A Teachable Moment™: April 2012: Spring Cleaning is Good for You!
Posted by admin on Mar 29, 2012 in Related Home & Garden Articles | 0 comments
By Dr. Susan Bartell
For many of us, spring and “cleaning” go together. The change of seasons compels us to open the windows, shake off the winter dust, and pull our warm-weather clothing from storage. While you may enjoy the spring-cleaning ritual, you probably didn’t know that it is actually good for you! It is also healthy for your child to take stock once or twice a year. Below are three simple spring-cleaning tasks that will not only make your physical space look better, but, will reduce your stress and increase emotional well-being.
Your first goal is to reduce disorder. Eliminate piles of papers, clear tabletops and counters, and donate, or throw out unneeded items that have collected around your home. This will help you become more productive and waste less time, because you won’t have to always search through the disorder for needed items. Living in an un-cluttered environment is less stressful for your whole family, so spend time de-cluttering your child’s space.
If your child is old enough to help, even better! Throw out broken toys and games, and sort through papers and projects that have collected in your child’s room or play space. Determine which should remain and which can be thrown away or stored. It is much easier for kids to be creative, to play and to accomplish school work in an area that is free of clutter, so make this a priority.
8 Spring Cleaning Ideas for Less Clutter & More Cash
Posted by admin on Feb 24, 2012 in Related Home & Garden Articles | 0 comments
By Andrea Woroch
Spring has finally sprung and with it, the powerful desire to de-clutter your life. Spring cleaning doesn’t just help you get organized, it can save or make you money, too.
1. Coupons
If you spent the early months of 2012 clipping coupons in resolve to save more money, you likely have overwhelming stacks of vouchers spread through kitchen drawers that go unredeemed. Clean up that coupon clutter with the mobile app fromCouponSherpa.com, where you can easily browse for paperless coupons on-the-go and even download digital grocery deals directly to your store loyalty card so you never miss a discount.
2. Wardrobe
Spring is a great time to reorganize your wardrobe as winter clothes can be swapped with warm weather essentials. It’s also a good time to unload the unworn stuff. Since we tend to wear only 20% of our wardrobe 80% of time, you likely have clothes that can go. Try putting away items at one end of the closet after each time their worn so that at the end of the month you will have a visual reference of what you can part with.
Though donating is great, consider selling the designer stuff at a local consignment shop for extra cash or check out online consignors like CovetShop.com.
Five Myths about Poverty
Posted by admin on Feb 7, 2012 in Related Home & Garden Articles | 0 comments
By B. Morrison
With almost half of all Americans now falling below the poverty line or considered low income based on the 2010 Census Bureau figures, formerly middle-class families are beginning to experience the reality behind the old stereotype of the “welfare queen”. According to Barbara Morrison, the truth is quite different. In her memoir, Innocent: Confessions of a Welfare Mother, she describes her experience when a failed marriage caused her to plummet from a prosperous middle-class life onto welfare. Part coming-of-age story and part immersion in a foreign culture, this book puts a human face on poverty.
“Poor people make an easy target for politicians who play on thenatural fears of middle-class workers,” Morrison says. She understands and sympathizes, but maintains that in spite of the rare case of welfare fraud repeated ad nauseum in the news, most welfare mothers work tirelessly to get off of public assistance. Morrison seeks to correct misconceptions about poverty and offers insight into these five myths:
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