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By Steven Gillman Does living cheap mean being miserable, or giving up what you want? Not at all. In my own case, it meant getting the things I really wanted. Spend less on each thing or activity, and you can have more of them, right? The key is to spend less and still get what you need and want. I’ll tell you how I managed it. Living Cheap - Housing The first house I owned was a mobile home on a small lot. I paid less than $20,000, and had payments of $257 per month. With taxes, insurance and repairs, it still cost less than rent. With three bedrooms, an expanded living room, and a nice fenced-in yard, it was very comfortable. Eventually I sold it for $45,000. Two things that I did made it even cheaper. First, I paid down the mortgage as much as I could when I was working. Within five years I owed nothing, and from that point on it cost an average of $300 per month to pay for the utilities, phone, garbage collection, taxes, insurance, and repairs. This is living cheap. It became even cheaper when I found that I could easily rent the other two bedrooms. I got $65 per week for one, and $75 or more per week for the other, and I included all utilities. I found decent young guys to rent to, and the rents added up to $600 per month, making this more than cheap living, and even better than free housing. I was making $300 per month AND living for free. Living Cheap - Think And Plan With lower expenses I could work less, so I could get by without a car. This saved even more money. An occasional bus fare, and the used bicycle I bought didn’t add up to a fourth of what it cost to have a car. I needed to plan my trips around town a little better, but it was worth it. Until I was almost 40, I never paid more than $40 for a piece of furniture. You have to know what is important to you. I DID pay $220 for a high-tech sleeping bag, because ultralight backpacking was important to me. On the other hand, since I couldn’t tell the difference between a nice, clean used couch for $30 and one that cost $900, I bought the former. I found that when I worked less, I had time to more carefully consider my options. Time can save a lot of money. I paid half of what others paid for groceries, and when I did get a car, I found a repossessed one worth much more than what I paid. When I went to Ecuador for a month, it cost $1,040, including airfare, hotels, meals, a guided climb up a 21,000-foot mountain - everything. It was possible because I had time to search for the deals. I never cared much for jobs, and I worked only part-time for years. I played chess, wrote poetry, and read good books. I traveled several times a year. I met the love of my life in South America (happily married for almost 5 years now). This was all possible not because I made a lot of money, but because I spent less than I made, and used the difference for the things that mattered to me. This article isn’t meant as a how-to guide. I explain how I traveled and bought things so cheaply in many other articles. This is simply to get you thinking about the possibilities, and to point out some principles. What are the principles? Find ways to pay less without getting less. Don’t buy things you don’t need. Spend a less time working and more time thinking. Stay out of debt. Finally, know what is truly important to you, because this is what you can have more of by living cheap. Steve Gillman has been studying money for thirty years (and sometimes making a little). For interesting and useful information, visit his website http://www.UnusualWaysToMakeMoney.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Gillman http://EzineArticles.com/?Living-Cheap&id=171562 best rates for personal loans in canada payday loans approved in the state of georgia payday loanes bad credit tenant loan

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Frank_Addleman] Frank Addleman Regardless if youre a doctor, a health professional, or just a person who wants some reliable information I think we have all become overloaded with the media hyping of prescription drugs. If the ads are true then the only way to a happy and healthy life is through medication. But are the ads true? What are they really saying to us? What finally flipped me off was a full page ad in the USA TODAY by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. With a three tone color background, a photograph of Dr. Robert Jarvik, the inventor of the artificial heart, there it was in large bold print: LIPITOR REDUCES RISK OF STROKE BY 48%. Now that may sound like good news and it would if it were true. In reality it is deceptive at best. Let me break it down and show you how this ad tricks us. 1. The majority of people who read the newspaper dont read these ads or they may skim them briefly and move on. Thats fine with Pfizer; they know that at some later date, if the subject of strokes comes up in casual conversation you will remember that Lipitor reduces the risk by 48%. 2. In small print it says that this is only true in patients with type 2 diabetes AND have at least one other risk factor for heart disease including high blood pressure, smoking or complications of diabetes, including eye disease and protein in the urine. I dont know about you but I think we just eliminated a lot of people who would need Lipitor. 3. This is the fun part. Next to 48% in the ad there is an asterisk* which states: That means in a large clinical study, 2.8% of patients taking a sugar pill or placebo had a stroke compared to 1.5 % of patients taking Lipitor. That means that 28 out of a 1,000 people who took the sugar pill {did nothing} had a stroke while 15 out of 1,000 taking Lipitor had a stroke. Now we get to the juicy part. There are two types of risk, relative risk reduction {RRR} and absolute risk reduction {ARR}. The difference between 15 and 28 is a relative risk of 48%, which the drug companies love to use because it is more impressive. The more important number is the absolute risk which is 1.3%, the difference between 2.8% and 1.5%. Drug companies dont like to use the absolute risk because it is not as impressive but that is what researchers use and it is the most important factor. Lets look at it another way. If I told you I could increase your chance of winning the Lottery by 48% would that get your attention? Sure it would. How about 1.3%? Not to exciting is it. In other words, if you take Lipitor your have a 1.3% better chance of not getting a second stroke compared to doing nothing. Pfizer ends their ad with this statement: When diet and exercise alone are not enough adding Lipitor can help. When diet and exercise are not enough? Diet and exercise are very effective. In fact they can eliminate all the risk factors if the patient will apply themselves to a healthier lifestyle. It is only when the patient does not comply with lifestyle changes that the doctor has to revert to medication. In reality diet and exercise should be the cornerstone in preventing both a stroke and heart disease. The real risk factors such as diabetes, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, and sedentary living should first be addressed before you become dependent of prescription drugs. The next time you see your doctor ask, What can I do to prevent having to take a drug? Always ask your doctor what the absolute risk is for any medication you are considering. If they look at you with a blank stare and say, What is absolute risk? then they have not done their home work. Frank Addleman is professor emeritus at Santa Ana College where he taught nutrition and fitness. He is the author of GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, THINK HEALTHY, BE HEALTHY, available at [http://www.frankaddleman.com] http://www.frankaddleman.com or 800-342-6068. He can be contacted through his website. Article Source: [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Frank_Addleman ] http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frank_Addleman [http://ezinearticles.com/?Drug-Advertising---Are-The-Drug-Companies-Lying-To-Us?&id=523920 ] http://EzineArticles.com/?Drug-Advertising—Are-The-Drug-Companies-Lying-To-Us?&id=523920 personal loan calculaters hard money start up business loans bankruptcy ok small cash loans payday loan chicago loop

By Kristie Lorette During your course of study as an undergraduate you probably aren’t going to be advised on the steps that you need to take now to gain admission to the graduate school of your choice. There are many steps involved in going to graduate school like choosing a graduate program and applying to the program you choose, but is there a way that you can get into the program that you actually want to get into? While there are no guarantees, there are steps that you can take now to tip the odds in your favor. Do not wait until the last minute to start preparing for graduate school. It is best if you start your freshman year and then carry out your plan through to graduation. The earlier you start, the more time you have to maximize your graduate school program opportunities. Course of Study & Your GPA Since graduate programs challenge their students, graduate programs seek out students that are up for the challenge. This means that you should take some challenging courses during your undergraduate education. This also means that you need to do well in these classes in order to keep up your GPA. A high GPA is important because most graduate schools use it as one of the main factors for admission to their program. Learn the Ins & Outs of Research Graduate school is generally all about research. If you are planning to go to graduate school, learn now how collect data, enter data, and understand data. This will become valuable knowledge to have for your undergraduate experience and will prepare you for your graduate experience. One way that you can gain documented experience in research is with a part-time job on-campus or working for your university. The experience that you gain from a paid or unpaid position will show the graduate school of your choice that you have a thorough knowledge base and understanding of research methods. Network It’s not all about what you know. It is also about who you know. Networking involves getting to know the right people at the right time. Starting with you first year of college introduce yourself to professors involved in research in your area of interest. Ask them about their research. Inquire if they hire students to help them with their research. This may be one way that you can obtain research experience and it may even lead to a recommendation for graduate school by your professor. You can also network by attending special events and actively participating in activities that are offered on campus, particularly those in your area of interest. The people you meet and interact with may prove to be important contacts later on when you are applying for graduate school. The more activities that you are involved the more your chance of finding the way to the graduate school of your choice increases. Leadership Role(s) It is important that you show graduate schools your ability to lead. By showing leadership in one of your organizations you are showing graduate schools that you are self-motivated, dedicated, and versatile. In addition, attending the meetings of these organizations can be a critical part of your education. You can serve as an officer, chairman of a committee, or plan and organize a particular event or activity to gain leadership experience. It will prove to be an important aspect to your personal, academic, and professional growth. Test Scores By the time you reach your junior year of undergrad, you should begin to use practice books and software to start preparing to take your GMAT, GRE, MCAT, DAT or LSAT exam. These are standardized tests that graduate school candidates must take prior to the applying to the schools of their choice. Depending on what type of graduate degree you are pursuing will dictate which exam you must take. Don’t sweat. You should only have to take one of the exams listed here. These standardized test scores are equally weighted with your GPA by graduate programs. That is why it is important to start preparing as early as possible to get the highest score that you can possibly obtain on the test. You can amplify your chances of gaining admission into the graduate school of your choice by taking classes that will broaden your background and challenge you, actively work on a research project, maintaining a high GPA, fostering your relationships with individuals that can help you on your path, and by achieving a high score on one of the graduate school admissions exams. Remember most graduate schools give the same weight to your GPA as they do to your graduate admission exam test score. While the other things you do add to your overall admission application, you must at least score high enough on your exam and maintain a high enough GPA to get into the graduate school of your choice. Review more industry related articles by Kristie Lorette at CareersandEducation.com Kristie Lorette is a CareersandEducation.com feature writer that often covers topics relating to Campus and Online Degree Programs and Career Planning. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristie_Lorette http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Get-Into-the-Graduate-Program-of-Your-Choice—How-to-Prepare-Now&id=383172 adverse bad credit loan cheap cash advances 10000 personal loan bad credit how do i calculate federal taxes on paycheck

By Linda Gray Allow a small patch of your garden to grow daisies, nettles, dandelions and even a bramble or two. The secret to containing your weeds in a small patch is not to let them seed and spread their wings! Pick them at the flower stage and they don’t get a chance to spread themselves over the rest of the garden. Why have a weed patch?: Well, it’s always nice to see a bit of ‘wild’ in an otherwise neat and tidy garden. But there are other more practical reasons… Flowering weeds will encourage bees to your garden and they in turn will pollinate your other plants. Weeds are simply wild flowers and they hold a huge range of medicinal and nutritional properties just waiting to be taken advantage of… Collect some of these regular garden weeds, in any combination for a super bath tonic to relax with… -lawn daisies (flowers)-dandelions (flowers and leaves)-nettles (young leaves)-blackberry / bramble (leaves) Crush the flowers and leaves together and place in a 20cm. square of muslin. Bring up the edges to form a bag and tie securely. Add a loop of string to hang over the hot tap / fawcett and let the hot water run through the herb bag. Lie back and enjoy! And if you still have a few young nettles lurking, they are full of vitamins and minerals and can be eaten in salads, steamed as a green vegetable or drunk as a tisane. The whole plant can be used to produce a greenish dye for wool. Young brambles are high in vitamin C content and have natural diuretic properties. Make a fragrant tisane for a great alternative to regular tea. Bramble tea is also helpful in fighting off colds and flu. Dandelions: are very versatile and most of the plant can be used in one form or another! Young leaves are good in salads and the sap from the stalk is reputed to cure warts and verucas. I have tried this on one of my guinea pigs (children!) and it definately worked. Simply dab on the sticky sap a couple of times a day when the veruca or wart is just beginning to show. Flowers: A traditional French country recipe is made every year on the first day you see miles of dandelions in the open fields! The idea is you collect 365 flowers only. Then you use the dandelion flowers in place of fruit in your favourite jam recipe. Add lemon and orange juice. If you want to make more, make in batches of 365 flowers - don’t try and double the recipe. There doesn’t seem to be a logical reason for this but I have tried it doubling up and it doesn’t work??!! The resulting jam though is very good for you and absolutely delicious! …So before you drag all those weeds out of the garden, STOP - Can you think of a good use for them? Indulge in the healthiest hobby in the world - produce your own food and feed your family well! Join Linda at http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com for the best gardening tips, up-to-date garden bargains and her free monthly ezine. See you there! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Gray http://EzineArticles.com/?Weeds—We-Need-Em&id=169365 hard money lenders commercial construction personal secured loans high risk personal loans instant approval pay day western

By Kenneth C. Hoffman I can’t seem to lose this weight - See the hippo in the zoo. What I eat won’t satiate No matter what I do. My scale reads high As I step off with a sigh. So if you like to gloat I’ve been thinking - We’re all in the same boat And it’s sinking! In the first place, you should never eat and watch television. Not onlydo you forget what you ate, but also how much you ate. There must be dozens of dieting shows on the tube, but none of them address the factthat you are hungry, so you eat. One fact that may help is that the smaller the portions that you serve yourself,the smaller your stomach becomes and the less food you need to be satisfied.diabetics with a weight problem are coached to measure their portions inpalm sized amounts. We tend to fill whatever dish we have in front of us and we were taught to not to waste food and to eat everything on our plate.Maybe it would help to down size the dish. We pay hundreds of dollars every year for Fat Free foods. The humanbody has mechanisms to store fat for lean years. Fat is the last energy source to be expended. Our cave men ancestorsfound fat hard to come by in the wild since nuts, berries, roots , leaves and even high metabolism squirrels contained little fat. Unfortunately, in somesense, food in this day and age and country is plentiful. One diet that works for many people is to eat more vegetables and less meatand dairy products. Most jobs involve miles of walking and stair climbingwhich qualify as exercise. It is true that the muscles will rise to the demand,expanding when the demand exceeds their capacity. And there is little fatin muscles. One good way to exercise and increase you muscle tone is the resistance method. You attach a large rubber band to a door knob and pull until you get tired. No equipment to find a home for and you are reminded everytime you go out or in. Another is the crunch device that simulates sit ups.We all have our own natural body shape and is goes against nature to change it to any extreme degree. Just eat right and keep busy. I am a retired portrait photographer. Actually I weigh 180 and am 5′8″. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_C._Hoffman http://EzineArticles.com/?Big-Problem&id=117794 save money life insurance policy loan bad credit personal loans no direct deposit emergency cash advance loans for rent internet personal loans

By Michael Bustamante In modern times, prospective students may choose to enroll in one of several Naturopathy Colleges to earn their Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine Degree. Usually offering four-year programs in naturopathy, Naturopathy Colleges train students to become holistic and natural care doctors. Providing health education that seeks to not only to diagnose and treat patients, Naturopathy Colleges use a practical and academic approach that believes in evaluating the “whole” person when treatment is necessary. Students of Naturopathy Colleges will learn a great deal about this ancient healing system of medicine, which is derived from a variety of historical societies (Arabian, Ayurvedic, Chinese, Egyptian, European, and Greek). While naturopathy is more well-known today as a form of natural and alternative medicine, one of the first Naturopathy Colleges was founded in 1902. Since that time, naturopathic medicine has grown to become quite popular. This has led to growth in Naturopathy Colleges and schools to accommodate the demand for students desiring to become naturopathic doctors. Most four-year courses at Naturopathy Colleges are very comprehensive and intense. Common curriculums offered through Naturopathy Colleges include introductory classes in anatomy and physiology, and theories and philosophies of naturopathy. Second, third, and fourth year courses offered at Naturopathy Colleges are normally comprised of naturopathy and pathology studies, herbal and botanical medicine, bodywork, nutrition, homeopathy, and clinical and laboratory studies. For example, students that attend Naturopathy Colleges will gain an in-depth look into how homeopathic medicine is a medicine where “like cures like.” They will learn how to use this medicine to help promote body, mind, and spirit healing. Students that attend Naturopathy Colleges will ultimately be prepared to sit for state licensing exams. In many cases, successful graduates of Naturopathy Colleges go onto opening their own private practices. others may elect to work in integrative health and wellness centers or holistic oncology clinics. Since career potential is virtually unlimited, traditional practitioners may wish to enroll in one of many naturopathic colleges to attain extended education in this medicinal practice to broaden their scope of professionalism and patient services. To learn more about Naturopathy Colleges and additional learning programs, search our site for more in-depth information and resources. DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com. Copyright 2006 - All Rights ReservedMichael Bustamante, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com Notice to Publishers: Please feel free to use this article in your Ezine or on your Website; however, ALL links must remain intact and active. Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Natural Healing Schools, Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools and Natural Healing Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com; your educational resource to locate schools. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Bustamante http://EzineArticles.com/?Naturopathy-Colleges&id=316048 personal loan agreement pay day loan lenders no fax pay day cash personal loans online bad credit direct deposit