Category Archives: The Daily Grind

Blendtec Total Blender obliterates an iPad

The iPad I am becoming accustomed to (thank you, MoneyCrashers.com), has become a great tool for reading recipes on the countertop to playing Guitar Hero or learning to mix a new drink. However, I still think its a ‘spoiled toy for adults that have nothing better to do with their money’. 😉

It seems Blendtech founder Tom Dickson has found another use for it. You can see what happens when you take a $400 Blendtec Total Blender TB-631-20 and combine it with an iPad in this YouTube video.

After 6-million views, I can’t believe I am just now seeing this video! (With grinding capabilities like that, I’m kind of cravin’ a green fruit smoothie right now)
 

Future Endeavors and a Giveaway

Money Funk is experiencing Growth. And in order to keep up with the growth, we’re doing a bit of work behind the scenes. Enjoy the video for further explanation. 🙂

Sunday 0502 from Money Funk on Vimeo.

Notes:
if I’d stop tweeking my posts I wouldn’t have crawl errors (like changing categories, deletion of older posts, etc…). LOL.
That whining in the back ground is my cat yawning. Dorky cat. 😉

This Week’s Highlight

Whether your blogging or not, if there is a goal you want to reach… Erica and James’ post offer some great advice.

Giveaway

How about a 2010 Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Set???

The 2010 Presidential $1 Coin Uncirculated Set™ contains all of the Presidential $1 Coins issued in 2010. You will receive Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln $1 Coins, from both the United States Mint facilities at Philadelphia and Denver – a total of eight coins.


This set is presented in a folder with biographical sketches, notable quotes and portraits of each President. Each coin is mounted in an individual protective, rotatable blister; edge-incused inscriptions on the coins are fully visible. An image of the President appears on each obverse of the coins and the common reverse features a striking rendition of the Statue of Liberty. These coins also feature edge-incused inscriptions of the year, E PLURIBUS UNUM, and the mint mark. The size, weight and metal composition of the Presidential $1 Coins are identical to that of the Native American $1 Coin.

These four coins will be struck for a limited time only, making this set not only a great gift but also an enduring reminder of our Nation’s history!

Enjoy this giveaway brought to you by Snubbr.com!

Snubbr.com is sorta like Yahoo Answers for shopping advice. Let’s say you want to buy a new money clip, or looking for a new gadget, you’ll just head over to snubbr.com, and ask the experts your question. They will do all the research for you and recommend things for you to buy, saving you loads of time and stress. It’s like a personal shopper.

To Enter

Leave a comment below. One Entry per Person. Giveaway will close Saturday, May 8th at Midnight. Happy Entering!

This giveaway is closed. The winner will be notified by email. Thank you for entering! 🙂 <--Congratulations, Susan!

8 Simple Steps of Having an Organized Life

Life is complicated, but getting organized is one way for it to run smoothly. The following are steps you should do for an organized life: sort out the clutter, make use of a calendar and a planner, wear a watch, streamline, jot it down, assign responsibilities, allocate time to de-stress, and be disciplined.

What most of us are not aware of is that visual clutter is a big factor of disorder in the mental aspect of an individual. So, to avoid inefficient confusion and turmoil every now and then, follow these simple steps to organize your life:

Sort out the clutter

Pic by Real SimpleThe secret to keeping things in an orderly manner is to never put unnecessary things on flat surfaces such as your computer desk, a side table or the couch, whether it be clothes, books or important papers. To sort out the clutter, you need plastic bags, zip-lock bags, boxes, transparent containers to name a few and keep in mind that you have to label each for efficiency. After using a certain thing, directly place it back where it belongs. Thinking of returning later on is a big no-no in the process of establishing an organized life. If ever spending precious minutes looking for your keys or your cell phone, you have to decide on one area to place them and always set it down in that one place.

Make use of a calendar and a planner

Write down your schedule so you won’t forget anything. Always have it handy and nearby so as to avoid locating it over and over again.

Wear a watch

True to say, time flies by while having fun. This isn’t a bad thing as long as you have a lot of free time in your hands. But getting behind your schedule will only cause commotion up in your head. To avoid this, wear a watch because it makes you conscious of time.

Streamline

Combine similar tasks together and do it consecutively. For instance, you need to shop. Don’t just shop for one thing but as much as possible, buy groceries at one time to lessen the time spent. It is not to be forgotten that while you streamline, your work should be done correctly or a something uneventful will just rise up.

Jot it down

Wherever you go, especially at work, have a notepad and pen within your reach. A written reminder is better than a not-so dependable memory. Another modern alternative to a notepad is a PDA, a Blackberry or a palm Pilot.

Assign responsibilities

You don’t have to do everything on your own. It’s not a feeble thing to ask for help to others and it is definitely not to be ashamed of. Appoint somebody else to do this and that and make sure that that somebody is trustworthy and capable of the given task.

Allocate time to de-stress

A mentally sound mind brings forth a healthy lifestyle. Every now and then, take a time off and have some alone time. For those who are constantly busy, just stop and breathe. That may give a bit of relaxation.

Be disciplined

Lastly, always carry with you your discipline. Without it nothing will be accomplished. Stick to what you decided and make sure you are not wandering away from the path to an organized life. Remember: no shortcuts.

Being the busy bees that we are now, we have to constantly juggle responsibilities and unfortunately, we can’t catch everything that we are responsible of. When you feel like the whole world is on your shoulders, take time to start with the least and advance to an organized way of living.

My Thoughts

I struggle with a couple of these tasks myself. Like assigning responsibilities to other family members when it comes to completing household tasks. Sometimes, I feel it is easier to accomplish them myself than to hear the constant complaint from the other person/child. LOL. It is one step I am continuously at need to practice. The other is discipline. Just like having the discipline to keep within our budget, we also need to apply discipline in our daily lives; to ensure we are utilizing our time/effort with the best intentions.

I am good at ‘allocating time to de-stress’ step. If I feel like I am focusing on one subject too long (like tweeking my blog), then I will step away to read a book, crochet that baby blanket I have been working on forever, or to spend time with my family.

Do these steps work for you in having an organized life? Why or why not? Do you have any great tips, of your own, that work wonders for keeping an organized life? (I can use them all!)

Top 20 Biggest Money Wasters (w/ Fun Giveaway)

The Kraken is a mythical sea monster of gargantuan size. When this massive creature surfaced from the ocean depths, its wake caused an enormous whirlpool which sucked ship and crew down with it. Ocassionally the kraken would drag down entire ships with its tentacles. The arms of the Kraken were said to beable to reach as high as the top of a sailing ship’s mast.

In the 1981 version of Clash of the Titans, Perseus uses the decapitated head of Medusa to turn the Kraken into stone to prevent it from ravaging the city of Joppa and killing the sacrificial Andromeda.

Top 20 Biggest Money Wasters

If you are looking for ways to increase your cash flow, than look to see if your spending habits fall into any of these money wasters below.

The Kraken is a great metaphor for these Top 20 Biggest Money Wasters:

  1. Eating Out
  2. Pet Product Market
  3. Brand Names
  4. Gym Memberships
  5. Extended warrenties
  6. Subscriptions you never use
  7. Car Washes
  8. ATM fees
  9. Overdraft fees
  10. Informercial Products
  11. Paying for Storage
  12. Wrong Cell Phone Plan
  13. Going out to the Movies
  14. Alcoholic Drinks at Restaurants
  15. Energy Drinks
  16. Lottery Tickets
  17. Strip Clubs
  18. Driving a Gas Guzzler
  19. Buying a New Car
  20. Convenience Stores

Can you think of any others?

To Use Medusa’s Head on the Kraken in your own life….

Let me help you keep/get your personal finances in order. Let me giveaway something fun! So that you don’t need to spend the money on such money wasters, like those listed above.

Giveaway:

MoneyFunk has been graciously been given a $25 Gift Card for the Movie Theater from Fandango.com to bestow on you my great readers. Just in time for the release of Clash of the Titans (link to trailer – Awesome). (okay, maybe I had to bat the puppy dog eyes a little to get the tickets…)

To Enter the Giveaway
Find the Kraken

The Kraken (like the one in the pic above) is also hiding somewhere in one of these 5 posts (listed below). When you find the Kraken, follow the instructions posted below its picture. Have fun hunting!

Rules

Only open to U.S (sorry if you are outside of the U.S.)

Must have valid email address

Only 1 entry per person

Winners with the correct answer will be picked by random drawing

Contest ends Wednesday, March 31st @8pm (PST)

Posts needed to search
  1. 7 Free Printable Budget Worksheets
  2. Homemade Cleaning Recipes
  3. How to Make a Budget
  4. 20 Ways to Cut Expenses
  5. 28 Ways to Make Extra Money
Happy Hunting!


This contest is closed. Winner will be contacted shortly. Congratulations to Roger of The Amateur Financier!

Week’s Round Up: The Ripple Effect

*Happy Friday! There are times in one’s life where family and friend’s take priority. This is one of them. As I take off the weekend to be with them, I hope these great posts keep you busy! There are so many talented writers!

This Week’s Round-up

Planting Dollars: Is Passive Income Possible?, is a rebuttal of sorts to the guest post featured on Fiscal Fizzle’s, called: There is No Such Thing as Passive Income.

Investor Junkie: Are you Saving Too Much? speaks out about our common issue in finding a happy financial medium between saving versus spending.

Get Rich Slowly: has a guest post, written by @ericabiz, called, Outsourcing Life: Unconventional Advice for When You’re Financially Secure. It marks my sentiments exactly for wanting to outsource. 😀

Financial Samurai: allowed @LeanLifeCoach guest post a terrific article called Marketing or Manipulation? (how consummerism sucks you in). Financial Samurai also twittered about a great archived post of his, called The DVD Method to CD Investing: The Only Way to Achieve Maximum Yield (tis a passive way to generate extra cash?)

Rainy-Day Saver: says to keep in a close eye on your credit card statements in Credit Card Interest Rate Increases: Excellent Credit Be Damned.

Young and Thrifty: did a good job with this post on Does Living Together Before Marriage Save You Money?.

Foreigner’s Finance: great post about How to Avoid My 3 Novice Investment Mistakes. Eventually soon, I would like to invest. This article is bookmarked to be reread.

Little House in the Valley: Why the 70’s Rock is a walk down memory lane. 😉

Ultimate Money Blog: How to Make Mouthwash offers a frugal way to leave a minty clean feeling in your mouth. Be sure to check out the toothpaste recipe and how to make your own shampoo.

*Original content has been revised. Friday’s are to be happy.


Book Review & Giveaway: Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money With Your Honey

“Happily Ever After IS NOT A FINANCIAL PLAN” Love it!

When I recieved a copy of, Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money with Your Honey, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. My honey and I talk alot about our finances and where we are going with them. So, I didn’t think I was going to stumble on pertinent information that would pertain to us. But was I wrong!

We all hear money is one of those subjects in a relationship that can cause marital/relationship conflicts; potentially leading to divorce or seperation. But after reading this book, you realize that it doesn’t need to be that way.

Break the silence! Thakor and Kedar help women avoid the kind of financial stress that destroys relationships and to get them to own their financial future. Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money With Your Honey is a guide for stripping the layers to find the naked truth in a committed, long-term relationship.

Here are points I really enjoyed from the book

-“Five Power Steps to Financial Success” – If you get these five steps right, you’ll be well on your way to financial nirvana.

-“When you learn the basics of personal finance and have your financial house in order, you can make major life decisions from a position of strength.

-One woman expresses what “Financial Empowerment Means to Me” – “Financial Empowerment means choices, freedom, independence. Choices in how I provide for myself and those I love and give to my community. Freedom to be in charge of my life. Independence to pursue my dreams.”

Home Buying Rules of the Thumb – “Build up a 20 percent down payment…”If the price of your home goes down and it comes time to sell, “you’ll really want that 20 percent cushion so you don’t end up owing the bank more than you get for the sale of your home”. <==Great point! -The magic $100 bill and the power of compounding <== need to implement with my kids! -Strive to save 15 percent of your before-tax income – 5 percent towards your emergency fund and big-ticket items combines. Ten percent will go toward your retirement savings. Nice breakdown.

Eliminating Credit Carditis (love the term) and the Rules of Thumbs for paying off credit card debt.

How to Invest your money: Keep-It-Simple <==love this portion of the book. -And the Q & A for particular situations.

Conclusion

I learned a lot from this book. The books speaks to women in many different financial situations. It helps that Thakor and Kedar mix there own examples and how they apply to this book; especially because I share similar situations with Thakor’s life.

When we are swept up in the arms of a true love we are more likely to share out intimate desires than our credit rating. Get Financially Naked: How to Talk Money with Your Honey, by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar, offers the answer on how to speak to your husband/finace/boyfriend about money. They show readers how to address this critically important subject, take financial responsibility and keep the love alive.

To Win a Copy of this Book

One copy of this book is up for a giveaway. Leave a comment, by Sunday, February 21st 8pm PST, telling me: What does Financial Empowerment Mean to You?

The winner will be chosen by random picking.

If you enjoyed this post, please re-tweet. 🙂

Crystal is the Winner. Please contact me so that I may have the publisher send you your copy! Congratulations!

iPhone vs Blackberry: did I get the wrong phone?

Exchanging contact information is an important process in networking whether for business or personal obligations; write a number on a cocktail napkin or exchange a business card for future reference. Well now, technology has taken exchanging contact information to the savviest level and I am quite jealous.

Last night, I was reading my newest edition of Entrepreneur
magazine to find an app that caught my attention – it is called “Bumping”. Tres cool! It is a bump application available on the iphone. As Michael Dinan from TMCNET.com puts it, “One Pow at a Time”.

The ‘bump’ app, developed by Bump Technologies LLC, uses location-based technology and WiFi to exchange contanct information between two iPhones. You open up the app and ‘bump’ with the person with whom you want to exchange contact information. It’s a virtual business card transferred into your phone within seconds… maybe even miliseconds. With my Type A personality this would be a great app to have for exchanging contact info with potential business or personal contacts.

But, I own the Blackberry Curve. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my phone for its Übertwitter and Facebook App. But I don’t have a ‘bump’ app, I have a Barcode that needs to be scanned. Tis not as fun sounding.

The process is similar in that you open up the Instant Messenger 5.0 contact list to Invite and scan. Again, the contact information is transferred within seconds.

Do I leave my provider to transfer to another provider who offers the iPhone? Do I pay an expensive termination fee to gain the fun app called, ‘bumping’? *sigh*

Wait! I found a solution: Verizon Wireless (my provider) now offers the Motorola DROID
with Google’s Android 2.0. And you know what? I can download & use the Bump Application. I’m in Love.

When Dreams Come True the end is a Surreal Feeling

**Warning: Personal info may be TMI (too much information)**

The other night, Brad Pitt and me had thee best night of raunchy passion. Kicked back to eat Indian food at a small restaurant in Thailand, went back to my room at the hotel and…the rest is my history. 😉

Okay, so it was only a really damn good dream, but if my intentions are to make my dreams come true than this fantastic night of playful fun is a great indication that when dreams come true the end is a surreal feeling.

Flexo from Cosumerism Commentary wrote a great piece called Start the Decade Off Right: Do Something You Love. I really enjoyed the piece and I think you will, too. It sums up that life is too short and it’s time to do something you are passionate about.

How to embark?

  • continue to seek out opportunities to discover new and old passions
  • eliminate anything that doesn’t stem from passion
  • and… try everything if you don’t know what your passions are
  • The last one really rang a bell with me as I have somehow lost focus with what it is I love to do. Try everything – a simple and profound solution. Make a list of those things you’ve always wanted to do or accomplish no matter how silly it may sounds. Let your ideas fall out of boundries.

    Some of my ideas:

    • Write a book
    • Take martial arts
    • Learn woodworking
    • Learn to snowboard
    • Build a sustainable business
    • Travel the world, backpacking
    • Jump out of a plane
    • Zipline in Costa Rica
    • Each lunch with Brad Pitt in Thailand
    • Now that you have your list. Think of ways you can break it down to smaller tasks to accomplish your big goal. I want to travel the world. Since, I can’t travel it all at one time I am choosing to plan one section of my trip this year. How much is it going to cost? Where will I stay? How do I plan to get around? Then I plan on taking that trip in the near future and marking that section off the list and starting on another.

      We can think of 2010 as the decade that passed us by or the decade we are going to take hold of (past vs. present view). Do we wallow at what we didn’t accomplish or look with anticipation at what the future holds? I plan on looking forward to future with anticipation and kicking some Christine butt!

      This Week’s Link Love:

      Financial Samurai’s The Best Post on Craigslist, And It’s All About Love and Money

      Consumerism Commentary’s Start the Decade Off Right: Do Something You Love

      The Centsible Lifes’s New Year’s Financial Resolutions

      DeliverawayDebt’s How-to Set Up a Car Maintenance Plan and Budget

      This Week’s Top 5 Referrer’s:
      (people driving traffic to my site – Thank you!)

      I’m an Organizing Junkie
      An Ostrich Named Sam
      Climbing Out
      Saving 4 Later
      Debt Maven

      What are the dreams you will accomplish?