Just like most Americans, I hate paying bills, especially when a bill is higher than expected. This happened to me a couple of months ago when I opened my water bill and saw that I owed $107, this completely ruined my day because my bill usually hovers around $70. So it was time to do some research on ways to reduce my water bill. Here are my favorites: 

Change #1: purchase a water aerator for your kitchen sink and low flow shower head. I also saw this on Oprah so you know it is legit LOL!

Change #2: Get the bathroom hot and steamy then turn off the water while you are lathering  and reduce the length of time you are in the shower by setting a timer or do what I do and

Change #3: Don't let the water run until it's cold. Instead, chill your water by dropping in a few ice cubes.

Change #4: Now this one is a little drastic, but it worked...don't flush the toilet after each usage. Now let me explain. When the family wakes up in the morning, or before going to bed at night, instead of flushing after each usage, let everybody go, then flush. See that wasn't that bad was it? Actually, I just read that Cameron Diaz also follows the 'If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down’ rule (remember...Meet the Parents!).

There were others, but they were fairly common steps such as turn off the water while brushing your teeth and only use the dishwasher when full, so I did not list those.

Fast forward, after implementing these kinda easy steps my water bill has consistently been under $70 and there are 6 people in my household. Try it out for a month, worse case scenario you will save money and be eco-friendly. WIN, WIN situation.

For more money saving tips, visit  http://watchmesavemoney.com

One of the basic things for a small business it a ringtone, you don't even think about it until one day you pick up your handset and realize your telephone system is down.  The lifeblood of your company is gone, clients can't call and you can't get paid.  The importance of the telephone system is now front and center.

photo credit: andeecollard

Consider getting a virtual auto attendant, that way if your system goes down your company can either get by with cell phones or at the very least have a way for clients to leave messages.  You can also have your land line number forwarded to your cell phone so clients are not even aware you are experiencing difficulties.

Prior to experiencing down time have a service agreement in place with a local provider so you can be up and running again quickly.

Relaxation is your body's chance to recharge its batteries.  Without this frequent recharge you will always feel drained, perform poorly in life and at work, and eat poorly.  For many, it is an issue of not knowing how to relax, rather that wanting to relax.  With a few basic changes in your home you will be able to relax and always fall asleep quickly.  It may make you feel important and needed if you are always busy.  If you are always busy, you are never relaxed.  No one's dying words were ever that they should have spent more time at the office.  Take time for yourself, to recharge, and to get your head back in the game.  If you can do this on a daily basis, you will perform better than your peers and live a richer life.

Is that one of the most ridiculous headlines you've ever seen?  Well, it's really not a joke.  You see, as the economy recovers, and we're all hoping that it is starting to recover, or at the very least, stop its freefall, you are very likely to see interest rates, including mortgage interest rates, begin to rise.  The Fed is only able (and willing) to hold these rates down for so long while pumping money into the economy before we start to see some inflation, and therefore rising rates.

photo credit: tom.arthur

Speaking of the Fed, it is former chairman Alan Greenspan who apparently uses mens' underwear sals as one measuring stick of the economy.  He feels that in bad times, men are less likely to buy new underwear.  In fact, the 12 months ending in January 2009 showed a 12% decline in underwear sales, where a 2 to 3% annual increase is normal.  However, in Feb. and March '09, that decline leveled off.  That is also the time we started seeing a few signs that things may be improving ever so slightly.

So, the connected hope is that we see mens' underwear sales start to rise, meaning that there is a sense that the economy is doing a bit better.  But, that will also mean higher mortgage rates.  And we've seen that happening lately, too.

Debt elimination is an imperative step to recreate your credit and boost your credit rating scores. In our debt orientated society, getting a loan or credit card has become relatively easy. The problem is this leads to overspending and creating a mounting of debt. If you see yourself worrying too much about your burden of debt you have created, and how much you owe the creditors, then you must seriously consider debt elimination.

You have to consider creating a debt elimination plan because debt adversely has an effect on your credit report that will place you in major money difficulty.

You can do this on your own or seek out professional help. This way you can get rid of your debt without obtaining a fresh loan with debt consolidation.

However, debt consolidation is a form of debt elimination that works at times. It works, because it is easier to make one payment each month instead of multiple payments to various companies. Also it'll help you to dump your debt.

The idea of debt elimination is sometimes a fanciful one, at least in the short term. Unless they win the lotto, or come into money from some inheritance, the common individual can't all of a sudden find the money to pay back. While this may not lead to debt elimination, it may help in reducing the pressures and make it faster to get rid of those debt a little time in the future.

In the long run, it is actually possible but there again the difficulty level will depend on the quantity of debt and other non-public circumstances. However, there are some broad steps that you can follow that may help you in achieving debt elimination.

Today now more than ever your not really a person unless you have an email address, website and facebook profile.  Getting started in creating a website isn't as hard as it would seem.  Probably the easiest way to get a feel for it is to utilize free services like blogspot, wordpress , hubpages or other similar service.  I suggest you choose a topic that is something of interst to you.  My first website was about my home town Fort Wayne Indiana.  I know writing about you city or town might not sound exciting but its a good starinng point.  You might just find out the more your write about your hometown the more you learn it has things to offer that you had never seen before.  It amazes me how often I find something unique about my city just by doing some searching online and writing about my personal experiences.  Give it a shot you'll really enjoy it.  Utilize the free time you have durning your lunch hour, while the kids are napping or early in the morning when everyone is sleeping as a good time to get started with your own website.

Many people today are turning to the internet looking for ideas on how to start a small company.  While I will admit there is plenty of good advice to be found searching the web probably the single most important resource you have is your local SBA.  Your local SBA can provide you will all the information you need to get started with a proper business plan, put you in contact with the right people and provide you with just about every resource you will need to get your business off the ground.  The first few years of any fledgling business is going to be your toughest and you need to under stand the importance the role of small business advertising

photo credit: buyalex

will play. You need to have a solid marketing plan in place to get your product or service recognized and in front of the consumers eyes.  If you follow the advice of the SBA and utilize a proper marketing strategy you are sure to get your business off the ground running.

I just bought a treadmill about five months ago and since it was not bough from the country I live in I am having problems with the warranty issues. There is no company that imports them so it is almost impossible for me to get it fixed. The issue with the treadmill is that the belt keeps on sliding horisontally. It moves from side to side while I am running on the treadmill. Eventually it always falls off the rolls that keep the belt rotating and that has already caused me some accidents. It is a model that is open from the other end and I have tried to put something that will prevent the belt from slipping off the treadmill. This has got to be the last time I am buying treadmill fitness equipment from any other place than my local retailer.

photo credit: roarofthefour

With the economy in the dumps, the housing market is hurting pretty bad.  If you are the type of homeowner who moves a lot, selling one home to buy the next, right now probably isn't the best time for you.  What you can do though, is beef up the current value of the home you're living in.  With a few small projects, stretched out in the time from now until the market gets back on its feet, you can increase your return on your home.  Small projects like installing deck lights, updating the landscaping, or building a shed will all attract buyers when the time is right to sell and allow you to have a much higher sale price.  The economy sucks, but with a little money you can use this time to make you money when it rebounds.

photo credit: redcti

Etsy is a website where people can sign up and create their own storefronts, allowing them to sell anything handcrafted, or the supplies to make them.  This has created an entire culture around making things.  You can buy everything from furniture to hair flowers.  There are hundreds of thousands of people currently doing this, and many of them do it for a living.  Etsy has many built in training features that teach pricing, marketing, web design, graphic design, advertising, and networking.  All of this information is totally free for all of its members.  Etsy's success depends on its sellers success, so they take great lengths to help everyone out.  Which in turn teaches them things that will be useful for the rest of their lives.