Adopt a class before your vacation
Talk to a teacher and bring back a local craft/bookmark for each student. The kids will learn a little bit about a new corner of the world. When I went to Vietnam, I found a small set containing a wooden girl and boy, dressed in the native outfits, for $1.50 each. That way the gift could be given to either gender. Colorful bookmarks with local scenes would also be inexpensive. The teacher showed the first grade students where Vietnam is on a globe and map. They briefly discussed a little bit about the country and food. It was fun for me to find these treasures and the kids really liked them and learning about a different country Key chains, pencils, pens or small local crafts would inspire children to want to know more about kids around the globe. Perhaps you could find a small booklet about your travel destination, for school kids amidst these budget cuts for education.
Ten Top Travel Tips
Here are great tips from a frequent traveler: 1. Save, don’t throw away, your holey underware and socks. Add to it, pants, dresses etc that are on their last wearings. Clothes that aren’t to your liking, or were given to you by an ex, could be included in this mix. Take these on your upcoming trip and leave them or throw them away as you wear them. Just think, you’ll have almost a whole suitcase available for souvineers and presents. If you leave clothes behind in a hotel room, make sure to leave a note to the maid, that they are unwanted. 2. Book trips way ahead of time, even by a year, to take advantage of great prices. For example, Viking River Cruises has 2 for the price of 1 deals. 3. Book another trip while onboard. You usually can change the date or destination later, but keep the 5% to 10% discount. 3. Get past cruiser discounts or a night free in a hotel, by sticking with the same cruise lines, hotels, or airlines/partners. There are big savings in loyalty programs. 4.Save your small containers, such as eye cream or lip balm ones. Put sunscreen, hair conditioner, etc in them for your small allotment for carryons. Remember to use your children’s pint bag liquid allowance for airplane carry ons and load them up with your extra lotions and potions. I especially use their liquid allotment on the return trips, when I bring back bodycare presents for friends 5. A great travel agent is invaluable, particularly if you are in a disaster on the way home and need assistance. Agents also can sometimes get upgrades and added bonuses, that you can’t. They can get cheaper prices, because they are experts and know how to get travel services in cost-cutting…
Quick and Easy Meal
Here is a quick and healthy way to make soup. I go to Trader Joe’s (or your local favorite store) and buy different cartons (32 OZ) of their various vegetable soups. I use fresh vegetables bagged, or from the produce aisle, or farmer’s markert. Steam and then puree them in a food processor. For example, I sometimes get a bag of mixed broccoli/califlower and after steaming and pureeing, put them in a pan and add organic butternut squash soup. It seerves 3 to 8 people, depending on portions. If you want to skip the steaming part, make a red/yellow/orange pepper soup. I buy a 32 OZ carton of Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper soup. I puree 2 or 3 peppers and put the puree in a pot on the stove, adding the carton of soup. Just heat through and serve. You can steam and puree the veggies ahead of time, put them in a small container and refridgerate until almost serving time. It takes around 5 to 10 minutes to heat up the puree veggies and soup. This is a wonderful starter when entertaining, bound to get you rave reviews. For a simple meal with the kids, add a sandwich or salad and you are done.
New way to cancel your mortgage
Here is an ingenious way to get rid of a mortgage. My neighbors had a big mortgage and a business that was feeling the effects of the recession. This is what they did. They switched houses with another family and moved into one that had the mortgage paid. They gave up their bigger, close to town house, for one that was more out in the country. They no longer had a mortgage, so could get caught up financially. The commute into the city only added about 12 minutes per way, so it wasn’t too bad for them. If you need the equity out of your house and don’t want to sell it, then you may want to consider a credit line which is tied to your house. Check out the interest rates to see if this would work.
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