Many people really hate moving from one place to another. I'm not one of those people. I think that moving gives us a chance to overhaul our material lives. It's a great time to get rid of the junk that we don't want. And we can even get some new things to start fresh in our new homes.
What I really love is the idea of giving things away for free when I move. I make big piles of everything that I don't want to take with me to the new house. Then I invite my friends and family members over to come browse through that stuff. They can take anything that they want.
I also get a lot of stuff for free when I move. I don't think that I've ever paid for moving supplies like boxes or moving dollies. I simply ask around and see if anyone can give or lend these to me for the move. Someone always can.
Sure, there are things that I don't like about moving. There are tedious tasks to take care of like making sure that your address gets changed with the post office and getting the utilities turned on. I don't like those tasks much. But I don't mind the process of moving at all. In fact, I think it's kind of fun.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Throwing Out the Oil
I was shopping for Father’s Day for my husband the other day, and I can’t believe how many fire magic outdoor kitchen accessories there are! I mean, they really run the gamut of what’s available for kitchens themselves, let alone for outdoor grilling!
I was looking at all these accessories for both barbecues and built in gas grills, and I happened to see a turkey fryer. You know, one of those deep fryers that will fit a whole turkey. Well, we tried one out last November, and it was okay. But my husband insisted that the oil could be saved and used again. I sort of agreed in principle….
Now it is June. That grease has been sitting in the fryer since last November! So what I want to know is—without sounding stupid because, yes, I will certainly dump this batch before I use the fryer again—exactly how long can you keep grease in a turkey fryer and under what conditions should you store it? (i.e., under refrigeration?) And then when you want to dispose of it, what is the best way to do that? I’m almost just thinking of taking it out to the forest and pouring it into a hole in the ground. Is that okay?
I was looking at all these accessories for both barbecues and built in gas grills, and I happened to see a turkey fryer. You know, one of those deep fryers that will fit a whole turkey. Well, we tried one out last November, and it was okay. But my husband insisted that the oil could be saved and used again. I sort of agreed in principle….
Now it is June. That grease has been sitting in the fryer since last November! So what I want to know is—without sounding stupid because, yes, I will certainly dump this batch before I use the fryer again—exactly how long can you keep grease in a turkey fryer and under what conditions should you store it? (i.e., under refrigeration?) And then when you want to dispose of it, what is the best way to do that? I’m almost just thinking of taking it out to the forest and pouring it into a hole in the ground. Is that okay?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Cleaning Up
When I was promoted to the head of our company’s documentation division, I was stupid enough to think that it would be a cushy job. After all, how hard could filing be? Well, let me tell you, it can be very hard when there is no system set in place and all of the documents are printed off and stored in filing boxes in three rooms in the basement of the building!
The first thing I did in my new position was a lot of research into managing all of the documentation that my company gathers on a daily basis. Thankfully not too long into my research I found a Web site that sells document management software. The software was very user friendly and was and running in no time.
Once that was put into place, I needed to tackle the backlog of documents. By purchasing a few network attached scanners, my team was able to work on scanning all of the documents in the basement, and then we entered the scanned documents into our new document software.
It took awhile, but I was able to get everything in order. I even arranged the hardcopies to be stored off site, giving us more room.
The first thing I did in my new position was a lot of research into managing all of the documentation that my company gathers on a daily basis. Thankfully not too long into my research I found a Web site that sells document management software. The software was very user friendly and was and running in no time.
Once that was put into place, I needed to tackle the backlog of documents. By purchasing a few network attached scanners, my team was able to work on scanning all of the documents in the basement, and then we entered the scanned documents into our new document software.
It took awhile, but I was able to get everything in order. I even arranged the hardcopies to be stored off site, giving us more room.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Looking for Cheap Life Insurance
When I was younger my family always told me to initiate a life insurance policy early. However, being young and healthy I never really took it seriously because I didn’t anticipate my own mortality. After I started a family it seemed my money was going to other debts but the need for cheap life insurance became more pressing.
I spoke with a really informative financial advisor who showed me how hard it would be for my wife to support our family if something happened to me and I didn’t have a policy to take care of them. However, since I waited to start the policy it is more expensive then it was when I was 25. I was concerned about over-extended our family in order to pay the premiums. My advisor suggested I consider life insurance premium financing.
I feel so much better knowing that my family will be taken care of regardless of whether or not I am physically providing for them. We have three kids and a mortgage payment I cannot believe I allowed myself to go without a policy for so long and I am grateful this was brought to my attention before anything happened.
I spoke with a really informative financial advisor who showed me how hard it would be for my wife to support our family if something happened to me and I didn’t have a policy to take care of them. However, since I waited to start the policy it is more expensive then it was when I was 25. I was concerned about over-extended our family in order to pay the premiums. My advisor suggested I consider life insurance premium financing.
I feel so much better knowing that my family will be taken care of regardless of whether or not I am physically providing for them. We have three kids and a mortgage payment I cannot believe I allowed myself to go without a policy for so long and I am grateful this was brought to my attention before anything happened.
Consider Crowd Control at Your Large Event
If you are planning on hosting a large event, you want to seriously consider the importance of crowd control. Having high quality crowd control barriers in place is the first and most important step in crowd control. Crowd control barriers will help to prevent large crowds from becoming confused or unruly.
As a host, crowd control is your responsibility because people will look to you for direction and guidance. Having an effective control barrier in place before the event takes place will help you to direct the crowd and show them where to go.
A barrier is a way to direct the crowd and control foot traffic. Be sure to use the barriers to give the crowd enough room. If there is a tick or food booth, funnel people into a single file line as they approach. This is also an effective method for getting large number of people through the entrance or a check point. A crowd control barrier can consist of signs, fencing, or ropes and stanchions. If you are having a large church event, a community fair, or any other large gathering, you may seriously want to consider implementing some form of crowd control in order to keep everyone organized and safe.
Crowd control, crowd control barriers
As a host, crowd control is your responsibility because people will look to you for direction and guidance. Having an effective control barrier in place before the event takes place will help you to direct the crowd and show them where to go.
A barrier is a way to direct the crowd and control foot traffic. Be sure to use the barriers to give the crowd enough room. If there is a tick or food booth, funnel people into a single file line as they approach. This is also an effective method for getting large number of people through the entrance or a check point. A crowd control barrier can consist of signs, fencing, or ropes and stanchions. If you are having a large church event, a community fair, or any other large gathering, you may seriously want to consider implementing some form of crowd control in order to keep everyone organized and safe.
Crowd control, crowd control barriers
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Feeling Safe in Your Home
Do you feel safe in your home? Do you have a sense of ease walking around your home with the doors unlocked or the windows opened? Do you have reason to believe that you aren’t safe and need to take steps to secure your home?
As a resident of the city of Seattle in Washington, I never felt the need to take extra precautions to secure my home until a series of neighborhood break-ins changed my mind. Once a haven for me and my friends, we’d walk to and from local restaurants and shopping excursions. My sense of ease was tarnished by reported home invasions where the intruders entered the home without the homeowner’s knowledge. My neighborhood seemed to be particularly at risk due to the locale of the other break-ins.
I contacted ADT Seattle and they installed a home security system within days. After researching home security in Seattle, I decided that the cost of the system outweighed the peace of mind I’d have after the system was set up. Living alone, it is a good idea to have a system that reports into the local mentoring center. Now, I feel safe in my home but in the event I should be a victim of a crime, I can alert my home monitoring system and know that help is on the way.
As a resident of the city of Seattle in Washington, I never felt the need to take extra precautions to secure my home until a series of neighborhood break-ins changed my mind. Once a haven for me and my friends, we’d walk to and from local restaurants and shopping excursions. My sense of ease was tarnished by reported home invasions where the intruders entered the home without the homeowner’s knowledge. My neighborhood seemed to be particularly at risk due to the locale of the other break-ins.
I contacted ADT Seattle and they installed a home security system within days. After researching home security in Seattle, I decided that the cost of the system outweighed the peace of mind I’d have after the system was set up. Living alone, it is a good idea to have a system that reports into the local mentoring center. Now, I feel safe in my home but in the event I should be a victim of a crime, I can alert my home monitoring system and know that help is on the way.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Maximizing productivity despite the struggling economy
For many business owners or managers out there, the challenges of today are more difficult than anything they have faced in business before. The economy is in the dumps, people are not spending their money, and you are still forced to come up with some results. What on earth are you to do if this is your challenge? The key, of course, is maximizing just how productive you can be without being at all wasteful. This is much easier said than done, though.
When it comes to getting the most out of your business, it all starts with your most important resource – the people around you. Employees at your business are the most important part of the equation, and unless you are willing to do things for them, it is unlikely that you will get anywhere. That is why you need to come up with some creative ideas for encouraging them to work. Incentive programs, for instance, will give them something more to work for than just a paycheck.
You need your employees to not only be motivated, but also be healthy enough to contribute to your success. This is why going with something like wellness incentive programs will benefit your business in the long run. Ultimately, you need to be looking at ways to treat your people more like family and less like employees. This will allow you that ability.
When it comes to getting the most out of your business, it all starts with your most important resource – the people around you. Employees at your business are the most important part of the equation, and unless you are willing to do things for them, it is unlikely that you will get anywhere. That is why you need to come up with some creative ideas for encouraging them to work. Incentive programs, for instance, will give them something more to work for than just a paycheck.
You need your employees to not only be motivated, but also be healthy enough to contribute to your success. This is why going with something like wellness incentive programs will benefit your business in the long run. Ultimately, you need to be looking at ways to treat your people more like family and less like employees. This will allow you that ability.
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