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Image Source: Frugal Living

When it comes to being frugal and eco-friendly, many people may not realize the amount of laundry that they do can have a significant impact on their expenses and their energy-consumption. The average size household will do at least 7 loads of laundry per week, which totals around 400 loads of laundry per year. A load of laundry can use 20-40 gallons of water meaning a year’s worth of laundry will use 16,000 gallons of water.

That is not to mention the amount of electricity that will be used to wash and dry 400 loads of clothes, towels, and blankets.

When you are looking for ways to save money and reduce your family’s carbon footprint, the laundry room and your washer dryer is the perfect place to start.

Pro Tip 1: Wash in Cold Water

By washing your clothes in cold water, you can cut the amount of electricity you use by more than half! The average load of laundry washed in hot or warm water, uses 4.5kWh of electricity (about $0.68 per load-$265/year) whereas a load washed in cold water uses a mere 0.3kWh ($.04 per load- $16/year). [Source]

Pro Tip 2: Use Other Drying Methods

The clothes dryer is a major culprit in raising electric bills. Any item that generates heat uses more electricity to operate. Use a clothesline to dry your clothes or hang them from hangers on the shower rod in the bathroom. Clothes will take longer to dry; however, you will save a great deal of money on your energy bill.

Pro Tip 3: Avoid Expensive Detergents

Yes, expensive detergents smell great and will leave you with the impression that your laundry is clean because of the way it smells. However, cheaper, economy-sized laundry detergents contain the same basic ingredients and will work just as well.
For half the price, you can purchase larger containers of laundry detergent and your clothes will be just as clean. Furthermore, there will be less packaging to recycle or toss out. You can also choose eco-friendly detergents. Environmentally-friendly ingredients to look for include grain alcohol, coconut plant oils, rosemary and sage.

Pro Tip 4: Top Load Versus the Front Loading Washer

If you are still using the outdated washing machine that you bought ten years ago, chances are you are wasting a lot of water. The average top load washer uses almost 40 gallons for one single load of clothes. A front-load washer only uses about 20 gallons per load.
Upgrading to a new washer can dramatically reduce the amount of water that you use in your home and is an eco-friendly choice.

Pro Tip 5: If It’s Not Dirty, Don’t Wash It!

Okay, this does not mean that you and your family should wear dirty clothes just because you are trying to reduce the amount of money you spend on laundry. Just make sure that you are not washing clothes that are not dirty. If you wear your nice dress slacks for an hour and then change, they most likely will be fine to fold up and put back in the drawer.
Some other tips to try:
- Cut your dryer sheets in half (or omit them altogether). This way you can cut these dryer sheet costs by half!
- Dilute your laundry detergent. By keeping an extra detergent bottle aside, you can fill it half way with detergent and the other half with water.
- Use vinegar instead of fabric softener. ¼ cup of fabric softener (for big loads) saves money and does just the trick.

By paying a bit more attention to how, and when, you do your laundry, it will be completely possible for you to save hundreds of dollars each year. This will help reduce the impact that your family has on the environment by cutting water and energy usage as well. Everyone likes to have clean clothes to wear, but this should not come at such an expensive cost and it really does not have to.

It’s that time of the year again - I’m getting prepared for the holiday parties and also birthday parties not only for Chloe but for Chloe’s friends too. We have a few friends who were born at about the same time as Chloe - and every year I try my hardest to attend all of them. This year I have no excuse - since we have Gary to help out in the store. And you all know when you attend any holiday parties you want to look your best. So I’ve booked myself for a haircut and hair coloring, a facial and a pedicure - and then I’m also looking at getting some eyelash tinting done. But PB laughed at me - and said I should get some eyelash growth serum first before doing the tint - because my eyelashes are not as long as Chloe’s - so if I want my tinting to stand out - first to grow some more eyelashes. So yes! i’m seriously thinking of the eyelash growth serum - anything to look pretty right.

Chloe will be 8 yrs old in a month time - mannn! time really flies - and I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy her as much as I can before she becomes and adult and leave me - to have her own life. I’m busy preparing not only for Chloe’s birthday but for Christmas as well - and looking back at the last 7 years, I’ve learned so much from bringing Chloe up. One thing for sure - is the realization of what my own mother must have gone thru’ while bringing me and my siblings up on her own. I learned not to be too critical of her and I learned to love Chloe a lot more - and because of my own father’s non-participation in our life - I made sure that PB plays a very important role in Chloe’s life. As I did not have grandparents to dote on me - I hope that Chloe’s paternal grandparents would - unfortunately, they spend so little time with her - so much so - I’m afraid when she grows up - she might not be closed to her grandparents. Chloe is a happy and sensitive kid - she is doing well in school and most importantly is healthy. I pray for all good things for her - and want her to be a good person and many, many more years of watching her grow.

First of all - I’m glad I’m not a Muslim in Malaysia and after you’ve watched the above ridiculous news - you will know why and understand where I’m coming from. To think that in this age and time - there are women who would believed and follow such a ridiculous order - now that is crazy ! how backwards is that? No marriage can survive a polygamy marriage - like PB said - one woman in the household is already a headache - to have more than 1 woman - that’s just asking for trouble.

But to think that one would enter a marriage to be very, very obedient to their husband/spouse? what? you mean you are a dog? or worst - a slave? we don’t even use the word “obedient” for raising our kids - these days - so why would a marriage have the word “obedient” in it? Shouldn’t a marriage be of a equal partnership? a life together ? what a pity - to be completely obedient was what the bride said in the youtube video.

So what does this complete obedience comprised of? to fulfill his every need and desire - so said the buck -teeth woman - to sexually please him better than a first class prostitute? * raised eyebrows* - so now to be a Muslim wife you have to be better than a first class prostitute? what a way to compare yourself to a prostitute? are you sure you want your husband to treat you like one too? since you behave like one? does it also mean that you can service his friends/business associates in bed too - afterall, you are better than a first class prostitute - and also full obedience needed in this case right? Isn’t that why the Obedient wives club is all about? Afterall, you don’t want your husband to stray out of matrimony - but it’s ok for him to have up to 4 other woman in his life - for wives? holy moly !!! all the fluids passed in between wife one - wife number four during the various days he is served by his wives - mannnn!!! that cannot be too healthy can it?

Now what baffled me most was this highly educated Muslim woman who grew up in Western Australia!!!! now that one really, really stunt me - Mariana was her name - she is young and very pretty too - and to think that she would agree to be the 4th wife? What’s up with that right? holy moly! No disrespect, but I never wanted to marry an Asian - having seen what my mom had to go thru’ and how we were brought up - but of course, not all Asians are this way - but I wasn’t going to test it out. Thank you very much.

Many of us remember when educational toddler toys began and ended at alphabet blocks and pull-string toys that emitted animal sounds. These days, however, the emphasis on encouraging your children to use their minds from an early age means that the field of educational toys has exploded. There are some wonderful toys out there created specifically to feed your child’s brain from infancy onward.

1. OLLO Action Robot Kit

If you want to give your child a head start on those mechanical engineering programs you hope to inspire him or her to delve into later, this OLLO kit is an excellent educational toy. Five different pre-planned robots can be built from the same pieces included in the kit, including a windmill, walking T-Rex, dog, and more. There are also plans not included that can be looked up online. All of the designs work on a single AA battery.

2. Creative Puzzle Peg

Intended for children 18 months and over, this unique puzzle toy goes a bit further than your typical sort-and-stack toy. It encourages problem-solving skills and helps to develop fine motor control. The base comes apart in four puzzle-piece shapes and each piece has a post featuring small nubs. The included brightly-colored shapes stack on the posts, but they first have to be manipulated to move the opening of the shape over the nubs to get it down to the bottom.

3. First Time Gear Clock

This child-friendly clock is based on the first mechanical clock’s design. It teaches how gears work, as well as how to follow directions, and encourages cognitive development. The color-coded set of directions shows your child how to assemble the 27 parts into a working clock that runs for over eight hours without requiring a battery.

4. Mozart Magical Cube

The popular theory that Mozart’s music helps to improve spatial-temporal reasoning in infants and toddlers continues with this toy. This is a bit more than a music box, though. It features five large buttons that are easy for small hands to work, each of which plays a different instrument – piano, violin, flute, harp, or French horn. A sixth button plays them all in a choice of eight of Mozart’s compositions while the toy flashes to the tempo.

5. Chinese Magnetic Poetry

In a world where everything and everyone is connected, being multilingual has never been more important. Many schools are teaching foreign language from preschool on up now. This magnetic poetry kit builds on this by providing an array of 140 double-sided magnets with a simplified Chinese character and its pinyin pronunciation on one side and the English translation on the other, allowing for vocabulary-building. The set comes in a hard plastic case to keep them organized.
Learning just got more fun!

Myth : Asian woman married to Westerners lives a life of wealth and don’t have to do anything - but look pretty and go shopping - while the spouse makes lots of money thus allowing her to travel home to Asia and flaunt her wealth and superiority to her friends and relative.

Fact : Some of us haven’t been home for 10 years or more - and even though we are not poor - rich and wealthy is far from describing us. Most Asian woman do work even when they are in the West and they have to cook a meal for themselves and their partner as well.

While I can’t say that I’ve had it bad here in Canada - I have to say that I don’t get to go home as often as I liked. Not because we can’t afford it - but we can’t afford the time as my spouse owns his own business. Thus, I’m constantly homesick and missed my food from home a lot. And no - we don’t have an Asian grocery store nearby - as I lived in a small town. Not going home for a visit and not getting the food I need is my biggest beef. Another thing is the doctors - there isn’t much around and seeing a doctor is like making an appointment to see God. Unlike home - there are plenty to choose from - from gynecologist to dental or any kind of specialist. Over here - even if you have the money - you still have to wait for an appointment.

Most Asian thinks that getting hook to a Westerner means marrying into money - but let me tell you 9 outta 10 Westerners that I have met here - are either poor or lazy - some worst and are on drugs - the other 1 man that works and has money is most likely to be married or already hooked with another girl. Most Asian thinks that marry a Westerner means flowers and romantic candle light dinners and dancing/serenading. Truth - nope they are not made the same - there is no sharing a bottle of wine with PB - because he doesn’t drink - and no candle light dinners - because he is not adventurous with food. And everywhere we go eat - he eats the same thing over and over again.

More on the Real Lives Of Asian Married To Westerners In The Next Post - stay tuned.

While reading a book with Chloe today - about the mouse trying to find the perfect husband - I asked myself if there was ever a perfect partner with anyone? The mouse wanted a strong and brave - and someone who will keep her company always - pretty simple right? and shouldn’t all partnership be simple too. When you fall in love what were you looking for? I think many people fell in love for the wrong reasons - therefore, they never grew old together. I hear you asking about PB and I right about now?

Well, we’ve known each other for 6 yrs before I came to Canada - I don’t know what was PB looking for in a life-partner - but I think I knew exactly what I was. Being the older one - and having had several relationships before PB - I didn’t want to look for just anyone. When we were younger - of course, we looked for the ones who is the most handsome - and as we grew older - we don’t only want the good looking - but the one with a good job. Then we grew much older - and we figured - the good looks can go to hell - as long as he is rich - hahahah!!! now, now - don’t tell me - you didn’t think of that?

Ok then reality set in - and all you wanted was someone true, someone who would look beyond the superficial things, someone who is strong, brave and will be with you always. Now ain’t that mouse clever. One can learn a lot from children and their books eh.

Halloween is round the corner and we are getting ready for Halloween - since we have to spend part of the evening at home. Of course, we can’t missed the personalized pumpkins from Chloe’s grampie. Wonder why grampie never make one for PB every year - haha!

This is mine - as you can see here.

And Chloe’s.

And the classic witch smacked and landed on our door.

And a straw puppet. I’m not done decorating yet - because I had been busy decorating the store first. When you own your own business, you usually have to take care of the business first.

Not only Chloe but myself - I’ve thought of going up to the city with some of my girlfriends for a night or two - but I have separation anxiety !!!! yup!! me!! but can you blame me - I’ve never left her side except when I had no choice during surgery a few years ago - and that already I was not too keen but had no choice.

Before having Chloe in my life - I had no problems whatsoever traveling at anytime and any place - i didn’t have anything to worry about - nor anything to keep me from traveling but things has changed so drastically for me - I sometimes don’t recognized myself - hahah!! or had I been this way all the time? or have I suddenly turned into a wuss ? And I do not like the thought of me becoming one or turning into one - or is one ! I’m a very tough person - so why is it that I don’t want to be separated from my daughter just for a night and an entire day? Am I the needy one ? or do I think that Chloe is the needy one?

A check with my other girlfriends with kids - some feels the same way but some didn’t have any trouble with spending a brief vacation with their girlfriends. Hmmm… ! interesting isn’t it ? I will chat with my family doctor about this.

In these tumultuous economic times, vacations seem like a luxury that many families can’t afford. But going on vacation doesn’t have to mean blowing the family budget. In fact, taking some time off to be together can be really good for everyone. The following are some vacation money-saving tips that will help you to have a great time while still economizing.

Source: http://frugalfamilytips.com/tag/traveling/

Set a Budget

The first and foremost step is to set a clear budget and stick to it. Rather than be vague about what expenses will be, figure out how much money you can afford to spend total. Then sit down and write out a list of what you’ll be spending money on. Set a food budget, activity budget, gifts (if necessary).
This way you’ll see what the actual monetary outlay is likely to be, and figure out ways you can save on the trip. It will also show you just what you need to make over your ordinary day to day expenses to afford the trip at whatever style level you choose.

Though it would be ideal to spend only cash on a trip, credit cards provide an added level of protection and security. You might even want to incorporate use of a travel oriented credit card such as the Aeroplan Plus Gold Card into your trip. This type of card offers all sorts of travel perks and advantages like sky miles, breakdown assistance, and various travel related types of insurance, so using them is actually a good idea when taking a vacation.

Book Hotels in Advance

Booking hotels is advance is a good way to save on accommodations. You can actually ask the hotel clerk how much you stand to save by booking in advance and then compare various hotels to see which ones are the most competitive in this regard. Try to choose hotels that reward you the most for good early planning.

Get Airline Tickets in Advance

Airline tickets are another area where advance booking can mean a much cheaper rate. There are a plethora of websites online that give you rate comparisons on various airlines and flights. These sites will give you exact rates and saving possible for given booking dates so they are a great way to compare advance flight booking rates and savings.

Consider Off Season Travel

Off season travel is always cheaper than peak season. This usually means the late fall, winter, or early spring (for locations that are reasonably cold at those times) and times not very close to the holidays. Consider planning trips for these times since they can often make for fine vacations that are also more cost effective.

Consider Camping

If camping is something you enjoy you can save a lot of money by camping rather than staying in hotels. This also gets you in touch with the outdoors and gives you a real feel for the flora and fauna of whatever locations you’re visiting. Consider this as an option if outdoor living is something you feel comfortable with. Even if you don’t there’s always a first time, so maybe you should give it a try!

Feel liberated yet? if you haven’t - well - there is something not so right with you. You must have some self-esteem problems? since you can’t seems to feel happy for other people. Everyone has bragging rights and if you don’t like mine - that’s your problem.

Marrying PB is the best thing I’ve done in my entire life - well besides having Chloe and having a great 2 great Godmas for Chloe. Why? because he never expect me to behave in a certain way nor talk differently, in our many years together - since I’ve been to Canada and before, he has never asked me to change my behavior, nor the way I talk or the way I walk or the way I wear my clothes - not a thing. He accepts me for who I am - maybe we all should learn to accept our spouse and not try and change them - me included. So for those of you - who don’t like the way I talk - or act - I don’t need your approval - Blah!

So we invested in a little cottage by the lake in Pembrooke - and this is our little getaway during the weekends - we just loved going there with our little bass boat and while PB and Chloe do their water sport thing, I just lazed around the sun and get a tan. But because Pembrooke is out of town, our cell phone signal isn’t the strongest but have no fear for in Canada - they have cell booster antenna that you can get from your local store in the mall - not expensive at all - and with that you will never have to miss a call. Although we say we are going there to relax, you all know that we need to keep our cellphone ready and available because of the store, so yes! thank God for gadgets like the cell phone booster else I doubt PB would want to buy this little cottage out in Pembrooke. The cottage was cheap and it has lots of potential, come spring next year, we are putting up a sunscreen porch and inviting friends over for more BBQ. woohoo!

Someone very wise told me a month ago - that if I didn’t like something, change it. Life is too short - live life to your fullest - do things you love and don’t waste time over-analyzing and I took his advice. My life is here in Canada - there is no going back and there is no way - I’m going to take care of others before my own family. Once that was settled, I knew exactly what I had to do. And I also learned that everyone have their bragging rights and if you don’t like it - then I can choose not to listen and walk away - the same for those who don’t like to hear me.

Yes! I’m very blessed! I’ve got a good spouse and an awesome and funny daughter, I haven’t “really” worked since I came to Canada and I loved what i do online - and I’ve good advertisers who look out for me and my friends often. My health is getting better everyday and I’m spending time with Chloe and able to do things with her more than I did before. Plus, we have good business acumen and do not have to worry about our daily expenses. What more can I asked for right?

We had brought in some apples for Chloe’s class like we usually do every fall. When the Apple farm where grammie works has apples for sale we usually get a 10lb bag every week. They are very cheap, and sometimes grammie will pay for it or there is no charge from the good Wallace owners. We are grateful always for such kind people in this area and cannot thank them enough for being so kind to Chloe. We are really blessed because just on the weekend - Chloe received a huge teddy bear - one that is bigger than her, from our customer - Gillian - just because, therefore I always have thank you cards handy, so that I can write out thank you cards to all these wonderful people who’ve not only been kind to us but also touched our lives.

A friend just told me I’m a Godsend but little does she know that she is the one Godsent and I cannot thank all of them enough for always sending food and gifts from home for Chloe and I - even all the way from Australia. And I’m usually so busy and even sometimes forget to send thank you cards to all these wonderful people, therefore, we do our bit for the kids here and pay it forward. Friends who sends food and gifts to us never expect anything back but I’m always grateful and want to do kind things for others because of them, so they are the ones who are Godsend. Once again, I cannot thank them enough.

Chloe is currently in Grade 2 and besides her school friends - we also make sure she has friend from other schools. And since she is taking up so many extra-curricular classes, it is inevitable to be asked out for play dates and vice versa. But my play dates usually involves the mommies as well - that way moms can get together and eat, chat and drink - and most importantly relax. Thank God for electric grills , because we can grill just about anything for everyone. So everyone brings whatever they want to feed their kids and just throw it onto the grills I have and it’s that easy. I make lots of ice lemon tea and lemonade for the kids - and for us mommies - I add in a bit of my special liquor - like the cranberry ones that I bought locally from Lunenburg. My play dates are always a hit - because we have the trampoline - the swings and those big inflated castles for the kids to bounce and slide.

Yes! Ms Sassy Pants came home and said she was going to run away from home. Started packing her blankie and some clothes and asked her dad to put them in a bag. Of course, PB didn’t do nothing - but I handed a bag to PB and asked PB to put her stuff into the pink Toys R’ Us bag - and then I pushed her outta the door and locked it behind her. She started screaming and crying and of course, PB came to her rescue. So I told her - ” yer’re lucky your dad is still at home and not gone to work yet - coz’ i would have locked you out till the cops came!” Had to show her whose the boss now eh! muahahahah!!!

Saving for a child’s college education is something that takes certain level of dedication and commitment. Starting early and making wise choices will help to ensure that the adequate amount of money is available when the child is ready to attend college. There are a number of key factors to remember when looking at saving for college.

Image Source: http://forthemommas.com/articles/back-to-basics-saving-your-savings

Being Organized

People can have the best of intentions when it comes to saving money. Unfortunately, things get busy and schedules are often hectic. Something as simple as making a deposit into the college fund can easily be forgotten.
The best way to eliminate this problem is through the use of automatic withdrawals. Depending on the specifics, this can be set up so money is withdrawn from a checking account and placed into the college fund on a set schedule.

Regulating Debts

There are most likely going to be other factors that will affect the amount of money that can be placed into a college fund. This can include things such as credit card bills. If a good deal of money is spent simply on paying interest each month, it is difficult to save a substantial amount of money. When looking to set up the college fund, it might also be wise to look into things such as debt consolidation and paying down a particular credit card that carries a high balance.

Choosing the Optimal Savings Account

The type of a savings account that is used can certainly determine how good of a return can be had. For an education account, it is usually a good idea to have one that does not allow withdrawals to be made for a certain period of time.
This will eliminate the possible temptation when it would be easy to borrow money out of the account. Many high interest savings accounts will provide customers with a great interest rates and may feature this stipulation on withdrawals.

In addition to traditional savings accounts through banks, there are a number of different agencies and organizations that give individuals options when it comes to saving for college.

These can include state and federal agencies that offer the ability to set up tax deferred accounts and plans where all interest is not taxable. Looking into state and federal government agencies can usually provide a parent with a wide variety of options that many people might not have previously considered.

It is always best to start early in a child’s life when it comes to saving for his college education. With the right account and a good deal of dedication, any parent should be able to more than adequately provide for this.

Chloe just finished her summer day camp on Friday and we spent a little time together for the entire day on Friday - I asked her about summer camp if she had fun - and if she had gotten herself some good friends - in which she replied that she did have some good friends - but some kids were mean and nasty. And some only wanted candies from her - before they would let her play. So I thought about it - and tried to think what it was like when I was a kid and how I handled being friends with people back then.

Was I a popular kid when I was young ? I was - in fact - I’m like the red indian - when I grew older - I’m always at the center of attention - because I speak the loudest and played the hardest - I wanted to excel in everything and anything. I remembered one year in my secondary school days - I was the best speaker for the LDDs debate team. I headed the team - and I was the school editor for a school paper one year. But i also realized that after my secondary school I didn’t come ahead with too many “best friends” because I didn’t really cared too much about what other people thought about me - I like to do things the way I liked.

But of course, as I grew older and at 46 now - I also have no time for nonsense when it comes to friendship. It takes a long time for me to call you my friend - you have to earn it - and to me - no one is indispensable - friends come and go - but the true friends - you don’t need a lot. True friendship don’t need flattery words - a good friend is one who will tell you the truth and look out for you. So I told Chloe not to sweat the small stuff - good friends are those - you can lean on always - and yes - I want her to be good to her friends - be sympathetic, be kind and be gracious - but never be a doormat to anyone. And most importantly, one have to love oneself first before you can have true friends.