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10 Quick Tips To Save Money

ASISH — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:43:07 +0000

Money, according to a classical definition, is what money does. And truth, as they say, is like a rubber-band. Stretch it and it can do wonders. If we can really make money do what we want, there is nothing like that.
To provide 10 quick tips to save money is a first-aid approach to a very intricate problem perhaps faced by almost each of us and that that is how to manage our money. To save some part of what we have to spend or whether to spend at all on a service or commodity should be the first question to be answered.
In case of large investment, the first step for a prospective buyer is to identify and correlate the valuable item or service with need or desire. It is better to test its utility first, for example, by borrowing it for a fixed time period. If he is satisfied of its necessity and really needs that, he has to buy it. But to save money, the consumer must find the best seller in terms of comparative pricing, quality & market reputation.
For lower priced items, one has to shop for the lowest prices, also keeping an eye on the quality aspect. For clothing, the best purchase is off-season discount sale, wherein you can get good clothes at cheap rates.
For financial investments, like in stock market, follow the golden rule of buying volatile stocks when the price of an item is down & sell it when it is at a high. The profit thus earned can be invested in the equity market for steady items.
Today’s internet has provided the best opportunities to shop vigorously for the best price before you actually drop the money. Especially for insurance, loan facilities and financial management, one is spoilt for choices. Proper analysis of rates and amortization goes a long way in saving even hundreds of dollars in a year.
Change of plan in case of services like telephone, insurance, etc. can save you costly dollars if one simply has the knowledge about the best existing plan.
Making a monthly budget for buying the essential items and regulating the number of luxury items can yield considerable savings.
Expensive weekends and extravagant outings should be replaced by reasonable excursion for wholesale entertainment.
Proper planning and food habits result in better living, both financially and mentally.
Paying the bills within due dates provides invaluable savings, because, in this case, as you have to pay, it is better to pay in time to avoid penalty.
If you are an employer, you should encourage flexible job responsibilities for your task force, making each one compatible with the work within a department. This will help in cutting down employees cost and help complete a task within time, even if someone is absent.
In a nutshell, remember, money saved is money earned.

Via- Money

How Budgeting Helps Save money

ASISH — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:38:20 +0000

Budget is the balance sheet in which you compute income and expenses before they actually occur. It gives a clear idea on where we have to restrict expenses, cut down on some items and restructure our habits for avoiding financial crisis. One can visualize the outflow of his resources and can thus mobilize further to meet the extra expenses.
Estimate of flow of money into various avenues of life gives him a chance to view his own position and current standing. It helps him to plan his future much better.
He thus can pay his bills in due time and ward off unnecessary penalty. In the same vein, he can apportion a certain sum from his income as savings, regarding it as a regular bill.
A proper budget helps the person to decide whether he can afford to buy any accessories or luxury item or to go for a desirable service. Thus it is a potential savior from unnecessary expenses.
Proper budgeting helps a person to explore investment opportunities. He can shore up his financial management by putting excess money in good stocks that gives good returns. Also, he can think up to go for various insurance facilities to save for the future.
A person can buy items in sale or off season to save money. He can also buy perishable items like food according to his budget, instead of indiscriminate hoarding.
Estimate of different categories of expenses will give him an idea of other avenues of savings or income. For example, to meet the bills of traveling for children to schools, he may go for car pool, thus saving on a car.
As money saved is money earned, proper analysis of spending the right amount on essential items will go a long way in better financial management. One may not be stingy while budgeting and allowances must be made for emergencies. Budgeting on the higher side will allow extra savings at the end of the month.
The golden rule of savings is taht a part of income must be apportioned to meet unforeseen circumstances. Thus the savings of an individual becomes regular and he can spend with confidence and satisfaction.
Meeting medical requirements is also a part of planning, because in the long run delaying a health check up or postponing a routine appointment with the doctor for lack of money will lead to greater crisis and unimaginable drainage of resources. Hence a prompt disbursement of fund can actually be a savings in disguise.
The habit of drawing up a budget gives the chance for other family members to act according to the need of the hour. They will even contribute to save better for the future. Children, if instructed, can help to abide by the budget. Thus they not only help save money, but by growing good habit, they in turn learn to respect the essence of time and money.
In short, proper budgeting really helps a person to save money and lead a better life.

Via- Budget

Downloading Movies Online

ASISH — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:33:46 +0000

Movies have become one of the fastest growing sources of entertainment. It can portray all sorts of emotions. It can depict circumstances real or hitherto unseen. Sometimes the reel & real life gets blurred and one wonders which follows the other.
For many people to watch movies is a time to unwind, to relax and to forget about other things of life. But going to a cinema hall each time to recreate is not possible. It is not only expensive, it may be inconvenient also in terms of time schedule and unavailability of booking. For those who have a PC and Internet, downloading movies online is the perfect solution to this problem. It is the perfect key to happiness who can surf the net.
Internet gives a candidate immense liberty to choose films from various categories, old or new. One can visit numerous sites for movies and pick and choose from them.
Usually there is a free trial period for a site for downloading movies online. After that most sites charge at less than a dollar per day for endless download of your choice.
A user can create movies with advanced interactive features such as menus, chapters, subtitles and much more. Unlike movies in a hall, he can always change it by simply flipping to another. Also, he can always pause or postpone the viewing according to his work schedule.
The system of electronic entertainment has thrown open the door for competition among various service providers and a consumer can avail the best services. In terms of pricing, quality of digital pictures, additional technologies, a consumer is truly the king here.
Downloading movies online gives the user freedom to know more about diverse culture and different trends which would have been unseen without the help of the internet.
But this access to various sites must be judicious. Especially in case of children, online movies can be more of a hazard than a convenience, as these may trespass on the morality and ethics of the user. Hence adults must monitor online movies for children and keep them away from indulging in adult sites.
Online movies also provide eco-friendly form of entertainment as there is no chance of pollution, packaging or disposal.
Most importantly, this system of entertainment is both cheap and durable. It helps in considerable savings of time and money and gives the user a perfect platform for performing multi dimensional tasks at home or even during office hours.
The access of movies online and their downloading has made it redundant for the user to spend upon and stack CDs or cassettes of movies.
Also, it is a perfect gift and absolute bliss for the connoisseurs of films who love to collect gleanings from the golden filmdom. It is truly a one stop shop for the enthusiastic movie lovers, spawning its charm on the young and old, excelling in utility and consumer satisfaction.
Hence the practice of downloading movies online can be looked upon as a cheap and effective way of recreation in today’s world.

Via- Movies

Choosing A Car Audio System

ASISH — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:28:20 +0000

Car audio system, in modern world, has become more of a symbol of status than of entertainment and utility. Selection of an audio system for your car can be as tough as buying clothes from a sale counter.
In this case, at least a working knowledge on basic components of car system shall stand in good stead for the customer.
Deck, amplifiers, speakers, subwoofers-these are the essential ingredients of a car stereo system.
A deck can range from simple cassette deck and CD player to hi-fi MP3 and mini disc gizmo. An amplifier, usually the symbol of power in the audio system, precisely, the power to blast, can have 1 to 7 channels. Fancy speakers will give the user enough mileage to hear and be heard. Subwoofers complement the low frequencies and bring forth the vibrations in a car that sets the rhythm in motion for the user.
Usually, most system comes with the facility of access to FM and AM radio.
Different models of stereo can have multi channel mobile sound processors, digital media, navigation, steering wheel audio control adapter, etc. Acoustics must be adopted in the vehicle for maximum output from minimum input of the system. Also, it must be installed in the best possible manner for maximum audibility of the passengers, yet must not impinge on the guidelines set by motor vehicles authority.
Before zeroing in on one option, a user can easily shop via Internet from various service providers and settle for the best price. Here, quality and pricing should be complementary as it is a luxury item.
Also, the music system must be easy to handle and operate. As the user will mostly concentrate on driving while operating the system, cumbersome operations can create confusion and even disaster. Features of the audio system must also be compatible with the vehicle itself. A sleek car can do without a very big gadget, while larger vehicles can have added features in the stereo system.
Fitting the audio system into the car is an important consideration before you buy. Some service providers offer free services. Also, a user has to learn whether his motor insurance covers the audio system as well.
If you are a new user, it is best to go for simple audio system, instead of the advanced and highly customized ones. Also, it is better to use cheaper audio systems in the car used especially for children as they are prone to damage it by their persistent experimentation.
Most importantly, it is always advisable for the user to stick to his budget while choosing an audio system. One must remember that with the frenetic pace of technology and digitalization even the most advanced system can fall by the wayside within a span of as little as six months.
Hence a user must look for a quality, cheap and effective audio system for his recreation while he takes a ride out in this fast changing world.
Summary- This article tells us about the way one can choose an audio car system.

Hollywood Stars As Brand Promoters

ASISH — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 14:23:33 +0000

Brand, in the view point of manufacturer or service provider, is a feature that distinguishes the product or service in a market. A user may define brand as the one which he can recognize and identify as an integral part of his life. In this age of modernization and industrialization, consumer has emerged as the uncrowned king. He is the monarch of all he surveys. And to attract his attention, organizations are ready to innovate and upgrade. The 4P basic idea of Product, Pricing, Promotion and Place has come to evolve mostly around Promotion, as market survey indicates consumer likes to buy a brand, not a product or service.
And to showcase promotion, companies are making a beeline for the most saleable of products, that is, the Hollywood stars. Some say you can even sell dreams in Hollywood. So it is but natural that when the celebrities, who are the stuff of our dreams, wave to us from the silver screen or stare at us from flashy bill boards endorsing a product, we simply can not ignore the plea. After all, even for a flitting second, the user will feel that he is sharing something with his favorite idol.
Brand promotion by a Hollywood star enhances the longevity of the product, adding to its quality and mass appeal. The conveyed image of a successful individual using the product creates a sense of demand and urgency to get hold of it by the consumer. Better still, he begins to identify the product with the star, thus adding immensely to its recall value.
A user only sees a product when it is seen and this observation is triggered by various external factors and internal conditions. Perception of familiarity, trust and contentment are foremost conditions that influence the choice of a particular brand over another. Since the flashy world of entertainment and razzmatazz have easy recall value, the faces we adore and the style we follow compel a consumer to select that particular brand from the bouquet of choicest of products existing in the market. Market analysts have even noticed the trend of shift of consumers from one product to another once their favorite star leaves one company and starts to endorse another.
As Hollywood spawns the magic over almost the entire world, enticing the young and old, the poor and rich by its continued tales of fantasies and glory, emotions and intricacies, fervent admirers of the stars follow the fashion and style with bated breath. To some of them, turning down the plea of a star to use his product is akin to sacrilege. It gives a sense of vicarious pleasure to the consumer and awards him a sense of supremacy over his idol, as he feels that he is doing a favor by adopting the product promoted by the star. As the company and the star laugh together all the way to the bank, the consumer is left clutching with his straw of imagination that has been so well played upon by the promotional blitz of a brand by a Hollywood star.

Open Up, Dolly! Here We come!

ASISH — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:07:22 +0000

Life, they say, takes a new turn at sixty. It is the pleasant plateau from where one can look at the accomplishments down the years, all the endeavours and unfinished attempts in perspective, mellowed by wisdom of age. And as one gradually sets onwards to bask in the afternoon sun of an unfinished life, new vistas are opened in front of the myopic eyes.
At 61, Dame Dolly Parton, would have just been any other woman but for her being Dolly Parton. The Queen Of Country, on a recent celebrity visit at the rugged old steel town of Rotherham, shocked all and sundry by hinting that she had led a blissful open marriage with her husband Carl Dean. That their marriage had stood the test of time for 41 years is another matter, declared the Queen Bee, as she unabashedly opened up before the audience of the sleepy South Yorkshire steel town, already overwhelmed by her physical presence.
The penchant of the old war-horse for the battle-cry of media attention was not lost upon the people. If anyone had question on her size of heart, almost everyone was left speechless about the volume and marvel of what covers her feelings inside- the ‘twin wonders’ - which she carried on so well amidst her dainty figure.
Whether she had deliberately spoken to train media spotlight on herself or it was a confession long overdue, no one can really be sure. But her legion of fans world over was left in the haze of vision of a prancing Dolly Parton cavorting to male fancy outside her regular partner.
How they wished they had heard it before!
Come on, Dolly!
Open up one more time.
Here we come!

Via- Dolly Parton,

Picture

Mr. President, Give Us This Day Our Robocops

ASISH — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:31:05 +0000

Mr. President, we have all heard that armed robots are coming up very fast to replace our mundane soldiers in and out of the battle-fields in near future. It is really a heartening fact that at last you are thinking of preserving the nation by recalling the poor soldiers from their battle-front or interior vigilance. When Artificial Intelligence and Mechanized Decimation can be unleashed by our Robo-mates, it is indeed a waste of precious manpower and human faculty to be deployed in such trivial thing as martial artillery and strategies.
Mr. President, Sir, as you may know it has been months since a mother has embraced her dear child or a brother has held her little sister’s hand on a sun-bathed morning, not to speak of the innumerable heartburn caused to grieving lovers separated due to the duty of the keepers of a nation’s fortune. The patriotism and kindred spirit of a proud warrior, ready to give his all and even die for his Fatherland, does not really weigh up to the better option of Robotics which will terminate opposing forces with unerring accuracy and unflinching emotions. We are on the verge of realising our dream of a World free of the fear of war and liberated from the stress of terrorism because of your foresight in creating this set of super-predators who are programmed to execute orders and annihilate.
But , Sir, with due respect to you and your Technical Support team, we do hope that that these Terminators would not turn Frankenstein and train the guns at the very source which have armed them in the first place. Worse still, have you told these gun-toting trigger-happy Mean Machines that a young boy with a baseball bat may be just going to the playground before being shot down, (a case of mistaken encounter, we are sure if it at all happens), or a crowd of chanting football-frenzy supporters were just that and not rioters who deserved to stay alive rather than being wiped out altogether.
And, Mr. President, Sir, as we form a core section of your vote bank and we pride ourselves as devoted and duty bound citizens of our Fatherland, we recognize that the steps undertaken by you are in the best of interests of the nation and its nationals. So, dear Sir, we entreat you to expedite the process of modernization of our armed forces and enable us to move forward in our quest for the Holy Grail of Sovereignty over the other denizens of Planet Earth. The day of Armageddon is not far way.
So, Mr. President, Sir, give us this day our Robo-cops who can kill and be killed without ever thinking or questioning your actions and motives.

Via- Armed robot,
killer machine

Give the child-criminal a chance to atone

ASISH — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 04:23:38 +0000

‘Every night and every morn,
Some to misery are born;
Some are born to sweet delight,
Some are born to endless night.’

Almost each day our morning newspapers have reports on crime committed in various places in various manners and by various people, in some case by various children. Sordid tales of massacre by gun-wielding kids, maniacal youths using brute muscles to decimate a life may be junior or senior to them.

Some may do it for fun, some for money, revenge or other motivators, and some for the complete lack of interest in life! And this is when the society shivers to think how these brigades of unruly kids will become super-predators once they grow up and act more cohesively to forge even greater crime.

At this point one might be tempted to think that corporal punishment of the delinquent youth is the best and swiftest way to mete out justice. But juvenile system of justice is basically different from adult system as it stresses more on treatment and rehabilitation than on punishment. A crime-bound adolescent should be treated much differently than an adult criminal.

This is because the tender impressionable mind can be weaned away from the violent and negative thoughts by proper counseling and community support through individual and group sessions. By positive empathy he can be given a chance to atone his mistake and do something for the benefit of the society.

A corporal punishment will never give the child to realize his full potential and the society may lose a talent gone astray by his behavioral problems which may be caused more due to the fallout of his surroundings, family and peer pressure, alcohol abuse, violence, low self-esteem and child abuse/neglect.
Hence it is better that we can provide catharsis to this malady of juvenile crime by adequate services in rehabilitation homes, schools, community centers, etc. instead of punitive measures. Because, after all a child is like a god in the chrysalis.

Via: Juvenile Punishment and mind set

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills: A Marriage of Convenience!

ASISH — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 05:40:01 +0000

Marriages are made in heaven, but they are broken right here! According to the Greek etymology, ‘Husband’ and ‘Wife’ means ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’. So when two individuals marry they are required to carry out and honour the relationship between a man and woman, namely, trust and cooperation to coexist peacefully and happily.

But in real life, especially in case of celebrities, marriages throw open a can of worms that disrupts the symbiosis. Due to constant friction of public and personal life, diehard lovebirds before a marriage have been drawn into malicious mud-slinging and protracted courtroom battles to end what they once thought would have been an ever-lasting honeymoon.

Continuing the disturbing trend of Splitsville like Tom Cruise-Nicole Kidman, Brad Pitt-Aniston Jones, another celebrity marriage, that of Paul Mccartney and Heather Mills have bitten the dust in recent times.

Paul Mccartney, the blue-eyed boy of ‘The Beatles’, thought he had found the right soul mate in Heather Mills, a former model, after the bereavement of his favorite wife, Linda. They got married in 2002 after a sober romance and Beatrice Mills Mccartney was born to them in 2003. But not all was well in Marryland.

The insecurity of Heather Mills over his very famous husband and Paul’s dalliance with numerous associates, both famous and off-the-cuff, turned their life into constant bickering and stress. After four years, they decided to part ways amicably. But media spotlight and a trigger-happy Heather Mills, always ready for a cat-fight, have messed up the divorce proceedings.

With reports that Lady McCartney could walk away with more than a whooping £200m as alimony, Sir Mccartney had called in his PR machinery to stem the rot. An over-emotive Heather has also persistently blamed the media for a skewed opinion of her. The animal rights activist and former model has been portrayed as a gold-digging opportunistic evil woman who wed Paul only for his wealth and not for love. The bone of contention in this case is the legal custody of their 4 years old daughter, Beatrice, whom Heather may be using as her trump card.

Looking in a bird’s eye view at this particular marriage, an ardent sympathizer of Sir Paul is left guessing whether this was a ploy of Heather or actually a marriage of convenience for her.

We are sure to hear more riveting tales on this in days to come.

Image Credit: DailyMail

Via: ShowbizSpy

Britney Spears' sexy pirate Halloween dress on sale on eBay

ASISH — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 04:05:49 +0000

Hollywood, they say, is a place where you can swap your sanity for dreams. Britney Spears, the bad and beautiful girl of entertainment world, recently got into mood of swapping outfits with a waitress in a West Hollywood bar. Already steeped in numerous style blunders, Britney gave away her flashy Halloween costume, a Pirate Dress, to Nicole Calvin, the bar girl, and wore her itsy-bitsy pink halter top and jean skirt.

As per Calvin, Britney chatted with her about trifles and complimented her about her voluptuous figure. But since then Britney had not bothered to return her dress.

So Calvin, like all good Samaritan, had decided to auction the Britney Spears costume on eBay for ‘Make A Wish Foundation’, to contribute to the poor to spend their holiday in a better way.
At least one antic of Britney has led to a good result!

But one is left wondering whether Dame Time is catching up with the Glam Girl who is continuously landing herself in media glare for all the wrong reasons. Her personal life in disarray, Britney seems to be hurtling down the path of Doomsville, where stars like her are mostly forgotten than forgiven.

In recent times, she had been publicly photographed as distraughtly overweight and her erratic behavior had evoked more curiosity than her musical histrionics.

If only her theatrics had matched the early promise her latent talent had shown, then all could have been well for the Pop Princess. Till then, it would be forgettable news scoop like this which will save her from being totally forgotten.

Via: USMagazine