What A Slacker!

Easy to Find Affordable Health Insurance

Add comment May 9th, 2008

No one should be without health insurance but if your job does not offer health insurance or you are only working part time what are you supposed to do? The cost of healthcare is too high to be without insurance, but the high cost of individual plans keeps people from being insured.

Thank goodness there are places like USA-HealthInsurance.com who can offer affordable health insurance Arizona plans include Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Coventry, and Blue Cross Blue Shield among others.

Whether you are a small business owner looking for an affordable service to offer your employees or an individual who is self employed you may be able to find just what you need at a price you can afford so you, your family or your employees don’t have to worry about coverage any more.

Protect Yourself and The Ones You Love

Add comment May 8th, 2008

Being online all the time I am quite concerned about identity theft. Then I watch TV shows like Dateline and my fear level rises even further. Did you see that episode where they showed how quickly and easily thieves can get a hold of not just your credit card numbers, but your social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, bank accounts and more. I was terrified after watching that. I honestly have no idea what I would do if I found my ID was stolen.

Of course I would have to cancel all my credit cards, contact my bank, put out fraud alerts on all the credit bureaus, but what am I forgetting and how do I know I got everything?

Thank goodness there is a service like LifeLock. They’ll do it for you and they guarantee it. You insure your house, your car, your life why not insure you identity? For only ten bucks a month you can feel secure in all your transactions not just those online.

Your security and this post are brought to you by lifelock.

Let SocialSpark Spark Your Imagination

Add comment May 6th, 2008

I signed up for this new service called SocialSpark about a week ago. To some degree it is a cross between MySpace and PayPerPost. You get to meet up with merchants and other bloggers on a more personal level. Signing up is easy and free.

Just know you either have to be using FireFox or MSIE 7 (I hate internet explorer 7) or you won’t be able to access the site at all, which is a big draw back since about 50-60 percent of the folks coming to my sites are still using MSIE 6. I assume you folks are like me and don’t like the way the new internet explorer handles webpages and how Microsoft appears to be pushing us all into redeveloping our previously working websites. Enough about them, back to SocialSpark.

Head on over and sign up. You’ll be able to find opportunities to make money with your posts (like PPP and other services), make new blogging buddies, find ideas and topics for you to write about and one of the best features get and request blog backs. That last one is so important in improving your page ranks that it alone is worth signing up. But I am sure you will find other reasons to stick with them.

While your there stop by whataslacker’s SocialSpark profile and give me some props, request to be my friend or just let me know you posted a blog about my site and I’ll be sure to do the same. I am always looking to increase those links back to my blog.

You can thank SocialSpark for this post.

To Sue Or Not To Sue That Is The Question

Add comment May 1st, 2008

After my accident I had considered suing the person responsible for the crash. I spoke to a lawyer and he did not in still too much hope in me about my case. The one thing that scared me away from the lawsuit was the fact that it could take months to years to actually get the money. That is if we even won our case.

At the time I did not know about LawMax Legal Finance they offer lawsuit cash advances. Where they advance you the money so you can continue to pay your bills and live your life without worry until your case is finished. Best part is, if you don’t win you don’t pay them back.

It is too late for me, but if you are holding off due to possible financial problems while seeking a resolution check them out and see if they can offer your some much needed assistance.

Made possible by LegalMax

Self Publish and Get Your Book Out There

2 comments May 1st, 2008

Self-publishing seems to be all the rage these days and I can see why. It is a great way to get your books, stories and ideas in front of people. Get yourself recognized and possibly picked up by a larger publishing company.

My cousin is a children’s book author and she has an agent and is doing really well. Then there’s a very good friend of mine who is a great writer, but he can’t find representation. It is a shame because people are really missing out by not being able to read his work.

My cousin told me you should never pay an agent up front. They work on commission. Well my friend paid an agent $800 and still nothing two years later. I think he should have invested that money into self publishing his books or a book of his short stories to get his name out there and to have something besides a manuscript to show to potential book publishers and literary agents.

I tried to impart my wisdom but he wasn’t listening. I was one of the lucky ones, who found a publisher without an agent, but I have a few other ideas brewing and I will be looking into places like AuthorHouse.com who help you self-publish.

This post is brought to you by the book publishers at AuthorHouse.com

Tax Day Sucks

1 comment April 15th, 2008

As so many Albright students have informed me in the past couple of months the city of Reading sucks. [Why they don’t Google that fact before coming to school in this city is beyond me. Guess they would rather come here and bitch about the city than do a little research about a place they are going to be living in for the next four years.] The crime rate is high and so are the taxes. The property taxes keep going up making it impossible to own a house in this city let alone try to sell one. Who wants to buy a house here when just outside the city you can get a bigger house with more land and pay half the taxes on it?

Now doing my taxes I found out that they doubled our local income taxes in 2007! Of course we aren’t told about this so it comes as a big surprise when we owe the city money. It seems like every year I am going in to work and asking the accountant to take more out of my paycheck for local taxes. Who in this city can we complain to about the state of local taxes? And where that increased money is going?

I might not mind so much if they did something to improve this town, but the only change I have seen this year is a red LED interactive sign on the Penn street bridge. An ugly eyesore that is wasting precious electricity which in turn is wasting oil. No wonder gas in the Reading area costs more than in Philadelphia. Pretty sad when turnpike gas is less than local gas.

One Person’s Office Perk is Another Person’s Nightmare - Dogs at the Office

1 comment February 4th, 2008

One of these so-called office perks that more employers are offering is the ability to bring your dog to work. This is considered quite the office perk for some employees, but not all. And it is an easy one for companies to offer as it usually doesn’t cost a thing, except the discomfort of other employees who don’t like dogs, are afraid of them or are allergic to them. Companies really need to take all these things into account before allowing employees to bring their pets into an office setting.

Really the animals should not be in the general office area and should be confined to closed-off offices. With so many people having allergies these days we have to consider all people in the work place and having animals in the office just might be hazardous to someone’s health if you are not careful.

Where I work the company is lose with that policy and people bring their dogs in to the office. Nice for them. Bad for me. There really is no thought to my wellbeing. I sit there scratching my hives, having trouble breathing and trying to deal with the sinus discomfort caused by an animal that everyone knows I am allergic to. It is no office secret that I go to the doctors on a weekly basis for shots, pills and nasal medications for my allergies. I even went through a serious sinus surgery a year ago, but they persist in exasperating my condition by subjecting me to an allergen which is very bad for me. They might as well feed me peanuts (I’m allergic to them as well). All I can say is thank god none of them have a German Shepherd as my deadly fear of them would keep me out of work. (Yes, I also have a phobia about dogs too.)

So hopefully all the companies out there who are offering this as an office perk are taking into consideration all the people who would rather not be around dogs at work. Perhaps an offer of a doggy daycare would be better than simply having them in the office where they can affect the job performance of the other employees not to mention the performance of the dog’s owner as they now require extended or additional breaks to take the dog out or they stop and play with the dog several times during the day.

Here are a few things to think about before taking your dog into work with you:

• Is your dog friendly to all types of people? Will he get along with everyone? Will everyone get along with him?
• Is he quiet? No unexplained barking, howling or growling? Can’t have loud noises well on the phone with clients.
• Is he well behaved? No jumping up on people, chairs or at tables.
• Above all is he house trained? You don’t want to spend half your day cleaning up after him. You don’t want to offend co-workers with foul smells, especially after the dog is no longer there.
• Was he bathed recently? Dogs have a smell, even clean ones. A clean dog will be less offensive to the people around you.
• Are any of your fellow co-workers allergic, have a phobia or simply dislike dogs? Might want to find out before taking your pooch in to work with you.

Pay-Per-Play a New Way to Monetize Your Site

Add comment January 15th, 2008

When I first heard the term pay-per-play I thought it had to do with online videos or games. It doesn’t. It has everything to do with making money from your website.

If you are like me you are not making enough money off those Google ads you have all over your website are you? People just don’t seem to be clicking through on those any more, do they? What would you do if I told you that you could get paid for every visitor to your site and not just the few who actually click through and leave your site? Most people wouldn’t believe it. I didn’t until I checked out Net Audio Ads.

What’s that? Well, it is pretty much what it says it is audio ads on your website and you get paid every time one of them plays for one of your visitors. The ads are short, only five seconds long and each visitor only gets one ad so they don’t hate you while they are on your site. Five seconds is hardly enough time to annoy anyone. You see or should I say hear them all over the place these days so why shouldn’t you benefit from them too? Like those Google ads everyone is ignoring these days the pay-per-play ads are related to the content on your website by spidering your site. I see this as a great opportunity for publishers and advertisers a like.

By the fine folks who bring you Net Audio Ads.

Stay Warm and Save on Heating Oil

Add comment December 29th, 2007

With the rising cost of fuel oil it is getting to be really expensive to heat our house. We are in need of oil yet again. At this rate we might be freezing to death by the time the really cold weather hits us. We are looking into alternate ways to heat the house and the best thing we have come across are room heaters. Basically we will heat the rooms we are in and keep the rest of the house cooler to keep our oil usage down. DESA Online Outlet has quite a few options to choose from natural gas heaters, propane heaters and electric heaters. Once we pinpoint which options we want then we have to choose if we want a fireplace, stove or wall heater.

There is a really nice electric stove, which gives you the warming glow of a fire without the fire. Plus it is small enough to be able to be mobile and go from room to room with us unlike the very cool fireplaces. My parents had a gas fireplace and it was great. It not only added heat to the room but also added a nice homey atmosphere.

Besides the attractive home interior heating solutions there is also a great selection of gas garage heaters too. Dad should have one of these for his detached garage so he can do some of his outdoor chores even when the temperatures drop.

Sponsored by DESA Tech

Money Troubles That’s The Life For Me, Not!

Add comment December 28th, 2007

I am so screwed being out of work all this time from that damn accident. My boss told me she would pay me for my time off work, but also said she would only cover the part of my lost wages that insurance did not cover. This was very generous especially since we do not get any sick days and I had already used all my vacation days. So I was paid for the first two weeks and I paid my bills, no money in the bank.

I get my check for the next two weeks and it is only for the few hours I had actually clocked in for. They knew I had been working from home when I was not there plus I was still expecting at least one more week from them. I understand why they did not as I should be getting something from insurance, but I have not yet heard from the insurance company as of yet. And I have no idea when or if I will get anything from them. So basically I cannot pay my car payment. I cannot even get back and forth from work as I don’t have enough for gas.

I had a little bit of a break down and they said they would lend me the money until I get my insurance check, but I decided to just get them to add in the hours I worked from home and the tow days I had left of my vacation and I should have enough for the car payment and gas now, but the rest of my bills will have to wait until I get some more money coming my way. So off to the web to try and make some money. I guess eBay will be my first step, but it takes money to make money with all the fees. Being piss poor is no fun. It is really hard to live hand to mouth. Well that’s my sob story and I am sticking to it.

Tis the Season for Payday Loans Online

Add comment October 8th, 2007

Need money fast? Don’t feel like driving around to try and find a place to give you a cash advance until your next pay check? No worries you can do it online now with Oasis Payday Loans.

You apply online. Prove you have a monthly income over $900. Get approved for up to $1500 all in the comfort of your own home. No credit check. No giving out your social security number. All on a secure server.

Unlike a standard loan you are approved faster so the money is in your account faster.

You’ll need to check with Oasis Payday Loans for further information on costs and payback information via email as their site does not readily give you that information.

This time of year many people will be running short on cash between paydays and for many this type of pay day loans service is the answer.

More Creative Ways of Making Money Off Your Blog

Add comment August 18th, 2007

This is part two of my article on making money from your blog or website. In the first part we focused on writing. And not everyone likes to write or wants to write. For these people their are alternatives to the standard blog.

You can try your hand at video blogs. Tape yourself and your friends [get their permission to post it first though] talking about your favorite shows, movies, books, games, toys…whatever. Then upload these to YouTube.com. Once you have the video ready simply post that in your blog and your done. But if you want to make some money for your efforts add affiliate links to the related items in that same post.

Another creative way of making money is to sign up for CafePress.com and create and sell items from your designs right from your site. So dig out those great photos from your trip and make a calendar then offer it to the world via your blog which talks all about that trip. The possibilities are endless.

Make Money With Your Site or Blog

Add comment August 17th, 2007

People don’t realize they can make money [or at least try] with their personal sites and blogs.

First step is to sign up for quality affiliate programs with companies like Commission Junction, but don’t stop there you’ll find almost any store has an affiliate program if you look hard enough. But CJ.com is a great place to start and your few pennies from different vendors start to add up and you will actually see check sooner than individually paid out programs.

Once you have joined get to writing on that site or posting on that blog about what interests you or do product reviews. Then simply combine the two with the links from the affiliate program. Once that is done. Sit back and watch the click thrus and cash come in. [WARNING: This is a very simplified look at making money from affiliate programs and your results will vary from merchant to merchant and program to program.]

Another way of making cash off those blogs are companies that offer payment for linking in a post on your blog. There are quite a few of them cropping up these days and some of the best will payout big money for your well written articles. Top of the heap is PayPerPost. They are hard to get accepted into but once you are you can pick and choose the writting opportunities that are right for you.  The better your blog the better the opportunities for you to make money on them. 

Another way to make money from your writing abilities is to sign up for Helium. This is a writing community were you post your articles and reap the benefits of their advertising. This is not a new model [as I was part of something like this way back in the dark ages [1998] called The Vine], but a nice one.

So your writing skills are not up to the level you would like them to be? Or you just hate writing because it reminds you too much of being in school? No worries you have other outlets for your creativity and we will discuss them at length in another post.