there was a range from 65 to 80 and the single thing that made the biggest impact was alcohol. Drinking would result in a cumulative 2 point a day increase of about 10 total points if I drink 5 days straight. Not drinking would result in a loss of 1 – 2 points per day. High 70’s when I drink, mid 60’s when I do not. Why is this important? Less stress on your heart, and it is probably one of the reasons you also sleep better. I am no doctor, but this is an obvious data point that you can see very easily.
Gain Time
When you start drinking in the afternoon, you tend to relax and chill. Occasionally this is great. But if you are doing this multiple times per week, you are probably feeling like you cannot get stuff done. The reality is the afternoons seem boring when you stop drinking, at first, because you are still alert and have energy. Over time you will start getting more done at this time and it will seem like your day has many more hours to achieve your goals and get tasks done.
Better Habits
Making positive changes is difficult no matter what. When you are drinking alcohol regularly, you are less likely to make a positive change or develop new good habits. The fact is, in the evenings your willpower will go down due to drinking. When your willpower goes down, you start making excuses in your head to do something you are trying not to do (eat sweets) or not do something you are trying to do (go to the gym). If you want to develop good habits, try doing them one at a time and start with reducing your drinking to special occasions or one specific day a week, at most. Then when you add more habits you want to develop, you won’t let alcohol sabotage the effort.
Tips to Reduce Drinking
- Substitute Other Liquids – I find I am accustomed to having a beverage and sipping it. When I keep a glass of water, unsweetened decaf iced tea, or decaf hot tea with me in the evenings it really reduces my urge to drink alcohol.
- Don’t Keep It In The House – This way when you have a bad day, and really want a drink, you have to go out and buy it. This won’t stop you all the time, but sometimes it will.
- Change Habits with Friends – One friend of mine always wanted to go out for drinks. I started to offer to meet him for breakfast instead, and while we are still friends, we see each other a lot less because he was more interested in a drinking buddy and not as interested in getting together often.
- Avoid Labels – Whether you are an Alcoholic, a Social Drinker, an Abuser of Alcohol, a Weekend Binge Drinker, or you just drink to relax is not really the point. The point is you have to be clear you would like to make a change and stick to a reduction or elimination of alcohol.
- Track progress – I found an app called LESS – Alcohol Tracker that is very light, no groups, and does not sell anything. It just tracks your days without drinking to encourage you to keep streaks up.
- Don’t let a drink trick you – When you have one drink, realize your mind will start saying “You already had one, might as well have another…” and the same might go from one day to the next, with reasoning like “You already messed up the week, might as well enjoy it and drink again today.” Or you might even just hear that little voice in your head “…it’s Thursday night…it’s Friday… it’s Saturday … I just mowed the lawn and it is so hot… “ Practice shutting down those excuses your head makes because it is trying to trick you into having “one more drink.”
- Seek Treatment – if you are struggling to make a change that sticks, seek treatment. It is a struggle for many people, and some need more help than others. The change is worth it.
I hope this article is useful to you. Please remember I am neither a doctor, psychologist, addiction specialist, or any form of a health expert. These are just my personal observations over time. I will still have a drink occasionally, but the more I reflect on what drinking does to me, the less I feel inclined to easily go back to drinking most days of the week. You are really gaining more time in your day, and more years to live. You cannot buy more life with money, but you can through your actions.
Life Lessons Learned on the Tennis Court
To say that I was a tennis player would be a stretch. Although I love the game and like to play when I can, in reality I spend more of my time as a spectator.
My son and husband are both passionate about tennis, so between watching professional tennis matches live and on TV or sitting on the sidelines during my son’s lessons and USTA matches, I have developed an appreciation for the intricacies of the game.
The better educated I become, the more grateful I am for the lessons my son is learning that extend to his life on and off the court.
Here are some of the parallels you can draw to life:
Success takes an enormous amount of hard work
Succeeding at tennis, like all sports, takes focus and discipline. Players must be dedicated to their goals in order to achieve success. They discover that if they are willing to put in the time and effort, they will improve and succeed; and this lesson will carry over into their academic life and future careers.
It is not about how many times you fail, but how many times you get back up
In tennis you lose more than you win. At the end of the tournament, only one person goes home with the winning trophy. Players may have won many matches to get to the semifinals or finals; but in the end, without the trophy in hand, they are not completely satisfied with the result.
It never ceases to amaze me how these young kids put themselves out there week after week. Even behind the glass watching the matches, you can feel the immense pressure. As parents watch the outcome of every point, you can hear a pin drop. Disappointed faces are hard to cover up when their child loses the point or match. Emotions seen on the court exhibit the players’ fear of not only letting themselves down but the people around them.
The lessons they learn from losing a match can be far greater than if they had won.
- Losing a match isn’t the end of the world. Life goes on
- Appreciate the small victories even within the matches that were lost
- Failure is a temporary setback; continued practice and focus are required to achieve success
- Experiencing loss and the feelings that surround a loss, can make victory even sweeter. In life, we sometimes have to experience suffering to recognize real joy
Learn how to handle emotions and lose gracefully
We often see kids come off the court banging their racquets, yelling at themselves or their opponents. Most of them learn pretty quickly that this is poor sportsmanship. A good sport gives his or her opponent credit for the game they have played. Recognizing an inappropriate public display of emotions is part of being a good sport. A successful tennis player will use the loss as an opening to understand what they need to work on to become a better player.
We are all faced with defeat in our lives, and sports provide us the experiences for learning to handle defeat
You are accountable, and you are in charge of your own destiny
As an individual sport, the outcome of the match is solely your creation. There are no time limits in tennis. No matter how far behind you are, it is plausible that you can make a comeback and win the match.
You control your own destiny on the court and in life
Belief in yourself and the power of the mind are critical to success
As important as conditioning to support the physical requirements of tennis, mental toughness is what can separate the top players. A momentary lapse in focus or confidence can change momentum quickly and cost you the match. In many instances, the winner is the player that could isolate himself from the distractions.
In life and on the court, always keep your eye on the ball
You can never be fully prepared for what life throws at you, but how you handle those moments can make all the difference
Tennis players are giving us a performance. However, unlike lines in a play that can be recited over and over until committed to memory, or a dance that when rehearsed enough allows the body to move to the music almost on its own, a tennis player cannot prepare for every shot that is going to come at them. The variations can be infinitesimal, dictated by speed, angles, topspin, backspin, flatter, higher, weather, and surface. No two shots are ever identical. The player has a split second to make a judgment on where they want to place the returning shot and how the body needs to be aligned in order to achieve that result.
You can never fully prepare for life or a match. but critical decisions made at key points on the court or in our lives can determine the outcome
I am happy that my son has found something for which to be so passionate. I am impressed with his dedication and commitment to the sport. The young USTA players deserve immense credit for their resilience. As a child, I don’t know if I could have handled that pressure or the range of emotions–or had the buoyancy to continually put myself out there.
No matter what role tennis ends up playing in my son’s life, I am confident the lessons he has learned on the court will help him to succeed in his journey of life.
Melissa Reagan Brunetti
Tennis Mom, Freelance Writer, Certified Nutritionist
Boost a Positive Mindset
There is nothing more frustrating than to be in a negative mood and have people tell you to be more positive. It is not just a switch you can flip. Imagine telling someone “Be more rich” or “Be more athletic” – it takes steady effort over time. Instead of telling you the one secret to being more positive, we have come up with 10 ways to improve your positive mindset.
- Get Physical – Doing more exercise is well known to improve your mood and boost positive thoughts. Once may not do the trick, make it a habit.
- Change Your Reading Habits – Where you are getting your news is going to affect your mood. If you are reading, listening or watching negative news all the time, you cannot also have positive thoughts. Reduce consumption or find a source with more happy topics.
- Change The Time You Spend With People – You will often here that you should get rid of negative relationships. But you cannot always do that. What you can do, at least, is lesson the impact they have on you by limiting time and interactions with people who bring you down.
- Swap In Positive Activities for Wasted Time – Neutral activities, like unwinding in front of the TV at night, can be turned into mood boosters by swapping that time for more active activities, such as hobbies, time with friends, learning a new language, etc.
- Get More Social – Speaking of friends, more social people are usually happier and live longer.
- Develop a Positive Mindset With Stoicism – Stoicism is a simple philosophy that helps you deal with daily challenges and focus on what you can control and reduce how much other things bother you. To get started, sign up for the Daily Stoic.
- Ask Your Significant Other To Support Your Effort To Improve – If you have a good relationship with someone you respect and can be honest with, work together to point out negative thoughts and comments and try to focus on more positive things. The buddy system will help you both reinforce a change in focus.
- Get Away From Electronics More – Be more aware of your surroundings, nature, people and things happening in the real world. This means less time with your nose pointed at a device. Time to think, away from online and email, will help you be more creative and more positive.
- Leave Work at Work – Do you have a stressful job? Practice leaving work at work. If you go home and discuss and think about problems at work every day, you need to practice leaving work at work OR find a new job that does not have negative consequences in your life outside of the hours you are paid.
- Clean Up Your Diet – Positive moods are difficult when you feel sluggish and you are out of shape. Eat cleaner, healthier food more often. Cook more. Then give yourself a cheat day to eat those bad things you miss. Your mood will lift with the accomplishment of disciplined better eating as well as the well-earned cheat day where you eat your old favorites.
Choosing the Right Kind of Deck for Your Backyard
Backyard decks are an amazing space for grilling during the summer, and they enhance the appearance of your yard. However, there are different materials that are used to create decks, and thus, you should determine the best material for you. Choosing the most suitable material for your deck is more significant than the shape itself. In addition to different kinds of materials, the decks that are available differ in color, texture, installation, and cost. Below are the most common categories of materials used to make decks that you can choose from.
- Wood decks
Decks created from wood are strong and comfortable; however, you will have to put a lot of effort into maintaining it compared to other kinds of deck materials. Wood decks require annual cleaning and also re-cleaning some years. Despite these maintenance and cleaning activities, your wood deck is likely to experience breakdowns as a result of rotting, warping and splintering, especially older decks. Therefore, you should apply a colored protectant to your old deck so that it can last for more years.
There are three common types of wood that you can select from:
a) Pressure Treated wood
These are the least expensive deck woods; however, you should perform the installation process carefully because they contain dangerous chemicals. You can choose from many shades, and they last for a very long period of time.
b) Redwood and Cedar
These kinds of decks are very common because they contain a good visual appeal and resistance to bugs. Whereas they are soft and wear out quickly, they can last for many years with suitable maintenance.
c) IPE hardwood
This kind of deck wood is found in South America and does not wear out easily. It is costly, but it can last for more than 25 years.
While wood material for your deck is a good choice as you will save a lot of money, in the long run, it requires a lot of maintenance. Also, you will spend some money after a couple of years to clean your deck so that it can remain in good condition. You will find a lot of information that is available in the various ways to clean your wood deck.
Similarly, it is simple to build a wood deck using simple tools and hardware compared to composite and PVC decks that need advanced tools. Ensure that you choose certified wood for your deck so that you can be certain of high quality and durable deck for your backyard. Also remember you are most likely required to have a building permit to add a deck to your [city1] home.
- Composite Decks
These types of decks are built using a combination of plastic and waste woods fibers that increase its resistance to rot. They have the same appearance as the wood decks, and you will simply choose your most preferred color. Generally, composite decks are more costly compared to wood decks but the advantage is they require little maintenance.
- PVC (polyvinyl chloride) Decks
PVC decks are completely recyclable, and they do not rot. They are more expensive but resist fading. They are available in a wide range of colors.
When searching for the right deck, you should take into consideration the appearance and materials that you want. If you are interested in the appearance of a wood deck but still desire a low maintenance deck, then you should choose the composite deck. Composite decks do not shrink or split, and if you are interested in a colorful and durable deck, then your best choice is the vinyl deck.
Determine your purpose of the deck that you want so that you can easily pick the right material that will enhance the value of your home.
An outdoor deck is a big investment, and thus, you should begin by determining your budget and do your homework on the different types of decks that are available. Choose a deck material on the grounds of quality and affordability.
Additionally, make sure that you ask for a warranty for the materials that you will buy. In the case of maintenance, it is important that you read the specifications provided by your deck manufacturer so that you can determine if you can manage and be sure to pick a reliable builder.
Saving Tips For The American Family
Many companies try to entice the consumer into buying their particular brands over those of the competition regardless of the value or the quality of their products. A pretty product that is packaged well and looks pretty may perform worse than the simple packaged one. As a consumer, you may fall for the marketing and buy the pretty package over the better one, but hopefully, you will make the mistake only once.
Many Americans are struggling with mortgage payments, car payments, insurance payments etc, to worry about other things like comparing prices, weight or performance of the products they are buying, but being savvy about the products they are using should save a buck or two, and in the long run, make us better consumers.
What are some of the items we use daily that can save us some money?
Gas and Electricity: Comparing prices for gas and electricity can save hundreds of dollars every year for the average American family. There are many companies one can choose for gas and electricity, and even if entering into a contract with a particular company, it will save you money. Be choosy when signing a contract, and make sure the penalty for canceling it early is not too much.
Car Insurance: If you want to save in car insurance, you need to shop around. If you have a good history of no accidents or other claims within your company and you do not get any discounts with them, you need to shop around with other companies.
Dishwashing Soaps: According to a Consumer Report test, all dishwashing soaps perform equally well and according to them you should really buy what’s on sale because all dishwashing soaps perform equally well.
I can personally tell you that I do not agree with their results. I can tell you for example that for me Palmolive, does not perform better or equally well than Dawn. And some generic brands that you find on the shelves at the grocery stores, pharmacies or Wal-Marts require almost double the amount that you would need for Dawn.
Very recently, I tried a brand called “simply done” a registered trademark of Topco Associates LLC. By simply looking at the bottle, it reminds you of the generic brands you see at the store. I expected the same results as well. The truth is that you do not see a difference between “simply done” and Dawn. Is there a difference? There may be a difference between the dishwashing soaps, but the price does not warrant buying the most expensive brand.
Restaurants: Despite having issues with money, Americans are spending over $3,000 eating out according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The convenience of having food readily available without having to cook it is very enticing, but the convenience of having no dirty dishes or cooking chores come with a steep price. Eating out should not be abandoned by families but should be treated as a treat instead of a necessity.
Saving is very smart, try to practice the habit.