Melissa writes in with the following question about closing credit cards:
I have an old credit card account where my charging privileges were revoked because I was having trouble making my payments. I have since then paid off the card and it is at a zero balance. Do I now close the account? Would it help my credit more if I left it open? I am trying to rebuild after years of bad credit decisions.
Deciding to close a credit card or leave it open is a tough decision. Unfortunately, it sounds like the credit card issuer beat you to the punch. Chances are they ... Read the entire article.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Credit Cards To Close Or Not To Close
Silver Shield Protection on Sale
Silver Shield Liquid is On Sale November 16 - 23, 2009
This is not your common colloidal silver.
View Silver Shield sale prices.
View all product sales at The Herbs Place.
Read more research, information and view a video about Silver Shield.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Florida Gardening
Question:
Answers from Subscribers:
Try asking your local nursery. If one isn't available then do a web search on growing plants for your zone. And as a last resort just observe the ... Read all the responses.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Affordable Shipping Container House
Shipping containers are at the forefront of a new era of usefulness. Traditionally used to carry goods via cargo ship, train or truck, these steel boxes are capable of withstanding huge amounts of pressure and weight. This makes them structurally stable, fireproof, mold-proof and weather-proof.
Unfortunately each has a lifespan of only 20 years for its original purpose. That means when their work is done hauling stuff, they get retired and sent to junk yards or landfills even though they are still structurally solid.
Now architects and designers recognize their usefulness as building blocks for homes, offices, apartments, schools and more. This home in Quebec was built by a couple intent on reducing the amount of wood that goes into building homes and also saving money. View photos and rest of the story.
14 Ways a Notebook Can Save You Money
Melinda writes in:
You constantly write about how having a notebook in your pocket all the time helps you in life and saves you money. I get that you can write down your ideas in it all the time, but I’m not a creative type. I don’t see how having a notebook on me at all times can save me money at all.
Aside from the fact that I’m able to use the notebook to write down my ideas – my career’s bread and butter – a pocket notebook constantly comes in handy for many other financial reasons as well. (FYI, I usually just keep a simple small Mead reporter’s notebook in my pocket, along with a good pen that doesn’t run out of ink.) Here are fourteen ways I use that notebook to directly save money. ... Read about the 14 ways.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Make Your Own Fitted Diapers
Learning how to make homemade cloth diapers, even fitted ones, is probably a lot easier than you think. If you have minimal sewing skills and can follow simple instructions you can finish one in less than two hours. Once you get the hang of it you can finish one in forty-five minutes or less. View the Slideshow How-To.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Healthy Stuff - Finding Non-Toxic Products
A nonprofit environmental research organization released results today on over 900 common products tested for toxic chemicals including lead, cadmium, mercury, bromine, chlorine (PVC) and arsenic. Using an XRF analyzer, researchers at the Ecology Center analyzed the ingredients of pet products, cars, women's handbags, children's car seats and more, creating the largest database yet of independent tests of toxic chemicals in consumer goods. The results can be found on the user-friendly website: www.HealthyStuff.org. Visitors can look up products by manufacturer, brand, or product type and easily generate lists of highly rated and poorly rated products. HealthyStuff.org tested for chemicals based on their toxicity, persistence and tendency to build up in people and the environment. Such chemicals have been linked to reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, liver toxicity and cancer. "The more we test, the more we find that the presence of toxic chemicals is widespread in everyday consumer products," said Jeff Gearhart, Research Director at the Ecology Center, who created the site. "It should not be the responsibility of public health advocates to test these products. Product manufacturers and legislators must take the lead and replace dangerous substances with safe alternatives." For the past several years the Ecology Center has spearheaded groundbreaking research on toxic chemicals in toys, cars and children's car seats at HealthyToys.org and HealthyCar.org. HealthyStuff.org is a compilation of all of these findings and more. New Key Findings From HealthyStuff.org: Reforming the Toxic Substances Control Act In response to increasing consumer demand for safer products, Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative Bobby Rush are expected to introduce a new bill this Congressional session to reform the outdated Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) – the current federal law for regulating chemicals. These reforms would phase out the most dangerous chemicals from the manufacturing process; require industry to take responsibility for the safety of their products; and use the best science to protect vulnerable groups. To date the EPA has required testing on only about 200 of the more than 80,000 chemicals that have been on the market since the law was passed 33 years ago. "A Made in the USA label should be a guarantee, not a warning," said Charlotte Brody, National Field Director for Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families, a coalition working toward toxic chemical policy reform. "This database of products is further proof that our system of testing and regulating toxic chemicals is broken. We have an opportunity to reform federal law this year and start putting common sense limits on harmful chemicals to protect the health of Americans." "HealthyStuff.org is an invaluable resource for busy parents who are concerned about toxic chemicals in children's products," said Mom's Rising President Joan Blades. "But it shouldn't be up to parents to look up every single item to find out if toxic chemicals are used. We need reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act now."
For a summary of key findings, click here (PDF download).
That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. -- Henry David Thoreau
The cost of a thing is the amount of what I call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. -- Henry David Thoreau
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone. -- Henry David Thoreau
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. -- Henry David Thoreau