Archive for Lifestyle

The Plight of Humanity

{ February 11, 2009 @ 9:01 AM } · { Lifestyle }
{ Tags: , , , , , } · { Comments (3) }

For centuries we contemplate.  For centuries we search, research, theorize.  The one thing that sets us apart from other animals is this cognitive brain of ours.  We wonder where we came from.  We wonder what our purpose.  If there is nothing greater than us… then we are the gods of earth. if they are doing right…they do what they do and that is it.  We postulate, we argue, we war….about things we have made.  And these things we have made mean nothing.

We use this power…this power of logic and thinking to construct things we argue about.  We use this power to wield it over others, to wield over earth.  We construct what is moral, what is right…what is wrong, jobs, money, games, suffering.

We make things to distract us from our essence.  An elk does not have the power or reason.  It though has the power of learning and conditioning.  Humans have conditioned themselves out of reason and learning.  We look outside for insights within.  We look elsewhere for what is inside.  We concentrate on what is not and not what is.

Any other animal is one with the universe. It does not have to think nor reason. It is.  They do not sit in contemplation wondering 

Man lived with sounds, not language.  Man did not so much wonder where he was from as he just was and did.  Man created reasons when he could to explain his actions of survival and then…one day…the concept of better happened and all hell broke loose.  Instead of communal sharing and security man broke out with power and deception…..I want what you have….because I do not have it.  Though if man never knew what the other had, he would never want it.

2009 Resolution

{ January 2, 2009 @ 10:04 PM } · { Lifestyle }
{ Tags: , , } · { Leave a Comment }

I have never been good at declarations of resolutions.  Though I suppose since I am now a devout blogger I should have some, or at least one.  It seems “the thing” to do.

Though I will skip the tired standards which seem to be mostly along the lines of losing weight, eating healthy and exercising more.  We all say those things all year…and most of us don’t do them anyway.

Overall, I am happy with my weight now, especially since the thyroid issue was found.  It’s taking some time but I no longer specifically exercise now that my metabolism is getting sorted.  I do get plenty of exercise in most daily activities though so it seems to be all going fine.  No reason to make it a resolution.

I think my resolution will be to make sure I don’t lose sight of the big picture for myself.  I have this idea of how I would like my life to be and I have been working for that for the last few years.  It will take another 2-3 years to get there, I believe.

But, as like most people, life situations can prove to be task derailers.  You know what I mean, you get so absorbed in what is currently happening and forget to pay attention to the bigger picture.

My bigger picture includes more choices.  Ideally my life would be as efficient and low maintenance as possible with a broader range of options as far as income goes.  Thus, pursuing the final classes for my degree.  In a way though, I am sort of glad it had been put off.  I have a closer relationship to my family because of it, I appreciate more little things now…and some bigger things.

Normally I don’t have much of a problem staying on task.  Especially in my work, as sporadic as it is, but the life task thing seems to have been quite elusive so far.  Possibly because I wasn’t ready to have it figured out.  As if deep down I wasn’t sure if what I was originally working toward was the right thing for me.  Being unsure in a subconscious way.

I am no longer unsure, I know exactly what I want, where I want to be at the end of the next five years – though it may come sooner depending on how things go, not rushing it.  Not in a hurry.  I take the position of the turtle on this topic right now.  The freak-out-spastic jack rabbit way doesn’t work.  I should have realized this when I was 7.

What I Did Before the Economic Crisis

{ December 24, 2008 @ 10:45 AM } · { Lifestyle }
{ Tags: , , , , , , , , } · { Comments (2) }

I feel weird now, because I have said this many times on forums and discussion groups…so I’m starting to feel like I’m saying “I told you so”…but I’m not really.  It’s just that a lot of Americans saw this crisis coming.  And I do NOT mean militia, Freemen, conspiracy theories and doom and gloom reports.  I simply mean that where I am at had started to be affected before they were plastering it all over CNN.  Before it was declared a crisis.  Several of us…meaning my family and people I know did things to lessen the impact before it hit….and we continue to do so, because – it’s not done yet.  It will get worse.  Better to be prepared as much as possible.

Some things I did before the economc crisis:

No Television Service. 
Everything I need to know is on the Internet.  News, movies, television shows….whatever.  Why pay for two separate services when one gives you what the other does plus more?  I’m cheating…we have not had television service for several years…but it is one thing a person can do right now to help lighten the monthly load…especially since no one and no job is safe.

No Telephone Service.
Skype through the Internet.  I talk to Skype people free and for $3.95 per month I can call everyone I know with a land or cell phone in the United States and Canada.

Prepaid Cells.
Everyone got a prepaid cell.  No more service contracts, no more running up a bill and finding out later what it is.  No money, no talkie.  Easy enough.

Renegotiated Loan.
Not convinced this can still be done, but you aren’t losing anything by trying.

Renegotiated Credit Cards.
Very hard to do right now.  Most card companies refused and nothing was made better. I did get one to take a few percentages off and resolved to pay the ones that refused right quickly and not use them anymore.  Actually as soon as every one is paid off they are going to be held for strict emergency use only…strict.  Actually they are locked in a lock box at home right now…no temptation in purses and etc.

Start Going More Green.
When I started doing this it was not in direct response to what I thought was going to happen, I just wanted to do it.  But since utilities keep going up here…water increased by 80% last month (it’s what they call infrastructure services) there has been much attention being paid to consumption of everything.   Currently we are using dishwater and bathwater to flush our toilet….yes, it’s true.  With an ice cream bucket.  One ice cream bucket of water poured in the stool flushes it…you  don’t even have to take the tank top off.  However that may gross people out…it is only until we get a better graywater system that takes less user interaction.  Should be soon.

I also figured we were losing money with the electricity.  We have a motion detecting security light in the yard.  Sometimes I wake up at 2am and it’s on…sometimes I don’t think it goes off…rabbits and what not browsing around.  So.. for$13.00 I ordered a solar kit that hooks up to a car battery and put it on the security light.  That is the only thing that battery will power…but…it will last a long time.  I plan to get a gel battery for it soon..but pricing and availability at the moment means I can check it so often to make sure it doesn’t go dry.

The car battery was a reconditioned one from a friend. It was $24.00.  So for about $37.00 I have a solar powered security light.  Electric bill was $25.00 less the first month it was installed.  And the next as well.  So it has paid for itself and I can use the extra $25.00 a month on something else.  Cool huh? Three more times and I will have $100.00 extra a month.

Sell and Trade Extras.
I traded an extra double bed and frame for a truckload of wood.  That’s a week or two of my ass being warm for a bed that was keeping me from working in the garage.  A woman had to slaughter her chickens not long ago because too many were dying from the cold (first time chix farmer).  She didn’t know how to cut them up or debone them.  I showed her how…she gave me six chickens!  Woot!  Saved on the groceries.  Damn good chickens too!  I traded three hours of computer troubleshooting and networking for three hours of labor to fix my truck.  Cost me three hours…saved me $150.00.

Everyone has something they can sell or trade.  Get rid of the extras you don’t need for something that you do.  If you do it before you need it, all the better…save the money…get things taken care of.  Like I said…no person or job is safe.  Even when the country is not in economic crisis.  Doesn’t mean to be paranoid…it means be prudent.  To think that you are infallible or not expendable is a fallacy and always was…again whether or not the nation is in economic turmoil.

Stop wasting what you have…keep what you have.  Sounds simple, doesn’t it?  You cannot imagine how much you waste until you objectively examine it.

More Water Tips.
Wash everything in cold water with cold water rinse unless you absolutely cannot.  Detergents today was just as well in cold as in warm water.  Jeans are less likely to shrink as fast with cold water…so are some tshirts.  I only use hot water when I do whites because it activates the bleach. I cut down on how much bleach I use as well…I tested it…the recommended amount on the bottle is a guideline…not an end all be all.  Only use as much water as will cover the clothes.  Washers have knobs…use them.  Don’t stuff washer too full…puts a lot of strain on the machine and you will end up with some dirty clothes and have to re wash.

Don’t run the tap while you brush your teeth. Wet the brush…brush…turn on and rinse…done.  A lot of water is gushing into your sewer.  A lot more than you think.

Put insulation over your water heater. What you say? You already have it?  More…did you know that you can get thicker insulation?  Most places sell ones that are like 1 inch..you can get 2 inch.  What? You don’t need insulation because it’s inside?  Uh huh.  Yeah you do.  A water heater turns on to heat the water when the thermostat says it’s cooling off..not just when you use hot water.  This means that it will fire up and heat then shut off…after a while it will be on again…whether anyone is using it or not.  The insulation keeps it warmer longer…decreasing the times the thing fires.

Turn down your water heater.  We have three people in the house.  Two take showers at night…one during the day.  Washing is done in the middle of the day.  Doing this there are no conflicts about running out of water with a lower temp. setting.  And all these seemingly trivial things do help.  Every bit helps.  They accumulate…and when you get your bill…it becomes exciting…just to see how much less it is this time because of what you implemented.

If you hand wash dishes…don’t let the water run for washing or rinsing.  Two sinks or tubs…don’t fill them full either..no point. If you use a dishwasher, why pre rinse dishes?  Most dishwashers today get the water hot enough and are powerful enough to get everything off the plate…with some exceptions to hard crusted stuck on foods..maybe you need a cooking lesson instead of soaking the pots and pans for an hour just to pry the food off :)

Well those are my tips for now.  I’m sure I’ll think of more…I’m getting pretty good at it.

Sometimes People Disgust Me

{ December 23, 2008 @ 7:16 PM } · { Lifestyle, Money, Money, Money! }
{ Tags: , , , , , , } · { Comments (4) }

It is not often that I watch television.   My daughter and I haven’t had television service for many years now and even though she is on the cusp of turning 17 there are no complaints from her.  We never really watched it much anyway.  But yesterday I was in a situation where there was a television available and not much else to do so I thought I would see if an episode of SVU or Law and Order was on.  There wasn’t, however I locked onto some show that was currently showing a small group of Kenyan tribespeople and figured it was a documentary.

Always wanting to learn more about other people and cultures, I stuck with it through the commercials to see what it was about.  I noticed the logo on the screen was for MTV.  I thought wow, MTV shows cultural documentaries now?  What a change from the first time I watched MTV when I was in 2nd grade.  First thing I ever saw on the channel was a video from Twisted Sister.

Anyway it was a show called Exiled.  I’m sure most people have seen this show but it was my first time and I think the episode was a rerun.  In any case it was about this highly spoiled brat-bitch of a teenager who was being sent to a remote area in Kenya to live with the African natives for a week to hopefully teach her just how good she has it where she is.  Her father hoped she would learn some respect and learn about working.

Now, I am upset and when I am in this state I can get off point trying to make a point, so I hope I don’t meander too far off course.  I was not completely disgusted with this spoiled girl, it happens and her father admitted he had a huge hand in making her the way she was but this was his attempt to fix it, to wake her up.  So there is some respect I have for that.  I was not disgusted by her whiny and complaining behavior when in Kenya, sleeping in a cow dung hut on a cow skin with no pillow, 20km from water.  I understand that…she’s spoiled so the behavior on her part was expected.

It is not new for any of us in America to watch these types of shows or National Geographic documentaries and see how other cultures live…what they have what they don’t have, etc.  None of this was a shock to me…and while what I am about to say is not a shock to me either, I have reached a new level of disgust with Americans and people in general.

I personally have no problem with work.  My family taught me that hard work is a part of life, including manual labor.  Any time I ever complained about hauling in wood all day for winter was soon quashed when I realized if it doesn’t get done, my ass is going to be mighty cold in January.  I have worked all my life whether at home or out of the home.  My first job out of the home was when I was ten years old, washing dishes three hours on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. 

Anyway…you see how I get off point.  Here is what moved me to a new level of disgust.

I am sitting there watching these beautiful African people share their culture with this girl and seeing all the hard work they must do to survive because there is no other alternative, seeing how their family ties are more deep and loving than many American families….and on comes an advertisement for ring tones.

That is what set me off in my head.  A simple ad for ring tones.  Then an ad for a Visa card that is a prepay debit card…for the people that have had their credit ruined for whatever reason…then an ad for sending in your old gold jewelry for cash…..then an advertisement for the new Blackberry.

This stark contrast hit me in a much newer way.  Possibly because I have finally been to Europe…gotten completely out of North America and have met more people in different parts of the world.  Maybe I’m just getting older…read: more mature. lol

Rich people, for the most part, have disgusted me in the past.  Not the fact that they are rich, but that they waste their money.  Does life really insist you have a $5000.00 handbag??  I mean…is THAT what life is about?  But I realized yesterday that so many people in America complain about the rich….but they do the same thing themselves.  People with hardly any money still make stupid decisions with their money and then complain about not having money and come up with excuses as to why how their life is is not their fault.  Most of these people are angry and unhappy people.

Money ruins people.  It ruins relationships between people and not just because one owes the other or one scams the other.  But how many times have you seen or heard of rich people with drug problems….same with people with less income.  We have created a society of escapists and I think a lot of it has to do with money, either the hoarding of it, the getting of it or the lack of it.

Our entire country is spoiled like that California rich girl.  We have turned into the world’s brats.  Though at least some people are trying to change that.  I am not saying there isn’t anyone in America that doesn’t appreciate what they have and I am not saying that there aren’t any people that don’t work hard for what they have…hell…I’m one of them.

So the next time you are sitting at your television consider the advertisements….for this is what people are buying or there would be no ads for the products…this is what we are…what America is….cell phones, ring tones, how to get money fast, how to lose weight fast.  Botox and Fake Breast Nation.

Some people’s biggest decision of the day is whether to take the Gucci or Prada handbag to brunch where they will purchase a $15.00 latte and not eat because they may actually consume a calorie or two.

It’s all fake.  Our society is fake.  Maybe that is why I don’t quite fit in most days.  I picked Information Technology as my field because I understand the software and the hardware. I choose to operate in a services to clients capacity because I can explain technical things easily to people. 

But I am finding I am too much of a real person to actually be employed by a larger company.  I don’t fit in with the culture of most companies because I relate more to the customer than to the fake pretentions of coworkers.  I don’t schmooze, I don’t kiss ass, I don’t gossip.  I have more respect for myself and my life and what I leave behind than to be this way.

I am probably one of very few people in the technology field that doesn’t have some sort of orgasm when a new gadget is released…or a new video card comes out.  I have very few “must have’s” where technology is concerned.  Sometimes I feel like I shouldn’t even be in America, somehow I don’t fit in to what ya’ll got going on.

While watching that show I actually thought….wouldn’t it be nice to live there with those people.  Yes you have to walk a bit over ten miles for water, yes you have to butcher your own meat (something I’m not foreign to), yes it’s flippin hot and you make your shelter from mud,water and cow shit.  But everyone cares so deeply for each other…and there really is no stress.  Not stress like our society creates.  Sure it would be stressful to get some sort of infection and not be able to walk to water to wash and etc….but to be able to be in a place where deadlines are seasonal….no matter how rough life is compared to how it is in America….to me…it would be a blessing.

I think I just made up my mind to go to Africa within the next few years, I think it would be prudent for me to go to.  Since spending a month in Sweden this past fall I had thought my next trip would be to Italy or Ireland…but now, I am thinking I should go to Africa.  And who knows….I just might stay.

Going Green II (Gray Water)

{ December 22, 2008 @ 9:41 PM } · { Lifestyle }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Comments (3) }

So I have been thinking of ways to reuse gray water.  You know what that is, right? It’s the water that has been used for washing dishes or taking showers or from the washer.

Two main reasons I have been thinking about this more lately is not just to go green…but they have raised our water rates 82%.  YES THAT IS WHAT I SAID.  They did this last month…so I been wracking my brain trying to figure out ways to reuse this water more than ever before.

It’s still good water, and especially if you are using chemical free biodegradable detergents it can be used for things like watering the lawn or garden.

But how to effectively trap it and use it, that has been a quandry of  mine for some time.  I mean… I can get some sort of pump to pump it out of the bathtub.  This would require everyone to stop up the tub when they take a shower and then to have some hose going out the window attached to a sump pump to put the water in a barrel.  But I fail to see how this troublesome and technically more expensive (because now I am using electricity to pump out the water) idea is really very green.

I could trap it in buckets but then have to haul it out of the house…not very convenient either.  So what to do??

Well, it seems that someone is ahead of me on this one.  I found the Easy Diverter.  It’s so cool!  Turn one way everything goes to sewer, go the other way and it can be let out into wherever you want.  I think this is totally awesome and luckily, the way the bathroom is in my house, this would not be too difficult to pump outside into barrels.  Awesome actually.

In the winter though it would all freeze…but if I can find ormake one of these diverter systems, I will just have to install a small solar panel to keep a heating element in the barrels.  Have you seen those?  They were come up with for farmers to keep the animals water from freezing.  Basically it’s a kit that involves a car battery and a small solar panel.  The solar panel keeps the battery charged and the battery heats an animal safe element in the water.

Since we are constructing a gravity fed watering system with our rainbarrels this summer, this would be anoter excellent choice to plan for.

Now, I just have to figure out a convenient way to be able to pump greywater for use in the toilet.  I have a basement so I am looking for ideas in what is needed to have the washer gray water be pumped into a barrel (not the part I’m stumped on) and THEN be able to be pumped back up for use in the toilet.

Has anyone done this?  How do I get water pressure…that’s what I want to know because from what I understand of plumbing (which isn’t much), the toilet, when it needs water just releases a valve and water comes pouring in…but I am assuming it is because of water pressure that it gets filled.  So if I divert the washer water to a level below it into a big barrel…what can I do to have the toilet take up that water?

PLEASE, if you have done this or know at least what options are out there please leave a comment!

Cruises, The New Nursing Home???

{ December 22, 2008 @ 7:25 PM } · { Lifestyle, Money, Money, Money! }
{ Tags: , , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Wow. What a weekend, a lot of things came to my attention this weekend.  While they are not at all unexpected, some have been extremely interesting to say the least.

One item of interest to me is the fact that many American senior citizens are choosing to live on cruises rather than retire in a traditional home or are using them as an alternative to nursing homes.

Now, I’m not going to touch on the ones that opt to simply retire and spend more of the year on cruise ships.  What I find far more interesting are the ones that live on cruise ships rather than nursing homes.

Assuming the senior does not need all care possible.  Meaning they can generally get around on their own although they may be slow, I think this is  novel idea.  Since the nursing home industry truly needs reform (in my opinion) and the costs associated with staying in one is extremely high, I think it’s great that people are finding alternative lifestyles a benefit to what we may consider traditional.

Fistly, I did a little checking and it seems that most nursing home standard care charges are around $5000.00 – $8000.00 per month.  You can go on a 16 day cruise on a special for around $900.00.  Take two cruises of this type and that is 32 days for around $1800.00.

Think about it.  You get lodging, food, entertainment and emergency care for $1800.00 per month.  That is less than a lot of people pay for rent…and they still have to pay utilities and groceries and etc.

I think it’s awesome. No property taxes to worry about, food is prepared for you, maid service so your room is always clean, at least nurses on board in case there is a issue…better than a nursing home in my estimation.  Even social events to meet new people…don’t have to go out into the weather.  It’s a beautiful concept.

Although it would not work out for everyone and there are people that have insurances for nursin homes, but some don’t and some seniors don’t really need a lot of help with things, they just shouldn’t be left without someone close by.

Eighteen hundred per month is also cheaper than having part time help.  Let’s say a senior needs about 6 hours of help per day, a bit of assisted living.  Two hours of care three times per day for meals and light cleaning.  Not unreasonable.  However, if they have no insurance for this type of care and they have an agency that supplies home care workers come in to do this, they would approximately pay upwards of $2800.00 based on a 31 day month.  And the senior STILL of course has to pay for rent or mortgage, food, utilities, and whatever else.  They could take these cruises and have the same, if not better circumstances, for around $1000.00 less per month and not have any other bills besides items they want and medical items.  That is…if they sold their home.

Even if they didn’t sell their home, but disconnected unnecessary utilities while they were absent…they could still cruise the world and spend less than if they had a 6 hour home care worker daily that just made meals and did light cleaning.

Amazing to me anyway.  I think if you are a senior and can manage pretty well on your own but are paying high costs in having a homecare worker to do these things, living on cruises is an option not just to save money but have some fun and travel as well.

Going Green I (Dollar light bulbs)

{ December 18, 2008 @ 9:30 PM } · { Lifestyle, Money, Money, Money! }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Most of these are going to be rather short, just relating my experiences as they happen. When the energy efficient light bulbs really started to be pushed years ago, they advertised that they would last 3-10 years depending on the brand and etc. that you purchased. That is you could buy a bulb that claimed it would last 3 yrs. before it would have to be changed, and I am sure you all noticed they weren’t exactly cheap but the 3 yr. bulbs were less than the 10 year bulb. Some brands of the 10 yr. bulbs were actually upwards of $10 just a few years back.

I am here to report my success with $1.00 energy efficient light bulbs. I, too, was skeptical when standing at the check out of the dollar store back in 2004. On the counter was a display for energy efficient bulbs that were to last 7 yrs. for $1.00 each. UH HUH. Well, I bought one and installed it in 2004.

The sucker is still beaming brightly. So, of course, over the years I have changed as many bulbs as possible with these $1.00 light bulbs. Even the light on the hood above my range.

I haven’t purchased a light bulb in years, except for the really tiny ones and the flourescent tube lights I have…and those last a long time as well.

As I was changing over I first assessed where the lights were on a lot or where they were forgotten on a lot. So those were replaced first and yes, I actually did notice a change in the light bill because I changed the ones that used the most electricity first.

I have these ceiling fans, each having 4 bulbs. The light bulbs that were recommended for them used more electricity than a regular bulb. Changed those out…now I get as much light from 2 $1.00 energy efficient bulbs that I got from all four and I really noticed a change in the bill..that was probably the biggest part of the change in the bill…other than I have a teenager who is constantly “forgetting” certain lights on. Viola!

Not only do I save on the electric bill (the energy company increased their rates by 30% THREE times in 2008!!), but like I said…havent’ purchased a bulb in years.

See… I really hate shopping so any way I can get out of having to go, I am all for. This is why I “binge shop”…more on that in another post.

Computer Myths I

{ December 18, 2008 @ 9:07 PM } · { Lifestyle, Technology }
{ Tags: , , , , , , } · { Comments (2) }

Today I have been thinking about my green home. Okay, the house and life I am working on at getting more green, more energy efficient. I will be writing more about my own experiences and ideas with that as time goes on. But I thought, as an I.T Professional of many years, that I would tackle some commonly held myths.

Today I want to talk about this myth of computer energy consumption. Seems to me there are a lot of people that have the idea that leaving a computer on 24/7 uses less energy than shutting it off. I am not sure how this started but let me tell you this straight up:

Computers use less energy when off. That’s the end of it. If you use your computer a lot during the day and feel the need to have it ready to go when you are, not wanting to wait while it boots, set it to go into standby or hibernate. These two modes use less energy than having it in regular mode and on.

You don’t have to take my word for it, you can read about it more here.

Another myth to shatter: Your computer is not going to have bad things happen to it by shutting it down and turning it on. It’s not going to “wear it out”. I don’t know how this one started either.

Here are some tips:
Buy a computer that has an Energy Star rating
Replace old CRT monitors with Energy Star rated LCD’s
Don’t obsess.

Computer energy consumption does not hold a candle to the energy wasted by other home appliances, such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, water heaters, etc.

You actually would probably not even notice a change in your electric bill if you kept your computer on all the time. But if you want to do every little thing you can to keep your home as green as possible and reduce your energy consumption (if not for the bill, but the philosophical and social aspects of it) then set your computer to stanby or shut it off. And don’t let anyone tell you you are going to wear it out by turning it off and on.

Thank you

{ December 13, 2008 @ 12:54 AM } · { Lifestyle }
{ Tags: , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Thank you Dantalion, for services rendered.

Birthday Party Invitations

{ December 10, 2008 @ 2:54 AM } · { Lifestyle }
{ Tags: , , } · { Leave a Comment }

I been recieving a lot of invitations lately. Baby showers, engagement parties, birthday parties….and once again…like usual, something struck me. (I might want to get that checked out, I get “struck” rather often)

Anywhoo…what got me was the time it takes to make them all. That and with Christmas coming up I started thinking about all the thousands of people that would be sitting down to write or print however many oodles of holiday cards.

With things the way they are and all these options we have with technology, you can still write out invitations by hand, you can print them out on your home computer and make them as fancy or non fancy as you want. You can go buy them from a store and spend 6 hours finding addresses and making them all. But really…do you have all that time?

Some people do have the time, some don’t. Just like with anything but that leads me to ask exactly what is your time worth? Sometimes we all scoff at the people with more money and the way we see them spend it. “Can you believe she spent $100.0o on that when she could have done it herself?”

Thing is…if I decide it’s not worth my time and frustration to sit down at the computer, search for proper clip art, import that, resize and redo it, get it how I want it and then print out 50 birthday invitations…THEN have to go and either hand label them or again get a document ready to print labels, into which I need to type every cotton pickin address and make sure I get everyone’s silent lettered Polish names right (no offense to those of Polish decent….it’s just an expression, I love Poland and their people).

So you know…I harp a lot about saving money and getting back to basics for some things. But there are times as well when you need to take yourself, what you are worth, and your psychological well being into consideration and find places that offer reasonable services for something that can be done just as well if not better by another.

That’s why a place to get your Birthday Party Invitations comes in so darn handy. Reasonable prices. Professional service. Save time. Save sanity.

« Previous entries