Four Stress Reduction Exercises

Four Stress Reduction Exercises You Can Blog or Tweet About: 
"This Christmas week may be filled with places and events for you to attend and tweet about, but have you stopped to appreciate the beauty of all the events that have brought your family and you together in this busy season?
Being thankful for the good things, however small or big, is one good way to be positive and see that reflected in a happier mood in yourself and others. Gratitude has been cited as a resource for fighting depression and improving mental health, according to studies by former American Psychological Association president, Martin Seligman."

Even if you don't Blog or Tweet, this article has something for you. I am always stressed out around the Holidays, and the article contains some useful hints on how to avoid the unpleasantries of the season.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Camcorder Deal

The Cheapskate - CNET News:
"Tis the season to record a lot of video. And take it from me: you want a camcorder you can slip into a pocket between memorable moments, not some big, bulky thing that requires a neck strap.
Flip Video's popular pocket cams start at around $200, but right now you can grab the Creative Vado HD (with accessories) for $99.99 shipped."

If you don't have a camcorder already, this is a really good for the Holidays. Besides the price, the nice thing about the deal is that it includes an Accessory Kit which would normally cost about $45. Check out the article and most of all view the comments, they are always worth the read.

The Complete Guide to Avoiding Online Scams

Scam Busters - For Your Less Savvy Friends and Relatives:
"Our readers are a savvy bunch who aren't likely to be taken in by an online scam—but we've all got those friends and relatives we worry about. Here's our definitive guide to helping them stay safe online.
When training your loved ones how to keep themselves safe online, you should remind them of the rule your parents probably taught you: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Using a little common sense goes a long way to realizing that you aren't going to suddenly win the Spanish National Lottery when you didn't even know you had a ticket. That said, here's a few tips that you should share with your less-than-savvy friends and family to help them avoid falling victim to an online scam."

Sorry I haven't posted in so long, I've been side tracked by some personal things. Hopefully they'll be resolved next week.
At any rate here is a great article to forward to your not too computer savvy friends and family. It's a basic online scam survival guide brought to you by the people at LifeHacker.
Enjoy.

A Grinch's Gift Guide

Five Items You Might Think Twice About Buying:
"In my family, there's a grand old tradition in which we threaten to fill each others' Christmas stockings with coal -- the implication being that we've all been very wicked. But I'm starting to think that coal isn't a bad gift at all. For one thing, it lasts forever. And while it doesn't play mp3s or grate carrots three different ways, coal never requires obscure replacement parts available only through membership in a secret society.
Of course, what we're really talking about here is the frustrations of those perennial holiday gifts: gadgets and appliances. Lately, device makers seem to be outdoing each other in their creative approaches to planned obsolescence. Roaming store aisles, it's easy to come up with a list of gifts that qualify as the new lump of coal:"

This article struck a note with me, so much so that I'll add a sixth item to the list of things to think twice about buying.
I was going to purchase a new laptop and decided to splurge and buy a Mac. After a copious amount of research comparing the Mac Book against similarly specked PC, I decided to spend the extra bucks (almost 2X a PC) and go for the Mac. Fortunately just before I ordered it I saw an article about battery life and at the very end of the article, almost as an aside, they stated that you had to return the Mac to the factory to replace the battery. That was a deal buster for me.
Replacing a laptop battery is one the simplest things, next to turning it on, that a person can do in a PC world. The hassle and cost associated with sending a laptop back to the factory for something that simple is totally outrageous. Link to Apple price list for battery replacement.
Apple deserves a big lump of coal in their stockings for this one.

Questions On Your Money - Las Vegas caller

Do I walk away from this house? - Housing Doom:
"An underwater Las Vegas caller calls in and asks if he should walk away from his house"

This is a very interesting video, with some even more interesting blog comments. Jingle Mail is a subject that gets more discussion in the blogsphere than the MSM. It is truly is a moral issue, but who is the immoral one, the bank or the home owner?
Since most Boomers are Old School and have worked their entire lives to pay off their mortgages, it would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the subject.

Pay Off Debt In 10 Steps And 5 Years

Pay Off $50k In Debt On A $20k Salary In 10 Steps And 5 Years - The Consumerist:
This 30-year old receptionist and single mother of 3 climbed out of a $50,000 debt hole in 5 years using these 10 steps.
Broke and $50k in debt, Noemi Wikstrom, who had become a single mother at 19 living in Puerto Rico with no child support and working for minimum wage as a secretary, sent her three kids to live with relatives. She enlisted in the Air Force but was still behind. Desperate, she turned to payday loans, which only made matters worse. Finally, she got real and started on her path to a debt-free life."

I posted this article for two reasons -
The first was so that you could pass it on to someone that you know who is just starting out, and could benefit from some sage advice about money.
Secondly I thought that as a Boomer you would find the comments, at the end of the short article, very interesting. It gives a good insight as to how different people look at money and finances. Some people are critical of Ms. Wikstrom, others support her resolve. Even at our age you can learn new perspectives about how people think

Seniors Going To Food Pantries

Recession Sends Many Seniors to Food Pantries :
"ALBANY, N.Y. — Older Americans who were raised on stories of the Great Depression and acquired lifelong habits of thrift now find themselves crowding soup kitchens and food pantries in greater numbers for the first time after seeing retirement funds, second jobs and nest eggs wiped out by recession.
'What we see in line is lots of gray hair, lots of walkers,' said Marti Forman, Cooperative Feeding Program. The help is crucial for many fixed-income seniors, who can't always keep up with rising food prices."

 I make it a habit to only post upbeat articles on this blog but as Jerry Seinfeld once quipped, this time I Slipped One Past The Goalie.
Whenever I think about Food Pantries and Seniors, I always envision a bunch of older Boomers tripping over them selves in order to volunteer to help those down on their luck. Now it seems that The Times They Are A Changing, and Boomers are the ones in need of help. I don't know how it is in your locality, but here in Durham North Carolina property and sales taxes are increasing steadily to make up for short falls in government spending. A senior can scrimp, save, and cut back on most items, but not on taxes. This is something that Government seems to either forget or ignore when they try to save their budgets by raising taxes. What makes it worse is that this area doesn't offer any senior discount on property taxes, they pay the full tariff.
Let's hope that the economy improves, but if it doesn't, try to help out your local Food Pantries with donations or volunteering.

Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes

Maximize Your Thanksgiving Leftovers with Leftover Recipes:
"Last year we shared a few leftover recipes and now we're back to share a few more. The absolute easiest method of course is to simply throw servings of your leftovers on the plate and heat them back up. If you love a good Thanksgiving meal you can't go wrong with a basic reheat. That said, we've gathered up a few basic recipes here for you to mix up your left overs."

Thanks to the folks over at LifeHacker for this great post Thanksgiving article.
Tomorrow I'm making my old but simple classic, Turkey Salad. Recently I've taken to adding pickle relish and a hint of mustard. I'll package and freeze individual servings with what's left. Hope you enjoy the recipes, some of them look really good, but a little too much work for just one person.

What Is That Father

A friend of mine sent me this video and it almost brought tears to the eyes of this old cynic.

It is a short film by Constantin Pilavios. I have scoured the web, but I the only thing I can find out about him is that he is an amateur Greek film maker and director who lives in Athens. The film is another story, there aren't any mainstream reviews on it but it seems to be all the rage of blogs like mine. Most of the Bloggers give reviews or opinions of the film, but I won't because doing so will take away the surprise of the poignant little vignette.

Please do yourself a favor and take the time (5Min.) to watch this. It is very moving and I'm quite sure it will bring back some fond memories of your child hood, or maybe it will just make you want to say something special to someone special.

Hat tip to John L. for sending the clip to me.
Enjoy.

Five Black Friday Deals

Five Black Friday Deals You Shouldn't Miss: 
"Here we go: one week until Black Friday. Am I excited? Pumped? Polishing the ol' credit card for a day of deal-crazed madness?
Don't get me wrong: I enjoy BF as much as the next cheapskate. But I'm weary of the month-long hype machine, what with all the 'leaked' ads, pre-Black Friday sales, and so on.
What's more, I have never, and will never, set foot in a retail store on Black Friday. I don't enjoy crowds, especially the deal-crazed variety. Oh, and 5 a.m.? That's sleep time, not stand-in-line-in-the-freezing-cold time.
My other issue: Like last year, the deals I've seen so far just aren't that great. Know why? Because everything's already dirt-cheap all year. Regular Cheapskate readers have seen the $50 GPS, the $80 Blu-ray player, the sub-$300 32-inch HDTV. Sadly for retailers, there's just not much room to go any lower."

I have to agree with the author of this article Rick Broida A.K.A. The Cheapskate. I think that these Black Friday prices aren't so great that they're worth standing in line at 5 a.m. for. Also with today's economy, Ole Man Deflation will drive down prices even further.
So if you don't need it yesterday, sit back, relax and remember Cash Is King.
That is until it's Ole Man Inflation's turn at bat.