Water Restoration
There are places that are really great at water restoration (trust me I should know!). We have had a flood in our old house when I was younger and then when we moved into our new house we redid the basement and put in a playroom and a bar and it was really great and then the day before we were going to have all of our family and friends over to see our basement flooded and all of the woodwork and carpet was ruined and we had to call people in to come fix it! It was such a pain in the butt but there was a company out there that really did know what they were doing and helped fix the woodwork (well save it I should say).
Now that I am in college though I live in a house with 3 other girls and in the first few weeks of school our basement flooded and we didn't know what to do because all of our storage stuff was down there so we had to have some major water restoration done on the furniture that was being stored there. And a lot of our stuff was ruined. But we learned our lesson and we got these crate things that go down on the floor so that we could put our stuff down on them and it wouldn't get wet because it was elevated.
Flooding though in this area of the country especially is a big problem and it's hard to know if your basement or house is going to flood until it actually does and then you can take action. You think everything is fine and then you go downstairs one day after the rain (or in this case leftover snow water) and the floor is covered in water and it sucks to have to deal with it. Especially when you are in college and broke and need to find someone to save the furniture saved down there. I guess it sucks for anyone that it happens to. It is just an awful experience to have to deal with and most people in their life do in one house or another that they'll live in. They should teach that in school, how to deal with a basement flood or something like that to prepare people for what will probably happen to them some time or another.
GET YOURSELF AN ALARM MONITORING SYSTEM BEFORE THINGS GET TOO BAD
While home on break, I was surprised to see the news focused so much on fear. At school, I hardly have time to breathe much less watch television. It is a little bit like being in a bubble. I just didn't realize that things with the economy were getting so bad that everyone is focused on purchasing alarm monitoring systems for their homes and businesses. I mean this security news program I watching was saying that sales of security camera devices and alarm systems are up by about 20% from this time last year. They said that they feel this is due to the fact that the failing economy will cause an increase in crime around the world, and therefore if you are a person who has anything, you could be at risk of a home invasion or even worse. I guess it just seems to me to be a shame that we all have to live in fear of each other. Although, I must admit that a person who is in survival mode will do just about anything to keep themselves afloat, and if this means that they have to take what you have to do it they will.
Of course, I must admit that I would steal for survival, but I will assure you that I would exhaust all other resources first and am not one of these people who thinks that life is a free ride, but survival mode is an instinct and I am afraid that if I had to steal a loaf of bread to eat, I would. And I think I can safely say that I am not alone in that feeling.
I guess it is a good idea to consider buying a home security system just in case things around here get so bad that people are running around and starving in the streets, I guess that could make for a pretty scary situation. After all, this is not like the Great Depression of the past. People are a lot more deranged now than they were back then. If we have people now that will kill for sneakers or gold, then imagine how savage they will be when they are starving. FRIGHTENING!
FRANCHISE INFORMATION ON THE WEB
Trying to decide on a career in this struggling economy is more than I can bare. I am trying to remain positive about my future, but it seems like day after day on the news reports, they are talking about how bad everything is, not only in this country but around the globe. I have always been a strong leader and naturally possess many mangerial skills and have always wanted to run my own business. My father has owned his own business, and really doesn't recommend it. He says that it is a struggle to be responsible for the fate of others and that holding their job security in your hands is a lot of pressure. Not only that but he says that issues like being able to afford insurance for the employees can create a lot of headaches. He said that there was a time when he thought that being your own boss meant you were in control, but he has since learned that with the control can come a lot of problems especially when your business isn't doing well, and this can cause a lot of sleepless nights. He said that if I really want to do something where I can be the boss without all the headaches, then I should consider opening a franchise. I wasn't really sure where to get franchise information so I got online and actually found some really great sites that help you get in touch with local franchises and also one site that helps match you with the franchise that is perfect for you. You would think that it would cost a lot, but it was actually free. You see the franchises pay to put their information on there, and so as a person looking into franchises, you don't pay a dime. That is really great, especially since I am not quite ready to become a franchisee just yet, but when I am I know just where to look. At least now, I have a potential career path which will allow me to run my own business without all the liabilities.
DO YOU NEED ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE FOR YOUR MAC?
Computer Virus Removal programs are extremely important to keeping your home computer safe and secure. You never know when you are going to be hit with a virus or other potentially harmful spyware or adware that can crash your computer and render it completely useless. You can't see these viruses and they can be anywhere. I always thought that if you only accessed legitimate websites that you could prevent viruses, but that just isn't true at all. Any hacker can attach harmful viruses to just about anything and if you get a trojan or something like that it can really do you in.
Finding a good antivirus software program can be a challenge, however, especially if you have a Mac computer like I do. There are so many different programs available for Windows, but many times they don't accommodate Mac. I don't really understand why that is. A friend of mine who has a Mac asked me "Do you need Antivirus Software for your Mac?" And so I told him that I was having a lot of trouble finding one that would work with the system and he directed me to a site that offered antivirus protection specifically designed for the Mac computer. I was really glad to finally find someone who offered it, especially since I had been looking and had a difficult time finding something that was made just for my computer. Another friend told me I could use what was designed for Windows, but when I tried that it didn't work. I don't know whether he was using a different program or whether he really didn't know what he was talking about. I think it was probably the latter. Anyway, finally being able to secure my home computer and protect it has really given me some peace of mind. I no longer have to keep worrying if my computer is becoming infected while I am online or reading my e-mails. For a while I was opening my e-mail online and cleaning through them before sending them into my outlook express, just to try and avoid any problems. Now I can freely check my e-mails without worry of a potentially harmful one.
DEBT CONSOLIDATION HELP...IS IT TIME?
The economy is in a sad state of affairs. I can't stand hearing about all the people losing their homes because they can't manage mortgage payments. If you are one of these people, then you need to know that there is help available to you. There are companies and organizations out there that can help you manage your debt and meet your monthly payments without turning it into bad debt, only to seek out some sort of credit repair in the future. If you are tight on funds and having trouble meeting your monthly bill payments, or even if you are just barely able to meet your bills, then it is definitely time to seek help.
There are many companies that can offer you debt consolidation help when you are struggling. Basically, debt consolidation helps put all your monthly payments into one affordable payment per month. The debt consolidation company contacts your credit card companies and helps to reduce your monthly payments and also can put a stop to interest charges and late payment fees, which tend to add up quickly. They can help you budget your money to figure out what you can afford to pay on these bills while still being able to meet your other monthly living expenses. Many of these companies will even offer you a debt consolidation guide to help you figure out if this service is right for you.
A good debt consolidation company will also offer you credit counseling services. These services will help you find out where you went wrong, and will help you avoid falling prey to the same problems again in the future. This is important, because many times people are not aware of how they became overwrought with debt and therefore, will inevitably find themselves in the same situation in the future.
The bottom line is, don't wait until you fall too far behind on everything, if you are not able to get the bills paid, then it is time to get some help. The sooner you can get the help you need, the sooner you can get your life and your credit repair back on track.
Promotional Items
Promotional products are so common these days. There isn't a week that goes by that my dad isn't wearing some sort of promotional clothing. He has shirts from his company that he wears all the time, even when he isn't at work (it isn't a uniform or anything, he just wears them like on casual Friday or when he has to go into the office on the weekend or even when he is golfing). Promotional clothing is all over the place and people don't even realize that they are walking build boards for their companies or even other peoples.
My grandpa has a ton of shirts from my dad's and all of his brothers companies that he wears around all of the time. And every year for Christmas we have an aunt that likes to get us sweatshirts and t-shirts and apparel from the college that we go to (as if we don't have enough of that stuff in our wardrobe already). But even at school, every single day people walk around wearing these outfits that promote their school on campus. It's kind of funny, they obviously aren't trying to sell us anything, but that is kind of what it looks like. If we are walking around on campus we probably already go there, so the t-shirts or the sweatshirts other people are wearing really don't affect us very much. But when people come from high schools for a campus visit, maybe the fact that half of the school is wearing a t-shirt that promotes that university stands out to the student (who knows). Or maybe the student just thinks we have poor fashion.
The point though is that a lot of people are advertising and they don't even realize it. I bet most people don't put on a company t-shirt or a shirt for a product (that they probably receive free from somewhere) and think, “wow I am probably going to recruit new people for this company today as I walk around and run my errands”. No, actually I'm sure non=ne thinks that. But still, they walk around all day running from store to store in that shirt and people see it and become aware. It is amazing that word can get out like that about a company without anyone actually having to talk to someone else. It just shows how much advertising really can do.
Insurance
My roommate is from Texas and the other day her mom sent her a package in the mail. It was full of random stuff like a flash light (the snowstorms are getting really bad and they are from Texas so they over react when she tells them it is snowing) and an emergency kit for her car for when she is driving home for Christmas break and brownies and her insurance card. I was looking at all of the stuff that she had gotten and her Texas car insurance card was so much different than mine. Mine is really detailed and I have my dad's name on it as well as mine and phone numbers and the policy number and then on the back it says what to do in case you get into an accident. On her Texas insurance card all it said was the insurance companies name and her dad's name. That seemed weird to me, especially since it didn't have a policy number or anything else on it, but I guess different states do things differently.
Insurance is weird and foreign to me. I remember when my friend was studying in Barcelona for the semester she had to go through so much trouble dealing with US Student Abroad Health Insurance in case something was to happen to her outside of the United States. After I heard about all of the things that you have to go through to study abroad it made it seem a lot less appealing to me. But I guess it really is worth all of the trouble when you get there though. My friend did tell me though that someone she was with got hurt and had to use her temporary health insurance that her parents purchased for her. I guess it does help to have all of those checklists when you go abroad because health insurance probably isn't something that most people think about right away when getting their stuff ready to travel. You think that you are already covered at home, or through your parents so you don't have to worry about it, but really you do need to take those extra measures to be safe.
Overall I think that even though health insurance is a hard thing to figure out, it obviously saves lives and is something that you need to take a lot of thought and consideration in before purchasing so you get the right plan for you and your family or your situation.
Water Damage
I just read an interesting article about hurricane Katrina and all of the water damage that occurred. A lot of the issues that were brought up in the article had never really before crossed my mind. One thing was the fact that certain places, like mental institutions or rehab centers flooded not just people's homes. So when the flood happened, these people escaped. It is scary to think people like child molesters or drug addicts are running around getting a second chance (especially when you think of all the children who were lost or alone for an amount of time). I know in the article they are trying to get the water damage restoration going and everything fixed so that they can get these people back where they belong, but still it is a scary image to think about.
It is strange how something can severely affect people in part of our country but not have such an effect on others just states away. I know that hurricane Katrina was a huge deal and I absolutely don't mean to make it anything less, but I feel like people in other states that weren't effected physically by the hurricane just went on living their everyday lives, but this whole time there were people out there without homes. I know that so many people did everything they could to help out though. I know people at our school donated clothes and food and even old cell phones for the families. Also people I know went down to help rebuild houses and get rid of water and see the damage. But even though we are spending time and money and prayers trying to help out, we don't truly know how it feels to lose our homes and all of our belongings or how it feels to be separated from our family.
I guess we all have to just be thankful for what we have and everyday know how lucky we are. I think a lot of people, me included, take a lot for granted. Sure we see kids on TV in other countries who are starving and we are sad, but 2 hours later, dinner time rolls around and we are ordering out and throwing out leftovers. Sometimes people just don't understand how lucky they are, especially during times when people are losing their jobs and homes and have no food to feed their families or even a thought about celebrating Christmas and buying gifts. We just need to take a minute everyday and be thankful for what we have.
CUSTOM JERSEYS FOR THE YOUTH SOCCER LEAGUE
Having always played soccer as a child as I grew up I have still stayed involved with the sport. Recently they appointed me to the soccer association board, for the local youth soccer league, and I have really enjoyed helping out. As a matter of fact, I have also taken up coaching the little kids and love it. It is a really great thing to do if you have some spear time that you can volunteer and help out a local youth organization. Don't get me wrong, being on the board has been a lot of work, but I feel that it is really worth while. For instance, about a month ago we opened up our registration for the upcoming spring season and I had to get fliers printed up and distributed to the local schools. It was really quite an adventure, especially since the woman at the copy place kept messing up the order, and in the end, I wound up having to separate them all into stacks of 25 per pile for the school district, since that is the way they requested that we give them to them.
My latest project is to find the team jerseys for next season. Of course, the goal is to find a reputable company, some really great looking custom jerseys, and of course the overall best price. I spoke to a friend whose family has been involved in baseball and that league for many years, and she suggested checking out some of the great items online. She said you can get some really great deals on team jerseys for all different sports like soccer, hockey, baseball and football. Her family has ordered jerseys online for years, and she claimed that there wasn't a place in town that could come close to the online price that they were getting.
I contacted a few companies and asked them to send me a sample jersey, so I could check out the quality, styling and also their customer service, and I was really amazed at the great jerseys that I received. It made my decision more difficult, but it is nice to know that there are so many great companies to choose from. I am going over to the president of the leagues house tonight for a meeting and I am going to bring the sample jerseys with me. I think that we should probably all vote on which ones everyone likes best, this way if anything goes wrong, we will all be to blame, and not just me.
NEW PERGO LAMINATE FLOORING FOR MOM AND DAD
My parents are always remodeling and redoing things in their home. It seems like every holiday that I am there something else has been redone. I think that they don't ever finish with it, because there is always something else to be done and once they get one area looking its best, there is another area in need of something, even if it is only paint.
I envy their redecorating skills, because they seem to take things that I would never even consider doing, like painting one small wall in a room a different color and make it work. It is amazing the way it all comes together, to the point that you think that everything is in sync. They have been in this home for several years, and when they started out in it, well, it was less than wonderful, let's just put it that way. I guess they really did see the potential in this house, because it is rapidly being transformed into their own little palace.
On my Thanksgiving visit, it looked as if they had had the hardwood floors refinished, but my mother confided in me that instead of having them redone, because they really weren't in good shape that she had found this Pergo laminate flooring that looked just like hardwood, except the up keep on it was really easy. She said it would look great for years without having to resand or buff it. I told her that was amazing, because it really did look like a perfect hardwood floor, yet it really wasn't.
I spoke to her about the cost and she said that it was a really good price, so I told her I was going to look into it for my own home. She said to be sure that it was a Pergo original floor though, because there were a lot of companies out there that are making it seem like they are offering Pergo flooring, but they actually are offering imitations. She said that Pergo has been around for a long time, and that there flooring is the absolute best. If her floor is an example of a real Pergo floor, then I know that she must be right, because it is incredible.