Budgeting and Planning - oh do I ever need assistance

Here's the scoop:  My husband has a good job.  We own a daycare.  We bought a daycare that was suffering in the money department.  Our own home finances are horrible.  But, some how, we've managed to bring the daycare to a balance where we aren't scared we won't meet payroll.  There was a time where my husband worked so that the folks that worked for me could get paid.  Our home finances are still in a bit of confusion but they are getting better.  I will be the first to tell you that I am not very good with budgeting and planning.  But, I will also be the first to tell you that I am not the impulse buyer in this family. 

My husband gets what I call "wild hairs" and thinks he has to have some fancy toy, or phone or computer.  I on the other hand will do without until I've hit a really bad place, then I find something I want.  The difference is, his impulse buying comes in the form of big things like four-wheelers and computers; mine come in the form of a pedicure.  You know $4K versus 20 bucks.  I'd say that's a big difference uh? 

Basically we try to plan, but when both of us have issues with spending money on a whim based on our outlook at the moment, it is tough.  And, with that, I think it is a small miracle that we've managed to get the daycare out of debt.  So, as bad as we are, we aren't hopeless.

Bridal showers

I love a good party.  But for years, I detested going to Showers and Teas of all kinds.  Even after I had my own and numerous people came to wish me well, I still simply didn't like to go to other people's special days.  As I've matured though, I've found that it isn't as bad as I once thought it was.  I think I might just enjoy the adult company now more than anything.  That's pretty sad eh?  Anyway, one of my employees just got married this past weekend.  She had some of the most gorgeous wedding and shower invitations I've ever seen.  I'm pretty good and designing invitations for birthday parties and stuff but when it comes to bridal shower invitations, people want something really special. 

I've seen invitations in all forms.  I've seen the uber expensive and super fancy designs and I've seen the ones where someone buys a 10 pack for a dollar and writes the information in with an ink pen.  My invitations were somewhere in between.  We aren't real fancy and formal people so I didn't go for all the frills and the fancy smancy wording, but I did like the look of elaborate details.  You know, ribbon that crinkled and shined, nice thin paper over-lays, you know, the frills.  But, like I said, we aren't fancy people so the wording was simple so that our family and friends would simply know when and where as well as who to contact if they had any questions.  For me, it was a simple task, for some?  Not so simply and that's why there's lots of places to go for help.

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Can you believe it is October already?  I mean, Christmas is truly just around the corner.  And, with that, I start to look for smart gifts.  My kids have tons of plastic that is useless, so I'm always on the lookout for good quality toys.  Add to that the daycare business and I'm really searching high and low looking for good toys!

I know that if I shop smart, then smart toys will be what I find.  Just a quick search on the site and immediately I found a cool talking laptop that comes with over 20 activities including spelling and math games. 

And, on the daycare front, there is a wonderful kitchen set.  It is wood, not the yuky plastic stuff.  It comes with a buttercup fridge and freezer and is finished with frescoed water and ice dispensers.  There's even a kids computer desk.  It is really awesome all decked out in pink for the girlie girls

Martin WorldWide

I once chatted with a lady on-line who worked at a company that provided other companies with mailing lists.  You name the category, the part of the country, men/women, whoever it was you wanted to target, that's the list she would provide to you.  They call these Telemarketing Lists and if you have ever needed one of these, you understand what it is that they do. 

Martin Worldwide is one of these companies and they are the leaders in the direct marketing industry.  One of the ground breaking products they have is called ResponseCom.  ResponseCom is a blend of U.S. Response and U.S. Consumer databaes.  This will then accurately identify prospects who are predicted to buy well.  People who are using ResponseCom are showing higher rates, profitability and new business opportunities.

Martin Worldwide is a very successful provider in the nation of customized lists.  Their database contains over 290 million consumers and 14 million U.S. business.

Fair Credit Credit Cards

If you are like me, you have a few credit cards and you are always looking out for yourself when it comes to new cards or charges on your cards.  You can go to CreditCardSearchEngine.com and find out most of what you need to know.  They have the longest running site when it comes to making comparisons on your cards.  You don't have to be someone important with a lot of money to use their site to search either.  Simply go there an get busy, checking out Fair Credit Credit Cards.

You can search and compare as well as apply for all types of credit card offers.  You can check out the ones with low interest and rewards too.  You can also check on cards if you have bad credit.  They feature some of the big name folks like J.P. Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citibank and more...go see!

Orlando bound

Yes, I've been to Disney, yes I've loved it more times than you can count, but if you want to go and go in style, then you need to get all the information up front.  Admission tickets don't come cheap and you will benefit from shopping at places like Orlandofuntickets.com.  They have so much to offer for you with the lowest prices available for the four theme parks.  You can even get your night-time fun with them.  You can do Arabian nights, Medieval Times, Pirates Dinner Adventure and even get into Sea World, Kennedy Space Center and Universal Studio tickets.

So, you need to make sure when you get your Disney Tickets, make sure you get the best deals available because there is so much to do out there that you want to spend your money wisely.  Go, see, check them out and hey, take me with you when you go.

Getting the necessary coverage

Insurance companies all have a set of rules, regulations and other individual nit-picky things that you need to know about.  And, they all offer different types of coverage at different prices.  And, so, you need to check out a lot of them in order to ensure that you are getting the best possible coverage.

Sleightholm Insurance was founded in 1945...that's a long time ago folks.  Normally folks who have been around that long are serious about their business and can be trusted.  They have a great deal of experience and they provide home owners insurance, auto insurance, life insurace and RRSP's and GIC's as well as RRIF's.  They really are a place where you can go and not have to look any further.  You need to check out their link on the site to investments.  You can even get business insurance from them and believe me, that's something I am going to need soon.

Vacationing in Costa Rica

Here I go again, dreaming of big vacations.  But, this time, we're not talking Disney, the beach or even Hawaii.  This time I'm talking about a Costa Rica vacation .  The very thought of visiting a place like Costa Rica makes the hair on my arms stand straight up.  Costa Ria boasts cloud forests, windsurfing, volanos, water surfing, beaches and as much nature as you can possible take in.

The tropical garden is famous for butterfly farms.  And, who doesn't like butterflies.  To sit and watch them.  We went into a butterfly spot in the Aquarium in Tennessee and it was great.  You can visit the jungles and see monkeys, wild parrots, lizards, poison-dart frogs and exotic brids and insects.  You can even see the endangered sea turtles as they come to the beaches.  There are more natural wonders in Costa Rica than I ever imagined.  Ok, so book us a trip...right now.

Off to see the Mouse House

You all know what a sucker I am for all things Disney.  And, Discount Disney Tickets are no different.  Actually, I had planned to make it to Disney before my children were too old to be bored with it but now I don't know.  No, really, I was hoping for this summer but now it looks like it will probably be next summer.  With that in mind, I keep searching for just the right place to stay, just the righ price for tickets and all the right places to visit.

I've been before, I have photo's from the parade at Mickey's house and they are framed and hanging on the wall in my son's room.  I take my Mickey Mouse serious around here.  I have all kinds of things including a full Christmas Tree full of decorations.  People buy me Mickey Mouse things when they find them at yard sales and thrift stores and even somethings that are new.  I have so much Disney stuff it is starting to take over our home...but that's ok, I love it that much.

Dotflowers has ...flowers....send some to someone

How do you make your lady happy?  No, don't answer that.  Let me tell you how to do it instead.  Send her flowers....any occasion, any time..day or night..you can't go wrong if you just send flowers .

Dotflowers.com has flowers for you to choose from that will make any woman (or man) happy.  One of the first things I noticed when I got to the site was that they deliver....Mother's Day Tulips are surely a winner.  And, they have fresh flowers in the arrangement like in Mommy Magic.  You can check out the other flowers, the roses, the plants, the gourmet gifts and then if you have another reason to be gifting, check out the link for more gifts. 

Right now they are featuring flowers that simply say "Happy Spring" and of course, Mother's Day selections.  You can get same day delivery when you order from Dotflowers.com too.  While you are surfing the site, check out their product list as well as link for gifts for certain people in your life, like your boss, your neighbor or just for friends.  These people are good, they even tell you which holiday's to remember.