Good Tips for Auto Repair and Maintenance

This is Just The Beginning

If you have an auto, you just cannot rest, thinking that it will run all the time. Auto repair and maintenance should be two of the most important things you should follow. An effort must be made by you to keep your car in good shape. Paying a visit to the repair shop only when your car has broken down is just not what this means. You may have delayed it by far to lower any costs by that time. Regular maintenance at a reputed workshop will do more than keep your car in good working order. You will have a way with avoiding mishaps that are least expected with this help. Here are tips that may make life easier for you to keep your car in good working order.

Shop Around

If you have a repair shop that you do business with on a regular basis, you have your work cut out for you. However, if you don't, you will have to shop around and find one. There are a number of repair shops that you can find to drive your car into for maintenance. You really need a good repair shop that you can trust will understand the problems you face and take care of them. Problems keep recurring and you cannot afford to change repair shops and mechanics every time you come across one. These changes can be very expensive in the long run. When you deal with a single mechanic or repair shop the advantages of better prices will be yours. You will be treated better by the people you are dealing with as a loyal customer.

Get Quotes and Talk to the Mechanic

If you are looking to go into a repair shop for the first time, make sure you get a quote from a certified mechanic. The quotes that you get will also define the type of maintenance you get for your car, therefore give this matter the utmost importance. Do not hesitate to ask around with different repair shops before you finally settle on one. Costs of any parts required and labor must be included in all quotes. Take a quote for the particular job, if the problem is minor. The mechanic should have understood what you had explained after you talked to him. You have to make sure that you both understand what is happening. Two way communications that are beneficial to both should be developed.

Choose the Best Repair Shop

As you will be looking to establish a long term relationship, you will need to find a company that is considered the best and is within your budget. In the first place be prepared with what you need and explain your needs to the shop. Get a monthly maintenance contract complete with prices of parts and labor, if that is what you are looking for. The repair shop chosen should have an unmatched reputation in the market. Services that are above industry standards will appear to cost more upfront, but they will be worth it. You will pay more if the jobs are improperly done.

Selecting the Ideal Affiliate Network

Because there are so many affiliate CPA networks on the internet today, it is crucial for serious affiliate marketers to recognize the primary attributes that are critical to them in order to decide on the best networks to promote. Sometime soon, we'll be publishing a new thorough affiliate network review tutorial, but I figured it would be helpful for the time being to identify some of the important differences among the popular affiliate networks.

Affiliate Support

Selecting a network that offers the needed amount of support for a precise affiliate type can be essential. Many affiliate marketers prefer to not be contacted with ideas about how exactly to improve their campaign’s performance; they usually have a strong hold on their marketing strategies. The smallest amount of interruptions from the actual network and affiliate managers that they get, the happier they are. At the opposite end of the spectrum are the beginner affiliates that require a tad bit more hand holding along with training. Most of these are the affiliates who ought to choose a network that focuses on affiliate relationships – a network with a adequately trained staff to provide advice in SEO, PPC advertising, e-mail marketing, as well as other sorts of marketing techniques.

Advertising campaign Types

Quality advertisers are available on a number of internet marketer networks, which makes it extremely important to find a network which includes a good selection of advertisers or campaigns in an affiliate's market niche. When the niche will be retail goods, affiliates need to pick out the network that has an abundance of those kinds of ads from the major merchants. For the CPA affiliate marketer in the financial sector, An average "affiliate network" might not be the best option. As an alternative – the CPA affiliate marketer may need to look into a few exclusive CPA affiliate networks for laser targeted offers that complement their own niche.

Affiliate Marketer Payouts

As a final point, the affiliate payout options along with frequency have been a hot button in the industry for a long time. Some affiliate marketing networks still believe it is okay to pay affiliate marketers monthly, and by means of paper check only. Modern CPA networks look at this as an possibility to distinguish themselves from the competition by providing flexible payment methods just like PayPal, direct deposit, Money bookers, debit cards, and lots of other payment processing options. These types of CPA affiliate networks are also implementing a bi weekly or weekly pay schedule; something that affiliates have wanted for a long time. Online marketers that need regular payouts (for reinvesting in Pay per click, or even additional advertising), a payout frequency of two weeks or less needs to be mandatory.

These are just a couple points that potential internet marketers need to look for when selecting an affiliate network. Don’t forget to take a look at our thorough affiliate network evaluation guide in the near future, and additionally visit “Top Online Networks” for more info.

Save Cash Today for a Good Retirement Tomorrow

Planning for retirement

Managing cash today wisely, can mean a secure retirement in the future. It's difficult to get on a consistent plan to save for retirement, especially in today's market. That does not mean it's impossible or that consumers should forgo it for other priorities. The biggest catch with saving for retirement is to plan. Like the old adage, "Nobody plans to fail, but plenty of people fail to plan," so retirement requires proactive preparation.

A crucial piece of the picture

The number one most important tool when it comes to planning for retirement is saving. Though it sounds mundane and simple, more and more Americans are having a difficult time with it. New studies are showing that 26% of Americans opt out of their employer's retirement savings vehicles. The overwhelming reason for it is that they don't have enough money to make ends meet now. Although it may be difficult in a depressed economy to stay strong and keep contributing to retirement accounts, it's an integral part of creating a secure retirement future.

The great thing about saving is that many employers offer 401(k) matching. Although some companies cut their contributions when the recession was at it’s worst, they are now beginning to offer matching programs again. In addition, employees can set up automatic contributions to their IRAs. It's best to make it an effortless activity that leaves no room for excuses.

Invest aggressively

Studies have shown that most returns on investments are dictated by asset-allocations. For anyone looking to earn quickly, CDs or other fixed-income investments probably aren't aggressive enough to bring in huge returns. Add to that the fact that inflation can eliminate a big chunk of savings from these types of investments, and it's difficult to save. Consumers should talk to investment specialists and diversify their investments. More aggressive tools will fluctuate over their lifetimes, but show higher returns in the long run. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “Save Cash Today for a Good Retirement Tomorrow“

Save Big, Get Small!

Save Big on a Gym Membership

It's New Year's resolution time and for many people, that means deciding to join a gym and lose weight. However, since gym memberships can be expensive and often require a one-year to two-year commitment, it's important to spend some time finding the right one for you. Let's look at a few easy ways to save money when signing up for a gym membership:

Look for free trials

Most gyms offer free trials that let you stop by and workout like a member for a limited period of time – typically one day to one week. If you don't yet know which gym is the right one for you, consider taking advantage of several of these trial memberships. Not only will they allow you to experience each gym first-hand and decide which one is the best fit for you, you could get a month or more of free membership privileges before you even sign a contract!

Watch for specials

Gyms – like most other retail businesses – offer periodic sales and discounts. For example, a gym may offer a limited-time, free-enrollment special to sign up lots of new members in a short period of time. You can find out about these specials through advertisements, including TV, radio, and print messages. Keep your eyes and ears open and you could wind up saving lots of money on your gym membership.

Talk to your friends

Gyms and other fitness facilities are always looking for new members, and one of the easiest ways for them to meet their recruitment goals is by turning their existing members into a mobile sales force. To encourage their members to sign up friends and relatives, many gyms offer referral bonuses, both for the referrer and the referred. For example, if you mention a friend's name when signing up for a membership at his or her gym, you both could qualify for discounted rates or even free months of membership. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “Save Big, Get Small!“

ManCrunch Super Bowl commercial rejected

CBS rejects ad for gay dating site

Visiting ManCrunch?

An online dating site called ManCrunch submitted a commercial to CBS for play during the super bowl, but the commercial was rejected, reports CNN Money. The gay dating site’s slogan is “Where many many many men come out and play,” and you can view a video of the ad at the end of this post.

The ad looks to me like something Super Bowl fans would enjoy, but CBS wrote in the letter of rejection to ManCrunch that “is not within the Network’s broadcast standards for Super Bowl Sunday.” The confusing thing is, CBS also said at one point that the reason the commercial was rejected was because the TV spots were sold out (they weren’t).

More strange stories

CBS also said in the letter that it “had trouble verifying [ManCruch's] credit status.” However, Elissa Buchter, spokeswoman for ManCruch, says the site didn’t need loan lenders and offered to pay for the spot in cash. ManCrunch recently raised $40 million from investors, so the Toronto-based company would have no trouble paying for the Super Bowl spot, which would have cost $2.5 million. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “ManCrunch Super Bowl commercial rejected“

Howard Zinn joins the pages of history at 89

‘A People’s History’ author passes away

Howard Zinn From Wikimedia Commons

Recently, one of the giants of the study of history passed away at the age of 89, from heart failure.  Howard Zinn was an academic giant, and many praised him as a revolutionary, others decrying him as being ‘Anti-American’ along with other pejoratives for his take on American history.  He published numerous works, including plays that won great acclaim, and historical books, including the seminal work ‘A People’s History of the United States’ which cast a light on the American past that was provocative and illuminating, winning plaudits and criticism.  The book won’t cost you even a payday loans worth - it goes for less than $30 - but it’s worth reading, to say the least.

Humble beginnings

Zinn was born in 1922, to Jewish parents who had emigrated from Europe.  He joined the Army Air Corps in World War 2, serving as a bombardier.  After the war, he attended college on the GI Bill, attaining his Bachelor’s from New York University in 1951, and Masters’ and a PhD from Columbia.  He wrote his dissertation on Fiorello LaGuardia, the legislator and Mayor of New York City, entitled LaGuardia in Congress, which won the Beveridge Prize from the American Historical Association. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “Howard Zinn joins the pages of history at 89“

Wedding Cans: Pete and Andrea continue recycling crusade

Wedding Cans donation announcement

It's a start! This photo from December shows Andrea and Pete's first load of cans for their project. Image from Flickr.

Andrea and Pete, a Washington State couple, made a goal to pay for their wedding by recycling cans — far cry from the usual route of borrowing money to pay for a wedding. The couple started the Wedding Cans project less than two months ago, and they’ve already made it to 82 percent of their 400,000-can goal.

They were stunned when they realized that they just might meet their goal. Now, Andrea and Pete are considering another possibility: they could surpass their goal. They plan to continue collecting cans to recycle until their ceremony in July, and last week on Wedding Cans, Adrea wrote: “we are looking into possibly donating cans and/or the proceeds from cans collected after we reach our goal to charity.”

Wedding Cans media blitz

Today, Andrea and Pete did a string of interviews, coordinated by Alcoa Inc. aluminum company and broadcast via satellite, to spread their message about recycling. They also officially announced that, should they exceed their goal, they will donate 60 percent of any additional proceeds to Doctors Without Borders for Haitian disaster relief and to recycling programs. The other 40 percent will go toward their honeymoon fund. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “Wedding Cans: Pete and Andrea continue recycling crusade“

3 ways to e-file your taxes for free

1. Turbo Tax Free Edition

E-file. All the cool kids are doing it.

You probably already know that if you make a lot of money or have complicated taxes you won’t be able to file your taxes for free. Usually, for people with high incomes or a lot of assets, it makes sense, and it’s worth it, to pay someone to do your taxes. But, if you’re like me, filing your taxes is just a matter of plugging the right numbers into the right places.

Turbo Tax Free Edition is a good option for people in this situation. You can download this program from www.turbotax.com. If you’re worried that you need extra help to avoid tax debt, there are several different programs that you can pay for to e-file your taxes through Turbo Tax. Also, H&R Block has a free online program at www.hrblock.com.

2. IRS Free File

This program is a partnership between the IRS and private tax-preparation companies. You may only file for free if you made less than $57,000 in 2009. This program is only for filing federal taxes, so if you live in a state that has income tax, you’ll need to file those separately. IRS Free File is at www.irs.gov/efile.

IRS Free File gives you the option of using tax software with step by step help. You can also choose to fill in the tax forms and file them online without tax software. … click here to read the rest of the article titled “3 ways to e-file your taxes for free“

Experience Trumps Stuff…

Today’s is my 30th birthday, and there are no gifts allowed.

I used to love January, because that’s when many people ask me about gift ideas. But this is changing. Starting this year, thank you so much for the offer but no more gifts. If you insist, let’s go out and celebrate together.

Experience and friendship is much more valuable than stuff.

If I have any wishes in the next ten years, I hope to cultivate my relationships with everybody around me. Whether it’s family, friends, or my readers (that’s you), I want to get to know you better and help so we can both enrich our lives together.

I have put way too much importance on stuff, and that needs to stop immediately.

Do me a favor, and think of everything you’ve ever gotten. How many can you really remember? Now, think of all the experiences you’ve had, whether it’s a trip somewhere or even a nice dinner with several close friends. Who needs stuff when you can spend time enjoying an experience that are forever in your memories?

Stuff never last, but relationships can (if you work on them).

Tonight, with the help of Emma, we invited many friends to help celebrate our 30th birthday with money we’ve saved up. Hopefully, on my 40th birthday, my business could grow to a point where I can just have an open invitation to all of you.

Thank you for your daily support, and please help me get to you know better by contacting me whenever I can be assistance.

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