Ball State

» STEPS TO FINDING REASONABLE CAR INSURANCE COVERAGE

By China at 4:14 PM

If you are shopping around for home insurance or car insurance then there are some things that you need to know about insurance. Insurance rates are based on risk, and insurance companies use this to figure out your premiums. Now everyone pretty much knows that tickets and accidents increase your risk and thus your car insurance premiums, but many people are oblivious to how the following factors influence their risk assessment.

1. CREDIT RATING: Your credit rating is one thing that insurance companies factor in to EVERY insurance policy. The lower your credit score the more you will pay for insurance. You are seen to be at an overall risk to file false claims against your insurance company and less likely to pay your premiums on time if your credit is bad.

2. GENDER: Being a male you will get a better rate on health insurance, but a higher rate on car insurance, where being a woman will get you a better rate.

3. REGION: Where you live is also a factor to how much your insurance premiums will be. If you live in a more expensive region of the country you will pay more in premiums, but you may pay equally high premiums on some insurance policies if you live in an impoverished area where crime is likely to be higher. Middle of the road households and incomes tend to do best when it comes to insurance rates.

4. AGE: Obviously seniors pay more for their health insurance but they are paying less for their car insurance and the young pay in the opposite way. The best rates for both of these types of insurance plans tend to be for those people in their mid to late twenties.

5. MARITAL STATUS: Married people tend to get better insurance rates than those who are single, unless your spouse has a major health issue or a bad driving or credit record, being married can save you quite a bit on your insurance.

No matter which insurance company you purchase your home insurance or car insurance policy from the items listed above will be factored in. How they are weighted can vary from company to company so keep this in mind when you are shopping around for insurance quotes.

» SHOW YOUR CREATIVITY WITH HOMEMADE ADDRESS LABELS

By China at 8:42 AM

A friend of mine is starting to prepare for the holidays already. A person who is very crafty, she tends to make a lot of her own stuff and even designs her own Christmas address labels. They are really cute and creative. She really does this because that is what she enjoys doing, but she always claims that she is doing these things to save money. Well, honestly I have always bought my address labels from a printing company. They make some really unique looking address labels for the holidays and you can choose from a variety of styles and colors. They come out really cute and I love to get the winter ones because they add just the right touch to my Christmas cards and gift packaging. One year I used rubber stamps and covered the whole package with little snowmen and cute sayings like don't open til Christmas on all my packages.

Rubber stamps and address labels are so inexpensive, I really can't imagine that there is much savings in designing each one of these little items by hand. I am all for savings but it is important to use your time wisely and purchasing these items is a big time saver, which frees up my time to create decorations for my home for the holidays, and to hand sew clothing for my nieces. I would prefer to buy items like these and spend just a little extra to reap a bigger savings in other areas of the holidays.

Being crafty is a wonderful thing if you have the time to do it all, but if you don't then consider buying your labels or rubber address stamps. It can save you a lot of time and can really make a difference in the ease of your holiday season. If you get a rubber stamp for your return address consider having a holiday design put right on it and use a colored ink pad to help dress up your envelopes and packages. You don't have to create everything yourself to have a spectacular holiday season.

» LOOKING FOR HOME DECORATORS COUPON INFORMATION ON THE WEB

By China at 9:32 AM

These days, it only makes sense to shop the sales, clearance sections, and use coupons to get the best deals. I am always looking for new things to decorate with and I have found some really great deals on the web. There are actually sites that will offer you a Home Decorators coupon just for signing on with their site. Usually you can receive these types of coupons via e-mail and that is just too much fun.

Jcpenney offers a lot of coupons to their customers and Jcpenney coupons sometimes are only for specific items like clothing and such, but sometimes they will offer a home improvement coupons or a home decorators coupon for shopping with them. They really have some incredible deals on their home items and with the coupon you really feel like you are getting an excellent deal. I love the coupons that allow you to get a full discount on all the home decor items that you buy in one purchase. This really allows me to get much more for my money and get some nice new lamps and bedding items without overpaying.

The only way to shop is to shop the deals and with the coupons that you can use online and print and save in the stores you can really make out like a bandit on clothing, home furnishings, home entertainment items and even appliances. Take the time to search for coupons on the web and you will truly reap the benefits of this incredible method of getting more for less.

Some may feel that they are above using coupons, but I truly believe that this is the best way in a struggling economy to make more out of your dollar while still getting great items and helping to support local businesses. It is a buyers market so be sure and find those Jcpenney coupons and start sprucing up your home for the holidays. You will impress your friends with how great your home looks and they will think that you are really raking in the money and only you will know that you got it all for much less than they would even imagine.

» HGH RELEASERS CAN REALLY HELP YOU ADD MUSCLE

By China at 9:03 AM

Many people want to diet and to lose weight and honestly I think that although there are many people who do need to lose some weight that they are looking at it from the wrong perspective. It is not just about taking off the pounds but it is more about turning fat into lean muscle mass. That is the most important part of dieting. That is why I have chosen to use hgh releasers to help put on muscle while I am exercising and dieting. I like to combine this with the use of weight loss supplements just to make sure that when I am cutting back I am not taking away valuable nutrients that my body needs. I even use protein and wheat grass shakes to fill in on nutrition as well, because most of the time when people are dieting they are essentially cutting things out of their diet. Now if you are cutting out chocolate donuts, then you should be fine, well except for the chocolate cravings, but that is why I supplement with my chocolate protein shakes, this way I don't feel so deprived.

Everyone wants a nice lean body, but many people expect that there is a magic potion to getting one, this is completely inaccurate. After all a weight loss supplement is not like the acne remedies that they have on the market, you can't just run them on and they will work while you sleep, even though there are weight loss products that make this claim, it is not the way weight loss works. Weight loss and muscle building are a process and sometimes a slow moving one, but you mustn't give up. The benefits of having a healthier, leaner body can be experienced by all. Just commit to do it, and no matter what the results you see at first you must keep pushing forward with it. You can have a leaner, nicer body, but it will take time. Stay away from the mentality that it need to happen today, and commit to work until you see the results. You will get there just keep going.

» WHAT A SCAM ON APPLIANCE PARTS

By China at 2:31 PM

Appliances always seem to die in pairs. It seems that they just know that you couldn't possibly afford to pay for one more thing and then something else dies. When my range died last month, I looked on the web for some advice and they said that my type of problem was probably caused by the temperature regulator, and so I figured that I could just replace the part. I went online and looked up range parts and I found out that I could get a pretty good price on one. I called the local appliance repair company and they told me that the part was going to cost more through them, a lot more. With service and the part, I may as well just buy a new range and so I did.

Within just a few weeks my washing machine stopped working. This time I called the repair place and they sent someone to look at my washer. They told me what was wrong and gave me an estimate on how much the washer parts would be, which parts they would be replacing and how much all this was going to cost me. Once again, I was frustrated, because there wasn't really a point to having this item repaired when I could purchase a brand new one under warranty for just about as much as they were going to charge me to fix the one that I have, and that one is already 5 years old.

Well, this time I decided to hop online and look up appliance parts online. At first I found prices that were comparable to those that I was quoted, but then I found this wonderful site that offered some incredible prices on discount appliance parts. If I purchased the part for my washer I would save quite a bit of money over the price I was being quoted by the repair shop, but I had to wonder if I could actually install it myself. Well, I looked into it and found that it seemed pretty simple to do, and so I decided to give it a try and...Success!! I got it installed and my washing machine runs great. I just can't believe that local repair shops run such scams. Obviously, if I could get a good deal on my appliance parts, then they could find these types of discounts as well. Unfortunately, most people find themselves at the mercy of repair people, but not me, at least not anymore.

» MY NEW HOME THEATER AND PROJECTOR LAMP

By China at 8:33 AM

These days it is very en vogue to have your very own home theater. And honestly I have wanted one for years, but now with the prices of theater equipment coming down, I can finally afford to have the most incredible home theater right in my living room. No more paying for movies we are all ready for the most incredible viewing experience of a lifetime in the comfort of our own home.

The one thing that really makes my home theater stand out is my Viewsonic PJ506D Projector and Projector Lamp. This item offers the most incredible brightness and contrast that I have ever experienced. And it has not only impressed me but everyone who has seen it. A friend of mine was looking at the projector and said that he has never seen such an incredible picture. He even asked me for the name of the projector lamp retailer that I used, which I gave him gladly. I mean I would be pretty upset if he got the same projector lamp or even a better one, but still somehow I don't think that he will follow through with it.

I really love watching movies with my new projector and not only that but the projector bulb lasts 2000 hours, so no need to worry about replacing them right away. That is something that I really like about this projector.

If you are thinking about creating a new home theater and aren't sure where to begin, consider choosing your projector first and then building the rest of your home theater around it. After all, it is easy to find surround sound speakers and such, but it is not as simple to find a really good projector that is sold by a company that can help you through the process.

Having your own home theater is amazing and the cost is negligible when you think about how much money you would spend on going out to the movies, it is easy to see why the current economy is driving more people to creating home entertainment for themselves and their families. Never before has viewing movies at home been so amazing.

» MICHAEL PILLSBURY, MILITARY ADVISER TO MANY US PRESIDENTS

By China at 2:56 PM

Michael Pillsbury is little known in the general public for his major contributions to US military policies and strategies. Yet there is much information that can be learned about his instrumental role as a key player in US international military strategies by reading his Wikipedia article. He was born in 1945 in California and took on his first government policy role in 1969 as an Assistant Political Affairs Officer at the U.N. and he has been advising different administrations since that time. Michael Pillsbury has been involved in such military decision making as the Reagan Doctrine and the decision on behalf of President Carter to strategically strengthen ties with China.

He has been instrumental in providing aid to president after president advising that China was a bigger threat than anyone realized and also using his knowledge of this region to help US officials better understand the roots of their foreign policy.

Mike Pillsbury has written several books and articles about the United States and its relationship with China as well as Chinese foreign policy and is considered an expert in his field. In addition to his invaluable advice on China, Michael Pillsbury has also advised on issues in Afghanistan, encouraging leaders to help the Afghan resistance forces by supplying them with stinger missiles in their battle against Russia, more information on this is documented in the book “Living the Policy Process” written in 2008 by Phillip Heymann.

Pillsbury has been an instrumental figure in the Cold War against China as well as a key player in Charlie Wilson's War. He has written and advised on United States military and intelligence issues as they relate to China and Afghanistan, and has much knowledge and information to share on issues of handling foreign relations and military strategies.

Michael Pillsbury has been on four United States Senate Committees from 1978-1984 and from 1986-1991. He helped to draft the Senate Labor Committee legislation responsible for creating a National Endowment for Democracy and a requirement for a yearly Chinese Military Power DOD report

If you get a chance pick up one or both of his amazing books entitled “Chinese Views of Future Warfare” and “China Debates the Future Security Environment” Both books help provide excellent insight into the Chinese government and their international policies and what is predicted in the future. And if you have the opportunity to read James Mann's book “About Face” it will provide you with further information about Michael Pillsbury.

» PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS USING PROMOTIONAL WATER BOTTLES

By China at 7:29 PM

There are many great ways to use promotional items to promote your business and no matter what products you decide to use, there are good ways to promote your business using any of them. Promotional lanyards are a good promotion for employees of large companies. Promotional clothing is a good all around advertisement for just about any business, but the following information provided describes different ways that you can use promotional water bottles to promote your business.

One promotion that I really love for advertising with promotional water bottles or sports bottles is actually one that benefits not only your business but your community as well. Figure out what sports will be played in your area this time of year. Will it be football, soccer, lacrosse, baseball, hockey, etc. Then find out all the teams in your area, focusing specifically on high school, college and perhaps farm leagues, because these are the local teams that will get the most attention. Then contact the coaches and ask if they would mind if you donated some sports bottles to their team. Now of course most coaches won't mind this. Now place your order according to how many players are on each team. If at all possible go with the team colors so that they look professional and to avoid accidentally picking colors of a rival team. Then pass them out and attend the games and you will see your water bottles will be carried around and used a lot for all the family, friends and fans to see. Not only will this type of promotion make you seem like a hero in the community, but you will also find that by donating these incredible sports bottles you will also get a tax deduction for your business.

Another good way to use promotional water bottles is to give them out at an outdoor community event and allow people to fill them with cool water to walk around a park or fair with. Not only will they get much future use and enjoyment out of that bottle, but it will also help keep them hydrated all day long.

These are just a few great promotional ideas for logo water bottles, but remember you want to give them out and have them used over and over again. That is the best way to make the most of your money.

» Home Security Systems Make Parenting Easier

By China at 1:42 PM

Little children are curious and older children tend to try and sneak out of the house when you are sleeping at night. Let's face it; you can't watch them 24 hours a day. You have to sleep. That is why one of the most important things to own as a parent is a home security system. A home security system provides you with the peace of mind you need as a parent. Whether you have a little one and want to go take a shower or a teen that wants to go out and hang with their friends at night.

Home security systems are designed so that every time a door or window is opened or broken the alarm will sound alerting everyone in the neighborhood. Now many people think that these systems are only designed to keep intruders out, but they also do an excellent job of keeping your children in the house.

No more worrying about leaving the children playing in the den in sight of the pool. If the alarm system is set you know that you will be alerted if your child gets out of the house and into potential danger. Having that kind of peace of mind is more valuable than even knowing if someone has come into your house. And if you are having trouble managing your teenager, alarm systems allow you to keep them put for a while and can even help enforce groundings while you are at work or school. It is a big deterrent that the alarm system will sound if they try to leave or try to have one of their friend's in

Parents of today need to be prepared for anything and that is why a home security system is so important. It not only keeps intruders out, but it keeps your children in the house and safe from harm and that is really what makes them an invaluable parenting tool.

» FREEDOMS MOST AMERICANS TAKE FORGRANTED

By China at 12:19 PM

Three young Americans on a school sponsored trip to the Republic of China were recently quarantined while the government tried to determine if they had acquired H1N1 or what is better known as the swine flu, after they had shared a flight with a fellow passenger who displayed a temperature in the thermal screening process upon reentering the communist country.

While on a group outing the day after they arrived the three siblings and several other students and one of the teachers in their group who were seated within 10 rows of this passenger with the fever were abruptly asked to immediately return to their hotel and upon returning, their passports were promptly confiscated and they were ushered by armed guards and taken to another hotel for the duration of their quarantine. Quarantine in what would be called less than ideal conditions; no air conditioning in temperatures that were in the high 80's and even reaching above 90 degrees with sealed windows in the rooms and in complete isolation, having contact only with the contamination suit garbed health attendants who would take their temperature twice daily.

After the abject terror of not knowing what was going to happen to them had worn off and battling the oppressive heat and boredom they spent much of their time reflecting on not their plight, because it would be coming to an end eventually as they were not sick, but that of the hotel management and staff who also now were quarantined as well.

As of May 1st the Chinese government declared the hotel a quarantine zone and everyone who had originally been working there were under armed guard enforced quarantine, they too would not be able to leave even to see their families, indefinitely. Because the Chinese government was now using the hotel to house possible swine flu carriers these hotel employees were needed to continue with their job functions, making their stay more of an indefinite one.

Upon the students release after 7 days of forced quarantine, the three teens finished their tour of China with the rest of their group and returned to the United States grateful to be back in their own country where citizens have rights and freedom of choice. In reflection they felt miserable for complaining about the conditions of their detention for 7 days, primarily because it came to an end and they would be returning to their family, but for the Chinese people there is no end in a country where people do not have civil rights or freedom of choice, speech, or liberty.

When these children from a rather privileged background spoke to these hotel employees and inquired what would become of them now, their response was as if they were reading from a script, as they all politely stated that it was an honor to serve the great leader and the Republic of China and would say no more and simply smile politely.

The experience had given these young people an adult education in real time and a very new realization and profound gratitude for having been fortunate enough to simply be born in the United States. An education all of their previous history teachers had tried to instill in them over the years of their education all the while they recited the pledge allegiance to the flag, but could never really meaningfully accomplish the way this personal experience had done.

The trip was meant to be a goodwill exchange, a student ambassador trip to communist China, a cultural experience. Instead what the trip turned out to be thanks to their brief detention, was an invaluable lesson in life and the constitution, one they had never learned in school, but will not soon forget, the lesson being … a deeper understanding and gratitude for the civil rights most Americans take for granted.

We are fortunate to live in a country where the citizens decide who will represent and govern its people, for the people by the people, one in which there is liberty and justice for all, those great ideals our forefathers put down for us. Our society although imperfect is the greatest industrialized nation in the world with the rights and freedoms no other country than America provides to its citizens.

There are many wonderful places in the world to visit, with wonderful cultures and beautiful places to see, but I have to say that I am always happy to come back to the United States of America when I have been abroad, where I know we are truly free. We have laws, as other countries do that we all must abide by, but we also have rights as citizens that many people from other countries do not have; such as freedom of speech and religion and one other very important freedom, one that inspired the Declaration of Independence, no taxation without representation. We truly are fortunate to be born American.

I have lived part time (3 months of the year) in foreign countries for 15 years, for the splendor of their culture, people, vistas and cuisine, but still at the end of the day was happy to be coming home, year after year to the United States, my country and home.

By living abroad for 3 months at a time you get to know what it is to really live in that country more like a citizen and not just simply as a tourist. Some of the things you find about living abroad can be shocking to an American and some seem inane or just amusingly annoying such as; in Italy where during peak summer months you can only drive your car on odd or even days, which is determined by your car's license plate number in order to reduce traffic and the amount of smog during their peak tourist season. But how do you get to work I asked, only to be told oh, somehow or another (wink wink), but still in a very resigned way. Or, the tax you must pay every year for having a cigarette lighter in your car, but don't ask me the reason for that one, no one knew. Americans are becoming outraged over some of the new administrations proposals for increased taxes. If most of us only knew how well we have it. The tax code in some countries (not socialist either) call for those earning the most to pay more than 70% of their income in taxes. Imagine the outrage in this country if we asked our citizens to pay that kind of income tax. Tax relief wouldn't even be the term for the help people would be seeking. It would be more in line with extreme tax help.

The last year I lived there they were discussing a new tax to be levied on any person who made burial plot arrangements for a spouse or family member (the majority of the population is Catholic which requires burial), in which the person who arranged the burial would have to pay a land tax for the plot of the deceased every year. I jokingly asked if they didn't pay do they foreclose on your burial plot and dig you up. Italians mostly laughed and made jokes about who it was that came up with the crazy ideas for the particular and often times peculiar taxes they had to pay or reduction of their freedoms, but that was where the laughter ended. As they said they really had no say in the matter, but simply had to obey and pay them because that was the ways of socialism and other recourse did they have?

I came home that year and for the first time was happy to pay my taxes with certitude for the fact that I had some input and recourse where my taxes were concerned, and grateful knowing that we do not have taxation without representation as in other countries. Glad that Washington politicians could not arbitrarily make up imagined taxation and stay in office or even get the legislation passed.

Another great example would be Dubai; it is a fabulous getaway for the seasoned traveler with its spectacular and plush surroundings, accommodations and shopping. You can find every imaginable luxury there and many Americans and other foreign workers have taken up residence due to the many lucrative employment opportunities that exist there.

However, since the recent global recession tourism is down in Dubai and as in most countries it is often the foreign workers who are hit the hardest when it comes to the inevitable downsizing and Dubai is no different than the United States in that respect, but that is where the similarity ends.

At the airport long term parking garage in Dubai on any day you go there you will find a large number of abandoned new vehicles. Every day there are more and more, and 8 out of 10 of those cars belong to foreign nationals. The reason for that is due to the recession thousands of foreign workers have been fleeing the country for fear of being imprisoned. In Dubai they have debtors prison, so if you fall behind on your home mortgage or car payment because you lost your job they not only come and take your car away, they take you too. There's no option for debt consolidation or even a debt consolidation loan in countries like these. We have it so good and we don't even know it.

So many people are booking a permanent vacation out of Dubai that the airport garage looks more like an upscale used car lot. Citizens of the beautiful country don't have that luxury of escape and are often left imprisoned for an indeterminate sentence because it's nearly impossible to make money while in prison to repay the delinquent debt, and unless a family member or friend is willing to repay your debt you will likely languish in prison.

In order to successfully get out of the country without arising suspicion and being arrested one must book a roundtrip ticket for a supposed holiday and leave everything you own behind other than what you can reasonably take for a vacation, including money. Hence, you have many foreigners leaving on flights out everyday, as if they were returning, but in actuality are simply abandoning all their personal possessions and the car they could no longer afford the payment on at the airport garage.

Once again, I came home happy to pay my taxes and grateful for credit counseling agencies that will help restructure my debt management plan if I fall behind on my credit card bill or car payment. Grateful that if I have really gotten in a deep financial mess that same non profit and reputable credit counseling agency will see me through and help me to determine if I simply need to restructure my debt management plan, need to consolidate my debt or take debt settlement steps. I know that I will not go to jail because I lost my job, or was taken in a Ponzi scheme and have been left with nothing in savings or my retirement account and now cannot pay my debts or remain retired or retire in the near future. I know that I can seek the help of that credit counselor that will help me weed through the financial dilemma I find myself in and be able to make sense of my fiscal life again and go on to rebuild it.

I also know that my government is on my side to help me stay in my home, and that there is a program in place to assist me in the renegotiation of my flawed sub prime Fannie May or Freddie Mac mortgage that has been repackaged with the balloon payment or interest rate I can no longer afford, and that my government does not instead want to provide me with another home consisting of a 4 by 10 cell.

That if, although I have engaged a reputable non profit credit counseling agency to help me with my debt management, as is now required before filing for bankruptcy, and I have taken steps to pursue debt settlement or debt consolidation to no avail, that I can in fact file for bankruptcy and begin the long and painful road to rebuilding my credit, not to be working on the road or highway on the prison work crew. I am truly thankful to be an American with those debt management options.

The recession is having a global effect on people all over the world and the suffering we have seen brought on by the lax banking regulations and Wall Street greed which in turn resulted in the greatly increased number of foreclosures and bankruptcies' being filed here in the United States is a palpable pain. But, even in our suffering we are fortunate to be suffering here rather than abroad where things are much worse with fewer resources in most instances. It was not their ponzified paper and mortgages that were being bundled and packaged and re-packaged, sold and resold just to make the broker fees, it was ours. As indignant as we feel about what has transpired here in our financial markets, imagine what it must be like in other countries around the world where they were completely innocent of the entire process and yet are paying the price.

For the majority of Americans this recession combined with the meltdown of Wall Street and resulting burst of the inflated real estate bubble has made all of us rethink our priorities and debt to income ratios. Thinking, that used to determine how much money we spent and on what, had to be revised as families and single people alike began dealing with a reduction of benefits, hours, or mandatory unpaid leave of absence which has negatively affected their income.

Prior to this recession; which officially began in the U.S in December 2007 with a very slight drop in the gross national product (GNP) as the very first indicator of a decline in the economy, and which gradually made a steady minimal decline in the following months only to show signs of real trouble beginning after the first quarter of 2008. Statistics indicate that 72% of workers in the United States spent $1.15 for every dollar they earned, and 67% carried a credit card balance in excess of $6,000.00 dollars with 42% carrying a balance of as much on an average of $26,000.00 dollars in credit card debt or student loans alone.

The rampant disposition of buy now pay later is quickly becoming a thing of the past as consumers have had to at least minimally cut their spending, revamp their budgets and get their debt management habits in order. An emergency savings account may as well have been in a foreign language to the average household and a reserve account to cover your monthly bills for six months also non-existent in most cases. Credit counseling, debt management, debt settlement or debt consolidation … Latin to most of us. All of the pre-recession mind set of debt management has been replaced with new thinking ala recession shock treatment and the Oprah Winfrey shows featuring economic/money management guru Suzy Orman and the like, who most people had never heard of before the recession hit.

In a way it is the wake up call we have all needed though. We are surviving this struggling economy and according to the Associated Press' latest GfK poll, debt related stress is down 12% in contrast to statistics from the same period in 2008. Research psychologist and AP consultant Paul J. Lavrakas concluded that, “People now have some optimism that the worst is behind them.” Another source, associate professor of sociology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who studies debt related stress, Patricia Drentea said, “People are doing things that make them feel like they are taking charge of their lives again.” In other words that would mean we as a nation are practicing better debt and money management, seeking the assistance of reputable non profit credit counseling when we can't rein it in on our own and hopefully making a lifetime practice of prudent debt management and remembering to live with-in our means.

As an aside, I must state that the poll indicated there was a vast difference in the polls findings among Democrats and Republicans. Republicans stated their debt anxiety had increased sharply with the new administrations 1 trillion dollar deficit spending and talk of yet another stimulus plan, while Democrats reported a big drop in their debt related stress with a new administration and after 8 years of Republican George Bush.