RIP to my old Hoover Wind Tunnel vacuum. I had to retire it after many years of use. It started giving me problems last year. Dh changed the belt and it worked for a couple of months, then another problem surfaced. We decided to give up on it since we'd rather spend the $ on a new vacuum instead of paying for parts and shipping costs every couple of months. I researched online and decided on a Dyson DC25. It's good for all floors which is important since we both have carpet and hardwood floors. It has a washable filter which is important since these are expensive in the long run if you have to get a new one every 2 or 3 months. It has a 5 year warranty but I hope I don't get to use that. The suction is very strong, and it is very light; I can carry it with my left hand. I used it yesterday and boy our carpets never looked so clean. LOL My only gripe is that the wand is too long and there is no way to shorten it. I'll just have to get used to it specially when I need to clean behind the computer room's office furniture where dust bunnies are known to gather. I hope that this vacuum lives up to all the hype.

If you have kids, then you know that toys end up in every part of the house. One way to help you clean up fast is to put a basket or a bin in the rooms (other than their bedroom) where your kids play. Teach them to put the toys there when they're done playing. Cleaning up at the end of the day will be quicker and simpler with (hopefully) less or no toys to pick up.

It's time for my yearly eye exam and along with it comes the cost of a pair of eyeglasses. Wearing eyeglasses are more convenient for me, I just get up and go, no fiddling with contacts. I swear, the total price for a pair of eyeglasses just keeps on going up. My health insurance gives me good coverage for eyewear but I can only get a pair through it. I used to order two pairs, the other one for back-up so it gets quite expensive. This time though, instead of getting my back-up eyeglasses at LensCrafters, I intend to get it from Zenni Optical. I've read a lot about this website from a lot of blogs and they were even featured on Fox News last year. This year, this low-cost eyeglasses website was featured on a New York Times article. Zenni Optical was mentioned for its' affordable eyeglasses.

I checked out the website and was surprised at the prices of the eyeglasses and the options like Progressive lenses, tint, UV coating, anti-glare coating and anti- scratch coating. You can get complete eyeglasses for as low as $8.00, who can beat that price? Of course, if you want something more fashionable, they also have those in their inventory along with many other styles. This is a good deal and it is definitely worth checking out.

Any kind of loan is difficult to acquire in these tough financial times. Banks and other big name lenders are quite strict in their requirements to get a loan approval. This is one of the results of the current financial crisis. For small businesses, sometimes the only way to keep afloat is to apply for Business Loans at alternative lenders like OnlineCheck.com. You need not worry about the long waiting period for your loan to get approved. This website has less requirements than a bank plus you do not have to pay for miscellaneous fees like closing cost, etc. You will be able to get the cash you need for your business fast at OnlineCheck.com. Visit the website for more details.

The projects we have this year for our house are to clean the siding, add a pediment above the front door and replace the old shutters with a different color. Right now we have blue shutters but because of the constant sun exposure, it is starting to look faded. I saw this website online that focuses solely on selling shutters. They have all kinds of external shutters like vinyl, composite and premium wood shutters. You can also get all the hardware needed for your shutter instalation. All online orders get free shipping and are secured. The free shipping offer is good for the whole year. Right now,www.larsonshutter.com is having a limited 10% off SALE. The prices are reasonably low and we don't have to go to all the home improvement stores just to find the right color shutters.

Not all rugs or mats have backings that will prevent you from slipping on it. There are rubber grippers that you can purchase to put under the rug but it is expensive.

Here's a cheap alternative on how to make your rugs slip-proof. You need an acrylic-latex caulk, yes the kind that is used for windows and bathrooms. Flip the rug over and apply thin lines of acrylic-latex caulk every 6 inches or so. Let dry for a couple of hours. Once it's dry, you have a rug with rubbery strips will hold it in place.

Shopping online is convenient but you can spend a lot of time going through search engines and individual store's webpages. I don't know about you but I would rather spend my spare time doing something else. That's why I prefer to use ShopWiki.com whenever I do my online shopping. For example, when I was looking for a set of lamps for the family room, I found this pretty floor lamp in the search results. This website gives you all the results with images from different websites. You can even tailor the search results according to your preference, i.e. price, color, etc.

What makes ShoWiki.com different from other shopping sites is that they also have tons of information about the products. They do not get paid for featuring a website so you know that the search results are not manipulated. This is like a Wikipedia for shopping. If you want information about sunlamps, they have a detailed page about what it is, including the pros and cons of using it or if you're looking for the differences in the types of low-voltage halogen lamps, they also have it in this website. Shopping at Shopwiki.com saves me a lot of time, why don't you try it for yourself.

We always hear about it, a house's curb appeal is important in selling a home. It's very important especially in a buyer's market like what we have now. Even if you're not selling your house, having a nice front yard (and backyard of course) is good. Who would want a yard full of junk and toys strewn all over the place? No offense, but I prefer a nice and clean yard. We still have a couple of weeks of winter thanks to that famous groundhog, Punxatawney Phil. Even then, I'm already thinking of a project for our yard. I've been looking at address plaques like this one at a website online. Our house is one of two at the end of a long private driveway. The next door neighbor has an address plaque that is on a slab of rock. I'm thinking of getting one like this one pictured here. Right now all we have is a regular house number on a board .

There's this website online called Mailboxandbeyond.com which has this address plaque I like. Aside from this address plaque, you can find mailboxes, bird baths, bird feeders,sundials, house numbers among other yard decorations. You can even order custom painted mailboxes and garden accents. If you are looking for top of the line mailboxes, whitehall products are available at this website. You get a 110% low price guarantee plus they offer free shipping on selected products.

So are there any health benefits in using the sauna? Some people will say that it helps them while some would say that you're just losing water weight. Well, one thing's for sure, it'll help clear out your pores because of the steam. Athletes like to use it because it helps soothe their sore muscles. Wrestlers and boxers use saunas to get to their ideal weight which is very important when they have a match. There are different kinds of saunas which range from the traditional where you pour water on the heated rocks to produce steam to the new technology like Infrared Saunas. There was a study done where it showed that using the infrared sauna can make you burn as much as 600 calories. This is due to increased heart rate and sweating. Using infrared saunas can also help those suffering from Rheumatoid Athritis since it improves blood circulation and can help boost the immune system. If you have low blood pressure or pregnant, you shouldn't use a sauna. If you have any medical condition, ask your doctor first.
Here are some precautions on using the sauna:
- Avoid alcohol and medications that may impair sweating and produce overheating before and after your sauna.
- Stay in no more than 15–20 minutes.
- Cool down gradually afterward.
- Drink two to four glasses of cool water after each sauna.
- Don’t take a sauna when you are ill, and if you feel unwell during your sauna, head for the door

When you're stressed, your body produces stress hormones and this can block weight loss. This is sometimes referred to as the famine effect. When you're stressed, your body interprets prolonged stress as famine even though you're taking in adequate nutrients. The body then goes into hoarding mode. Stress can be physical, emotional or even diet-related. When you binge, restrict your calorie intake severely or yo-yo diet, these are also other forms of stress that can block weight loss. Diet pills like Decaslim are popular because some people want instant results. These are usually not the best way to lose weight because of unknown side effects and what not. So at the risk of being repetitive, the best way to lose weight is to practice portion control and lead an active lifestyle.

It has been a busy weekend for me. I'm getting a headstart on spring cleaning plus I've been looking for the perfect gift. I was looking for gift ideas online for my cousin's baby shower. I'm leaning towards personalized books for her baby. Anyway, speaking of gifts, I remembered that I have not posted an award I received last year. Well, there's no better time than today to thank these three uber amazing people that gave me this award. Thanks to Sam, Joy and Blue Dreamer for this Uber Amazing Blog award. It's nice to receive awards, whatever it may be. I really appreciateit! :o)

One way to save money in your household is to use compact fluorescent lightbulbs or CFLs. One of the complaints about this is the amount of light output is not as strong as the old light bulbs. I found this chart from the Energy Star website. According to this website, it is advisable to use these lightbulbs in places where the light is on at least 15 minutes or more per day. In my house, we have these bulbs in the hallway lights, kitchen pendant light and the light fixtures outside the garage since these are on all night. These energy star qualified lightbulbs use up to 75% less energy than the incandescent light bulbs and lasts up to ten times longer. You can also calculate the yearly savings for your household here. For tips on how to properly dispose of CFLs, read my previous post.

Thanks to Trish of Tripping Over My Tongue for this Kreativ Blogger award.

Rules:
List 6 things that make you happy
Pass the award on to 6 bloggers for being Kreativ.
Link to the blogger who gave you the award.
Link to the blogs receiving the award.
Notify the recipients.

Since this is my home blog, I'll list things about my home that makes me happy:
1. There are a lot of tall trees in our property. It is in a way, secluded, very quiet and far from the main road.
2. I love the open layout of my kitchen and breakfast room.
3. My kitchen appliances. I have a double oven which comes in handy. My fridge has a separate compressor and compartment for fresh fruits and veggies where the temperature is regulated. It really works, the lettuce and strawberries lasts longer.
4. I'm happy the washing machine and dryer is on the first floor.
5. The beach is only a 10 minute drive.

I'm giving this award to: Amor, Shy, Chelle, Lucille and Marie

Who doesn't need extra cash these days? People are looking for ways to make extra income and save money. We decided that we will cancel our digital phone line with Comcast since we both have our cellphones. I'm looking at using this gadget called Magic Jack that you plug into the USB port. The voice quality is pretty good. This will save us $600 a year. Dh is saying adieu to his NFL package (I know, it was a shocker). We're also thinking of stopping the lawn service so goodbye to lush, green lawn. *sigh* One good news is that we're almost finished with the car payment for dh's Civic hybrid. Yay! I'm also thinking of investing in a business in the Philippines. There are a lot of small business opportunities available and I received a business proposal the other week. Of course, as with any investment opportunity, I have to study it closely and ask professional opinions. These are definitely tough times. I hope that the economy has reached the bottom and is on its' way up.

Last week, my windshield was frozen when I came out from the school library. Good thing dh remembered to put the ice scraper and brush at the back of the SUV. I saw this tip that will definitely make my life easier next time.

Wipe or spray the outside windshield with a mixture of vinegar and water (1 part water and 3 parts vinegar). This coating should last several weeks.

With all the belt-tightening we're all doing in our household these days, we shouldn't forget that we can also do things to save $ with our cars.
- Keep your car well-maintained by doing things like checking the engine oil, filters, pressure in your tires and checking if parts like coilovers are in good shape. Doing this will prevent you from getting expensive repairs in the long run.
- Combine your errands in one trip. This will save you gas plus you'll contribute to cleaner air by using your car less.
- Choose the lowest grade gas that your car can take. Read your car manual. I did a research online and found that most cars today run on regular octane gasoline. So don't pay extra for a higher octane gas unless you hear some knocks and pings while driving.
- Take out all unecessary stuff from your trunk. That extra weight in your trunk adds up to your gas mileage.
- Carpool or telecommute if possible.
Anything else you can add to this list?

Thank you to this blog's top ten Entrecard droppers. I'm putting up the badge of last month's #1 top dropper in my sidebar. Here's some linky love for you. Thanks again. :o)

1. Fickleminded - A Life That is Less Ordinary

2. More Than Sew So

3. Lola's Diner

4. EZ Great Life

5. The Toy Report

6. My Sweet Haven

7. Our Journey to Forever

8. Sports 2000

9. My Whole New World

10. Picture to People

To clean those dust bunnies underneath and on the side of the refrigerator, use your old nylons. Make a ball and attach it to a clothes hanger or a stick (use a rubber band). The dust will cling to the nylon. You can reuse it by throwing it in with your laundry. I tried this method since the vacuum attachment that we have is too thick to go under the fridge. It worked like a charm. It did picked up a lot of dust. Why don't you try it, who knows what you have under your fridge, you might even find an enrollment form for an online life insurance.