Postcards from the Funny Farm

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Do you love sugar? Well, I just found a site that tells exactly how it is made. Did you know there are different grades, or qualities, as labeled by the government and the world? This same site, for Icumsa 45, explains how the highest grade of sugar is determined. I enjoy sugar in iced tea, Toll House cookies, cereal and all manner of foods I eat day to day. It was very interesting reading this site to understand how sugar is graded and the process of refining it goes through before it hits the American family table. Sugar is a huge part of our diet, why not visit an awesome website to get educated about the best there is?

I bore you often with adjectives about my pool. I know, I shouldn’t brag, but this blog is about inspiration and at this point in my life there isn’t much that inspires me as much as my pool. That leads into this post and the product I want to share with you. I have found that my backyard stuff, pool equipment and chemicals look a bit unsightly just sitting out on the deck and I need outdoor cabinets to put them in.

This is a company that makes them and what’s more, they are impervious to rain and the elements of the season. They have products that extend beyond cabinets also. You can build an outdoor kitchen if you choose. You can see an example of them in action in this photo. The good thing about being 39 is that I am old enough to know that things weather. people like I was in their twenties will take a cheap product thinking it will look that way forever. the fact is, if it’s not made well and of durable material, it won’t. These cabinets are made well, see the site for all the details.  I highly recommend you check them out to see if they’re for you.

Every Father’s day my wife and I have the same question: “What the heck are gonna get for him?” respectively. My dad is a successful guy who pretty much buys himself anything he wants throughout the year. At the same time I want to get him something that shows I care and how much I love him. Hence, the challenge.

Birthdays are the same thing. Well, I found a resource that will give me a lot of Gift Ideas on these occasions. It’s called Dad Shop and it’s based in Australia. Their Fathers Day is coming up, so especially if you are there or from there, this is a site you should check out quick. Heck, I’m recommending it to my wife, maybe she’ll use it to find me the perfect gift!

When you carry too much debt like I used to, life can become a real burden. This is true for individuals and couples but nowhere is it more difficult than when you have kids. Freedom Debt Relief is a place where people in this situation can get comprehensive analysis and help with their debt problems. Their website has a user-friendly menu that takes the consumer through the various options they offer. For example, in the debt reduction section, they offer on average to get your debt down by 50%. Think of that. Say for instance you owe 40K, they will attempt to get that amount down to 20k.

I have used debt reduction and it works. It doesn’t seem possible if you are new to it, but creditors will accept your offer through this company. This is from the website front page:

We can help you save more money than simple Consumer Credit Counseling while protecting you from the harsh impacts of bankruptcy. We think we have the best solution for most consumers with serious debt concerns.

Bankruptcy has serious credit consequences, as well as time, energy, and even mental-well-being ones. Credit counseling can cost you unnecessary money as well so there you stand in the middle. This company meets you there and gets you back in control where you want to be. It’s a great website and if any of this stuff is nagging at you and maybe your family as well, I recommend you go there and start an account. Why wait in agony? I’ve been there and made it out. Don’t be embarrassed. You don’t have to be there, give Freedom Debt Relief a try.

Unhappy with your occupation? Your dream job could be a few-clicks-and-the-making-of-a-video-away! If you are 100% content with your career, just laugh at the video, leave me a cool comment, and move on. Everybody else: Check out FutureResume.com.

FutureResume.com is a new company I am excited to tell you about. In the same way video dating companies have revolutionized the way people find love, so now FutureResume.com has applied the video concept to job searching and more importantly … job applicant screening. From their about page:

Companies waste a significant amount of time and money searching for and interviewing prospective candidates only to learn what might have been expressed up front in a short video introduction. FutureResume.com simplifies the selection process by allowing candidates to show their personality and professional commitment right on our website.

Folks, if you are out work, looking to change careers, or just starting out, this is the place I would start with a video and the services they offer. To show you how it works, I have made a short video myself for this post.  Vote for me here.

This video is part of a current contest which you can enter as well. Here’s the contest details.

If you wonder how I keep all the postcards flying with no more than a teacher’s paycheck and a hungry family of 5 taking most of it, here’s one way.

With my recent posts on PageRank and Making Money online being out there I thought I’d take one step beyond and mention a blog advertising company I recently started working with. It appears to be very lucrative. It’s called Buy Blog Reviews and it’s sort of an auctioneer between blogging writers and advertisers. It’s like PayPerPost but the difference is that you bid back and forth for jobs.

To the layman out there this means I will peruse a list of open ad offers. Then, if I find one that fits my blog niche and I like the idea of making a post out if it, I will make an offer. This format can be really cool because if the advertiser accepts you know they’ve seen your blog and she/he is ready to pay you based on the merits of your site.

I think some of the paid blogging companies just give the advertiser a general idea of the blogs they will be paying. In that respect, I like BuyBlogReviews better. I’ll be reporting how much work I get through them as well as the quality in my monthly updates but for now the work looks steady and promising. It should bring some unique topics to the blog as well since the advertising pool is highly eclectic.

I don’t know about you but in my house a coupon has become a valuable thing these days. I don’t know any families in my circle who couldn’t stand to save a few bucks. That’s why I am so excited to share this link with you today. 1-coupons is a website that brings you the best and most current coupons on many of you favorite stores. Three examples of coupon pages I use are:

• 123 Ink Jets
• Amazon

-and-

• Gamefly

Check the many other stores and coupons to choose from here.

My wife is a big coupon collector and I’m thankful for it! One problem though is the time it takes to find and save and clip. With 1-coupons, you can get the latest coupons from your favorite stores all in one stop and it’s online! Make this site a favorite and check in daily since the great deals are updated often. Once you find a couple and use them I think you’ll agree with me that this is an invaluable resource for a family, couple, or even a single non-parent on a budget.

One last bit of info: Do you order flowers? Guys I know you do and gals … there are reasons you do as well I am sure. This company offers floral delivery deals from leading Internet floris.... Definitely check that one out!

Need a project management product for your company’s next project? I’ve got the one for you. From the website:

Atlantic Global’s Project Management Software is designed for large, medium and small businesses. Atlantic Global’s Project Management Software seamlessly integrates data from all parts of your business and making it available to everyone who touches your projects – from the proposal stage all the way through final billing.

In todays fast paced world of telecommuting, email, blackberries, faxing (yes they still do that!), and project multi-tasking, you need a powerful, multi-faceted software to help you get it done. This software has many features I had the chance to sample from the website. It puts together very helpful reports that make its effectiveness clear. My favorite feature is that it has multiple user levels so you can manage from the top down. It has these three roles integrated into it’s structure:

1. Business Leader
2. Project Manager
3. Team member

Emails and spreadsheets can be made available to a worker in accordance with their level that is assigned.

If Work Has You Scattered: Project Management Software can save your ship. I’ve used project management software in my line of work and I can tell you it is a lifesaver when you find the right one.

I’m writing about a subject today that is really really important and maybe for some of my readers a way to get thousands of dollars from a car accident. You know that when you crash your car, the insurance company will pay for the damage. What you may not know is that you are entitled to the diminished value of your car. Sometimes this can mean thousands of dollars in your pocket. I discovered this site called Advocate Auto Claims that can do a free estimate for you which will tell you quickly if you are owed money. Their site is clear and complete and easy to navigate. Why not head over there now and submit a request. What have you got to lose?

What is your Bills IQ? By that I mean, the one you get generated when you take the quiz at bills.com/iq. I took the test and I think it is an excellent tool for seeing your financial situation and maybe getting help where it is needed. After the quiz you are given an assessment of how they may be able to help you. They have many services such as: Debt consolidation, Debt help, and Debt relief. They lay out the ways they may be able to help based on your test results. If you are concerned about your financial situation in, for example, these ways: you’re in deep debt or want to know how you can retire better, then this quiz will really help you towards a solution. There are other areas they can help with as well, so you really should go take the test. I’m trying to write shorter posts that say more these days, so I am trying shorter word patterns such as haikus. So, I decided to write a haiku on my finances:

So many bills paid
So many more to go
Good to be under control

If you take the test, I’d be curious to hear what you thought of it. As I took the test, I found the responses very helpful to planning for retirement and thinking about how to bring down my credit card debt. It really helped me out.