Tax Time Got You Worried?

April 15th will be here before we know it and that date has come to be known to many of us as, Tax Day. What if you aren't one of the 'lucky ones' who are expecting a refund and you actually 'owe' the tax man?
What will you do if you don't have enough money in the bank to pay your taxes? Instead of panicking or delaying your tax payments, which can be very costly because of interest and penalties, maybe you could use your credit card to pay the bill.
If the interest amounts on your credit card is less than interests and penalties to the IRS, it would save you money, in the long run.

When you need a Plumber..Now!

What do you do, when you need a plumber Now?

Back in the day...
meaning 'before the internet'...
it usually wasn't very easy to find a good plumber, tree service, dry cleaners or dentist
especially, if you had just moved to a new location.
Sometimes it wasn't that easy, even if you'd lived in the same city for years.

We can go for years and never need to call a plumber or a tree service.
Then, when we really need one, we're at the mercy of the
recommendation of a neighbor or co-worker or the yellow pages of the phone book.

Most of us don't think to call the BBB when we're knee deep in water from a busted hot water heater.

I think it's great that there's a list you can check, in the time it takes to sort through the yellow pages, to find a good and reputable plumber, landscaper, pediatrician and more services than I can list in this short little post, all complete with member reviews.

It's called, Angie's List. There is a monthly or annual membership fee to use the service. Businesses don't pay, in order to insure a valid and un-biased report of each business and the data collected on each business is certified to make sure it is valid and honest reviews.

Find local reviews on the services you need at Angie’s List – from electricians to physicians – Use promo code “SAVE TEN” for $10 off!

Starting seeds with earthworm castings.

I found this short little video on starting plants from seeds using earthworm castings. It is very informative and I think helpful to start the seeds before planting in our small space container gardens, indoors or out.

How You Can Become Energy Independent!

Most of us probably know that the energy we use everyday isn't unlimited, yet we tend to forget and perhaps sometimes take it for granted.

Even our president knows that we need to become more energy independent.


As technology has advanced, so has our need for energy. The products that are being designed to make life easier also take more of the resources that are becoming increasingly limited. We can choose to wait for government to implement what we need to make our energy independence a reality, which might take the better part of a lifetime (for some of us), or we can take the matter into our own hands and make our own little piece of the world more energy independent in a matter of days.


What would happen, in your life, if you didn't have to worry about rising energy costs or depleted resources? Do you think you could ever be energy independent?



Over the course of a week-end, you can implement the instructions from one of these kits, and maybe even go 'off the grid' forever! And all for about the cost of an average family's one month utility bill.



Here are my reviews on a few of the programs available, perhaps it will help you decide which program works best for you. I will tell you upfront that I do favor Earth 4 Energy because of the money back guarantee, easy to follow instructions and free updates for life.

If you are looking for instructions that are easiest to follow, especially in terms of actually how to build a Solar Panel, I would have to say that Earth 4 Energy provides the easiest instructions for me to follow.

I found, with a little help, that building a Solar Panel can be done relatively low cost if you know where to find the materials. The Earth 4 Energy book has some great tips on how to save money on materials or even how to get some materials for free!

Earth 4 Energy not only has a great money back guarantee and easy to follow instructions, they also have free updates for life. This deal is very hard to 'pass up'. I rate this program #1.

My number 2 program -- Energy 4 Green. The schematics and diagrams are clearly illustrated and the instructions are quite easy to follow. Almost as a 'bonus' of sorts, there are other energy saving tips inside the guide, like how to store your excess electricity for future use.

My number 3 program, Home Made Energy, has many similarities to the other programs, as well as, some differences.

Here's what you get with this kit. An instant 44 page eBook download that can either be read directly from your computer monitor or printed out so you can have the instructions with you while you build.
Unfortunately the book is written more as informational material instead of a complete 'how-to' manual.
It has some important details that are missing, for instance, what kind of motor or generator is required for the wind turbine project.

Indoor vegetable container garden experiment - 6

This is the last video in this experiment but, the videos are very recent so I may check back occasionally to see if he has made any new videos. If he does, I'll post them.

Indoor vegetable container garden experiment - 5

I'm finding the videos of the indoor vegetable container garden experiment quite informative. Hope its helping.

Indoor Vegetable Container Garden Experiment - 4

I like that the gardener is pointing out all of the problems he is encountering during his experiment. Hopefully it will help us all avoid similar problems and have great growing success.

Problems with the Indoor Container Garden Experiment

Earth 4 Energy

Earth 4 Energy. Are you keeping your thermostat to almost brisk levels in the winter and warmer than comfortable levels in the summer? I know, I am. It's costing more and more every year to heat and cool our homes and to run our appliances.
Now, with increasing focus on renewable energy and living a 'greener' lifestyle, as well as the beating my budget has taken, I've been actively searching for some alternate energy sources.
I found Earth 4 Energy and I've done some research on it.
I've discovered that I can build a solar power system for as little as $200, (that's less than a one month eletric bill in the summer), using parts found at my nearest hardware store. The design is attractive, portable and it won't be a cumbersome eye sore.
This simple system can be used to power up my fridge, washer, computer, TVs, stereos, and even my lights. If I were so inclined, I could even take the unit on a camping trip, because it's that portable. WOW!
Because it's not incorporated into the home's structure, and given it's portablity, you don't have to be a homeowner to build and use this Earth 4 Energy system.

I found a little video that shows more.





Earth 4 Energy -- get it risk free -- and On Sale!

Indoor Vegetable Garden Experiment - 3

Just a note. These videos can be found on You Tube..if you don't want to wait for the next one. The numbers I have put in my titles don't necessarily coincide with the numbers of his videos.

Indoor Container Gardening - 2

The 'gardener' had some sunlight issues indoors, so this video shows a few things he has done to remedy this problem. Perhaps it will come in handy for you.

Indoor Container Garden Experiment - 1

This is an indoor container garden experiment that I found on You Tube. This video shows container selections, vegetable selections, soil mix...well, have a look at it and see what you think.
I'm not going to run all weeks of this experiment, but I will run the weeks with information that I think is especially pertinent to share.

Let's Talk Containers

Still considering a small space garden? Let's talk containers.

Whether you've definitely decided that you are going to build a small space garden or you're still mulling the idea around a bit, I want to 'talk containers'.

The containers can be made of clay, wood, plastic, metal, or even recycled materials. Containers for small space vegetable gardens need to be big enough to support your plants when they are fully grown, have adequate drainage possibilities, and if they are recycled, they should never have held any kind of product that could be considered toxic to plants or people.

A few container suggestions include barrels, flower pots, large water jugs, window boxes, large baskets plastic lined (be sure you have drainage holes punched in the plastic lining for drainage purposes.)

Perhaps you would rather buy or build a wooden planter box. Keep in mind that cedar wood is the most resistant to wood rot. Other attractive containers are bamboo planters and willow planters.

There are a variety of very attractive and efficient planters available online. Simply Planters has a great variety of wonderful containers and they're having a great 'pre-season' sale right now. Over 250 Styles Of Garden Planters! Most Items Ship Free!

Windowbox also caters to container gardening needs and they have some nifty little growing lights to get you 'jump started' Let WindowBox.com help you experience the joys of growing plants in containers!

I could talk containers for hours, if you let me go on and on. I have so many ideas. But, if I want to get down to the business of growing a small space container garden, I almost always opt for something that was made for container gardens. It cuts down on the planning and preparing stages and lets me get right to the planting and tending.

Pet Care - Nail Trimming--or--Not!

I think I've yet to 'meet' a dog who actually 'likes' to have it's nails trimmed. I thought this little video was pretty typical of 'nail trimming time'.

I just don't mess with the nail trimming. My local Pet Smart will do a mini-grooming and nail trimming for $7 or $8..and that comes complete with...yummy treats. Plus, no scratches or bites on my hands, arms or legs.

Garden in a Bag

Garden in a bag.
I have never actually done this, someone sent me this suggestion,

and a link,in an email and I thought it was a very cool idea.
Get a bag of potting soil at your local garden center.

You'll be using this bag as your, 'container'.

(This is for small space OUTDOOR gardens.)

Punch some holes in one side of the bag and lay the bag,

hole-punched side down, in the outdoor area

you've selected at the spot for your small space garden.

This is for adequate drainage.

Cut the top side of the bag and prepare the soil for planting,

right in the bag.

It works best if you use starter plants, rather than seeds.

Once the plants have been planted,

give the plants and soil a gentle soaking.

You want to be sure it is well watered

without displacing the plants.

You'll also want to check and be sure the holes

you've punched are providing adequate drainage.

Garden in a bag,

it sounds pretty simple and I'm going to give it a try,

as soon as all dangers of frost have passed.

Ham and Cheese Quiche

Ham and Swiss Quiche

1/3 pound of cubed ham
1/3 pound of cubed Swiss Cheese
5 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 tsp salt
1 pie crust in tin

Beat milk and salt into the 5 eggs and set aside. Fill the unbaked pie crust with the cubed ham and cheese.

Pour the egg mixture over the cubes and bake, in preheated oven, at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until the knife inserted into the middle of the quiche comes out clean.

Serves 6

Small Space Garden

If, like me, you live in the confines of a small space, or you are unable to dig up the yard to plant your favorite veggies in your very own garden, you don't have to give up on the idea. You can plant a 'small space garden'.

Small space gardens;

-are very easy to manage

-can be grown indoors or out

-can be grown year round, no matter where you live

-enable us to grow nutrious vegetables and herbs, as well as, beautiful flowers and plants

-are an easy solution for renters, urban dwellers, and those who habitate small spaces themselves.

They just require a little pre-planning, designing decisions and the proper resources.

You really can grow a surprising amount of food, in very small and limited confines, with a little knowledge of the right soil, adequate sunlight, a place to plant with proper drainage, along with some clever planning and design strategy.

Grow -

Radishes,

Onions,

Lettuce,

Cucumbers,

Tomatoes,

and More...

Is all this talk about growing your own, organic fresh vegetables making you hungry?

Now is a great time to get started on planting your own, small space garden, and you'll have fresh herbs and vegetables growing in no time!