Made Moon Blog

Being in control of your finances means not only managing your current account wisely, but planning ahead too. Although we are used to thinking we will have the welfare state to fall back on, the support offered by state benefits is far from generous – most people would struggle to exist on a basic pension alone.

Furthermore, our ageing population face an uncertain future as demographics change – by the time today’s thirty-year olds reach retirement there’s no telling how the economic situation will look. Aside from planning your retirement, you ought to have something to fall back on in case there’s a sudden change in your circumstances – how would you manage if illness or redundancy curtailed your earnings?

Although these issues are serious ones, there are many ways to ensure that you and your family will be well provided for and finding them need not be a nightmare. Start today by considering how much you can afford to put by. Be realistic, but try to allocate a fair proportion of your budget – aim to save at least 10% of your monthly income if you can. Secondly, look at your options – this guide provides a general view of some of the more common ways to save and resources for finding more information.

How you choose to save will depend on your age, circumstances and the amount you want to invest – but remember it’s never too late to start, and never too early to plan for your future. Even if you can only afford to put a small amount away every month, it could make a huge difference in the long run.

There are vast amounts of different ways to save and invest, and there are also tax benefits to take into account. In an effort to urge people to save, the government offer various incentives – such as tax-free savings plans and children’s savings accounts.

Savings accounts often attract higher interest rates than current accounts, so you could be earning money daily without expending any effort. For those willing to diversify, there are offshore accounts and investments to consider – these are explored in more detail below.

Considering your family’s financial security is often a high priority – check out the sections on children’s accounts for ideas. The last section offers ways to find more information, with listings of bodies that may be able to help you.

Finally, enjoy the feeling of taking responsibility for your own future!

Joe Kenny writes for Finance Fool, offering the latest information on saving accounts in the UK, visit us today and apply for a current account athat will earn you more!
Visit today: http://www.financefool.co.uk/

Pay-per-click search engines allow you to bid for keyword placement within the search engines. For example, if one of your pages focuses on the topic of “Digital Cameras,” you can bid for the #1 (or any other #) placement on the first page of search results.

What a nice time saver! But there’s a catch, of course. The most popular keywords are very expensive.

So your best strategy is to work the niches. Bid on hundreds of less popular keywords related to your content. And keep in mind: You do not always have to bid for the #1 placement. Slightly lower placement is usually much more cost effective.

Submitting to PPC engines (pay per click search engines) is a quick way to get visitors to your site. However, make sure you know how much each visitor is worth to you before you submit.
If you are using any of the PPC search engines like Overture (GoTo.Com), FindWhat , Ah-ha.com or Kanoodle you can save a considerable amount of money by monitoring your bids.

Example: Your bid for “your keyword” is $0.65 and you hold position 3 with that amount. Your next competitor bids $0.33 for position 4. That means that you still would be listed under position 3 if your bid were $0.34 (i.e. you are paying $0.31 too much for your listing).

You can save a lot of money by finding pricing gaps and lower your bids while still maintaining the same position. A very useful tool for monitoring your bids and making sure you do not pay too much for PPC visitors is available through Calgary, Alberta based www.msseo.com.

In addition to monitoring your placement and bids you should be aware that there is a significant amount of fraud going on in the PPC business. Many PPC search engines have affiliate programs and partnership programs. These search partners often generate bogus clicks to inflate their commission. Popular keywords with high bids are the most popular targets for this, but anyone can be a victim of fraud. This is mainly a problem with the smaller pay per click search engines. The leading PPC search engines mentioned previously on this page has safeguards in place to protect you from dishonest affiliates but it never hurts to track and verify all clicks on your own so you can spot fraudulent activity.

About the Author

Carmen is the VP Client Relations of Ms. SEO Inc., a Calgary based Search Engine Optimization & Internet Marketing Company. Ms. Seo Inc. works with their sister company Ms. Hype Inc., a Calgary Web Design Company, and their parent company Cre8 Hype Solutions Inc., a Calgary based Internet Marketing Company, to offer their clients a powerful online presence.

Often it has been noticed that while exhorting on the virtues of a product, the site overlooks the best selling points of the product or the service. The assets are discussed in detail while the essentials are overlooked. This is detrimental to the development of a site and selling of the service.

The most important factor to be considered is addressing the issue of “what will the product or service DO for the user?”

However, in addition to this core issue is another aspect that must be addressed when you want to catapult your sales into higher zones and want to enhance your subscriber base. This important aspect that must be brought to the notice of the prospective clients is the ‘hidden benefit’ that would accrue to the customer when he signs on for the new service or product that you offer.

This is not the only benefit that is available to the customer. He also gets additional benefits that combine to make a large whole. This too is a benefit that lurks in the background and is to be sought aggressively as it remains hidden unless unearthed. This is known as the ‘Deeper Hidden Benefit’. These are the benefits that the customer has to be made aware of so that he is lured to the service and make your sales grow exponentially.

When you address the requirements of a specific set of people, it is easier to cater to these and the designing can be suited to meet these desires. These are the times when hidden benefits are easier to uncover as compared to when you are looking to the general public for subscription.

This can be best fathomed when we consider a live example of the ever increasing weight loss market that is attracting people like bees.

PRODUCT: Weight loss product

FEATURE: The product helps you in losing weight

BENEFIT: You’ll be more attractive to the opposite sex and you’ll feel much better

HIDDEN BENEFIT: Impress everyone at your college or school reunion or functions that matter to you

DEEPER HIDDEN BENEFIT: You will feel great and will be able to get back at that loud mouth at school who thought you’d be a ‘fattie’, all your life.

It just takes a deep and dedicated thought about the whole product for you to realize the various benefits that accrue for a client and then to highlight them so as to attract them to join your service.
The bottom line is, tell the customer what he wants to know and he will get attracted to your site and sign on – just what you want him to.

This article was written by Craig Dawber of smarket-associates.com
Need advice and guidance with your online
business check out the resources found in this website.

Early symptoms diabetes

Stay alert in recognizing early symptoms of diabetes. Certain symptoms put you on notice and you’ll want to decrease the chance of developing into complications. You’ll do yourself a lot of good with early treatment if necessary to maintain optimum health. If you don’t have the early symptoms of diabetes looked your risking more than you need too.

Some of the early signs of the diabetic issue are frequent urination, blurry vision, irritability, extreme hunger, excessive thirst, unusual weight loss and increased fatigue. Sometime these show up together so be attentive and sensitive to your how you feel. Unfortunately over 20 + million people now have various forms of the disease. That’s almost 25% or 1 out of 4 of our population. Of those one-third don’t even know it.

If you are of member of Pacific Islanders, African American, Latino, Native American you’ll be a little more cautious since diabetes is more common among these groups. Weight, age, hereditary issues, and lack of exercise are factors. Symptoms are similar in juveniles. Keeping alert about your child certainly is important along with the many other issues that already occupy your mind for their well being.

Type 1 generally is found in child and young adults with heart disease, blindness and kidney damage are of the biggest concerns. Type 2 is the most common where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin so the body is able to use up the sugar intake. With the depletion of the food chain, fast foods with highly processed ingredients the problem will continue to grow. All ages are effected and it’s scary to find out a person has it.

Although serious, people can certainly live long and happy lives. So spending some time today taking care of yourself is really a great investment. Firm up with some liquid quality vitamins and minerals to keep the immune system strong as possible for as long as possible. Get adequate rest, exercise at least some and try to cut down on the processed foods and turn to fruits and vegetables as well. By having some understanding of early symptoms diabetes you’ll just that much better equipped to deal with the issues.

For more on
diabetes symptoms, treatment and care

It goes without saying that all of us would like better response
and conversion numbers from our websites. This is an ongoing
dilemma which, unfortunately for many of us, remains a dilemma.

It’s just too easy to sit on the same old tired, sour marketing
with crossed fingers, hoping for better numbers in the future.
The whole idea of rolling out a new campaign or overhauling your
web copy can be pretty daunting.

But if your numbers aren’t what you’d like (and how many of us
are really satisfied with our numbers?), then you need to get off
the hope wagon and and put a new plan into action.

In the lines that follow, I’d like to present a concrete, low-cost,
three-step plan for renewing your marketing through repositioning.

Step #1. Get Out of the Commodity Business and Into the Information
Business

One of the things that happens to many businesses, both online and
offline, is “commoditization.” When your business becomes
commoditized, you become just another face in a sea of similar
products or services.

If this is happening to you, you need to change businesses.

Even if you don’t feel “commoditized”, switching gears and putting
your Web business into information mode can only bring good things.

The first step is to make the “psychological leap” from being
a product or service provider to being an information provider.

Which means you’re going to become an educator.

You’re going to start teaching people about your niche in a MUCH
BIGGER WAY than you have been in the past…

And you’re going to compete on whole new turf from here on out.
Instead of competing with every other Joe or Jane selling their
dieting ebook or doing horoscope readings, you’re going to be
competing with those providing solid information about weight loss
or astrological services.

A much more pleasing scenario.

Sure, you can still have your root product or service. But that will
no longer be the central focus of your business.

Being in the information business offers you a flexibility that
simply being in the product or service business doesn’t. You’ll widen
your horizons and branch out into totally new sub-areas of your present
niche.

Step #2. Build A New Knowledge Base

In order to educate others, you need to know what you’re talking about.

Even if you already have a huge amount of knowledge, you’ll find that
once you start to write and teach there will be plenty more to learn.

In the teaching business there’s an old saying:

“The easiest way to learn about something is to teach it.”

The very act of passing on information to others will stimulate your
research. You’ll gain knowledge and develop fresh approaches to new
areas, and even to old areas you may have thought you knew everything
about already.

Consider this. If you are reading about something only because you
think you “might” need the information one day, how motivated will you
be to really get down and study?

Better to just enjoy a novel.

But if you’re reading something because it’s contributing to an article
or report or book or other info vehicle you’re in the process of writing
– one that enhances your image as an expert — then you’ll be much more
motivated to read and study.

As you read and study, use the power of your imagination to see yourself
in a new light. As a soon-to-be respected writer and teacher. As
a distinguished information publisher. As an expert consultant and coach.

Step #3. Publicize Your New Expert Status

There are four dirt-cheap vehicles (outside your basic website) you can
use for establishing your position online as an expert information provider.

The Blog

If you don’t yet have a blog, you’re missing out on a great low-cost
publishing vehicle that will get your info out there on the Web RIGHT NOW.

This blog should be an informational blog, where you teach and pass on info
about your niche. Not a “chatty” blog where you pour out your feelings and
talk about your personal life all the time.

If you want to have one of those chatty kinds of blogs, then by all means
have one. But make it separate from your marketing blog.

Of course you CAN still talk about your personal life in your marketing blog,
and you should sometimes! But don’t make your life and troubles the focus.

And post a lot. At least three times a week.

You need to build content, after all. The search engines will find you fairly
quickly if you have a lot of good content.

The Expert Article

Write an article a week, if possible. More if you have time! Submit it to the
article directories and article lists right away.

Every time you put an article “out there”, you’ll see returns in the way of
fresh traffic. Plus you’ll build credibility. More and more people will become
familiar with your name. And other publishers will start to post your articles
on their websites, in their ezines, and on their blogs.

Write articles to inform, not to sell. Web-savvy readers don’t give an ad
disguised as an article much of a look anymore.

Keep your articles between 800 and 1400 words. Anything shorter is too little
and anything longer will lose readers.

The White Paper or Specialized Report

Most of us know by now that we need to capture the contact info of people who
don’t buy from us on the first shot. The one-shot Big Cahuna sales letter can
get you some sales, sure, but the real money is in the follow-up.

What do we offer people in exchange for their contact info? Well, we need
a great freebie.

A great freebie is one that carries value AND positions you as an expert.

Somebody else’s ebook that you have reseller rights to doesn’t really fit the
bill.

The most killer freebie I know of is what some marketers call an “info widget.”
This is an authentic lead-generation document, not some thinly disguised sales
letter (although sales letters disguised as “free reports” can work too,
especially offline).

The White Paper or Specialized Report is great for this, because it shows that
you’re not just a run-of-the-mill Web marketer, but a real, bonafide authority
in your field. It carries mega-power for positioning.

The name “White Paper” is usually used by companies with a technical orientation.
So if you’re not in a technically-oriented market, you might be better served by
the name “Specialized Report.” Or you may be able to come up with another name
that works well.

The Customer Newsletter

You don’t necessarily need to publish an ezine “proper”, but you do need
to have a customer newsletter to keep in touch with past and current customers.

The real key to a successful customer newsletter is having fun with it. Go out
of your way to come up with different, even goofy things to keep your customers
informed of what’s going on with your business.

And give them some solid info each issue. Offer them tips and advice. And
occasional bonuses!

Don’t let your newsletter in their inbox be a big surprise either. Keep in touch
with them often enough that they aren’t shocked to hear from you. Nothing worse
than a customer that scratches his or her head wondering who the heck this
newsletter is from.

More than anything, though, your customer newsletter contributes to your
positioning as an expert. To your status as an authority within your niche.

In Closing…

Remember that this is only the beginning!

Once you’ve repositioned yourself effectively, you’ll be able to set up hugely
profitable ventures, such as consulting services and coaching programs. You’ll be
able to hold teleseminars with expert contributors, sell information packages…

The sky’s the limit…

But first you need to get out of the commodity business and into the information
business.

Good luck!

Copyright © 2005 by Bruce Carlson

Bruce Carlson is a freelance copywriter and marketing consultant living in Finland. Subscribe to his Dynamic Copywriter newsletter at http://www.dynamic-copywriting.com and see how easily you can improve your online copywriting and direct marketing skills.

Why Compost?

Recent studies show that an average family throws away approximately 200 pounds of organic kitchen waste every year. Combine this with all the leaves, grass clippings and other organic garden waste accumulated over time and that’s a lot of household waste being added to the already mountainous waste disposal problem. Some local authorities are refusing to take away green waste from gardening and others charge for the service in an effort to curb mounting costs and then when you add in the environmental costs of adding new landfill sites, road transport emissions from ferrying all this waste around and potentially incineration and the fumes that releases the environmental advantages of composting are clear.

In slightly more selfish terms, if you are a gardener then you will know the relatively high cost of fertiliser. Well, OK an average gardener’s yearly fertiliser expenditure is not going to break the bank but when you can get fertiliser for free out of the stuff you throw away then it starts looking extremely expensive. Composting simply makes good environmental and financial sense and it’s so easy to do there’s nothing stopping you.

What Do I Need To Begin?

A compost bin, box, enclosure or handy place to put an open compost heap. Cheap plastic composters and compost bins can be bought from all good garden centers and are quite inexpensive depending on your requirements. A plastic compost bin is generally the cheapest whilst wood composters are generally more attractive additions to your garden but a little more costly. An open heap (just create a pile somewhere) is also an option but it is advisable to have some sort of cover like a tarpaulin available for colder periods of weather.

Another slightly different alternative to composting in the traditional sense is vermicomposting or wormeries. These use a special kind of worms to break down kitchen scraps producing a fine compost-like material fromtheir casts and a nutrient filled liquid plant food which is ideal for feeding indoor pot plants. If do a lot of greenhouse gardening or have a lot of houseplants then a wormery may be the best choice for the disposal of household waste.

If you do not want to actually spend money on a composter then building your own isn’t exactly difficult if you do not mind picking up a hammer and nails. Nail together a few wooden pallets for example and you’ve got an enclosure suitable for composting. For plans and ideas on how to assemble your own composter at little cost, simply head to your favourite search engine and type in phrases like “build your own composter” or “compost bin plans” for an endless supply of simple ideas typically costing under $30.

Where To Put Your Compost

Whether you purchase a composting bin or make your own composter you need to make sure you have a flat, well drained place in your garden not too far away that you begrudge taking your kitchen scraps out to it. Compost bins should not be placed on concrete, patio areas etc. as you want to allow the insects, worms and microorganisms which help degradation of your waste materials the freedom to migrate into and out of your compost without hinderance.

In addition, choose a site which suits your climate. Warmth and moisture helps the composting process so place your composter in a place which receives a fair amount of sunlight and shelter from the wind if you live in a cooler climate and if in a hotter climate, ensure you give it shade to prevent it drying out.

What Materials Can You Compost?

Pretty much all your organic household and garden waste is an elligible candidate for composting although there are a few exceptions. Things to particularly avoid are meat, fish, bones, fats and oils, dairy products like milk and cheese, dog and cat droppings as these can attract animals, create foul smells as they degrade and carry nasty diseases. Also, whilst weeds and plants can be added, it is advised to dry out persisent weeds and remove seed heads before adding these. Ashes are also best avoided, as are glossy magazines although shredded paper and cardboard are fine to add. Feel free to add waste fruit and vegetables, crushed egg shells, coffee grounds (worms love them!) and tea bags, hair, leaves, grass clippings and other organic waste. As a general rule, if in doubt, leave it out but most organic waste will rot down just fine and if you shred it or cut it up smaller, it will compost faster.

How Long Before It Becomes Compost?

This depends on the balance of materials in your compost heap, the weather and the amount of time you can devote to the project. If you want to take an active managed approach to your composting then you can have afully composted pile in 3 months but if your only desire is to dispose of kitchen and garden waste in a more ‘green’ manner then it can take 6 months to a year or longer.

Managed composting can produce a ‘hot rot’ with very fast results but it does require additional effort on your behalf to keep it going. A managed, hot compost heap with an excellent balance of materials can reach temperatures of 70 degree celsius but requires regular turning and nurturing with careful layering and balance of browns and greens in the mix, shredding materials and maintaining a good moisture level.

An unmanaged cool heap is however much easier to maintain and rots down at up to 30 degrees celsius with little input from you. Just throwing your waste on the heap will give you a cooler heap which will rot down more slowly but is fine for green waste disposal purposes.

There are ways to increase the rate of the composting process in both cases by, for example, adding composting worms, or by using an activator which help speed up the process. The addition of a handful or soil now and then or horse manure will also add micro-organisms to speed up the composting process free of charge.

For The Best Compost…

…use a wide variety of different materials. The more varied the materials you add to the compost pile, the nutrient rich your final compost will be. Compost made from kitchen and garden waste is the best food for your plants and at the same time you are helping the environment and saving yourself and your local government money into the bargain.

Mark Falco is the webmaster of the British gardening shopping guide found at http://www.ukgardeningsupplies.co.uk which includes where to buy composting accessories including composters, compost worms and accessories as well as garden tools, furniture, plants and gardening accessories online for UK delivery.

Save time in the kitchen with these hints.

Rice

Cook more than you need. Rice keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can re-heat it in the microwave for a minute, covered.

Butter

If you need soft butter quickly, microwave it for 5 seconds, turn the stick over and microwave for another 2 to 5 seconds.

Boiled Water

Always use cold water and cover the pot. It will boil faster.

Skin Removal

To remove chicken skin, hold it with a paper towel and pull toward the base of the drumstick or wing.

Defrosting

Always separate the frozen foods so they can be used in the quantities needed. Example, chicken breasts in plastic bags, hamburger in non-stick foil, waxed paper or freezer paper. They can then be put in plastic freezer bags and you can use what you need.

Roasting

Roasting on a rack is best. But if you don’t have a rack, you can use two large onions cut in half and placed on a roasting pan. The roast will rest on them and the fat will drain and the onions will add flavor to the meat.

Garlic

Getting off the garlic skin can be tricky. You can microwave the cloves for about 10 seconds and they will slip right off.

Sliding

To stop bowls and cutting boards from moving on the counter put a damp towel under the board or bowl.

Kitchen Tools

A kitchen scissor can be used to chop green onions, mushrooms, and fresh herbs. You can also use it to cut large lettuce leaves and slice chicken into strips for stir fry; also trim bread for grilled cheese. Make sure it’s a sharp pair and use them only for food. Other uses dull the blades.

Tomato Skin

If you need peeled tomatoes, cut them in half and microwave them. Use the high setting for about 3 minutes. The skin will peel away easily.

Freezing Wine

Adding wine to recipes is easy if you freeze any leftover wine in ice cube trays. Then they can be aded to sauces and casseroles.

Grating

Spray a little oil on the grater before you grate cheese and other sticky foods.

Chilling Cheese

Semi-soft cheeses like mozzarella and Monterey Jack can be frozen for five minutes before shredding to prevent the cheese from sticking to itself.

Kitchen Inventory

Check your recipes and be sure you have all the necessary ingredients on hand before you start to cook. You can save a lot of time this way.

Accomplished gourmet cook. Visit my websites: http://www.phyllisrecipes.com, http://www.earlybirdspecials.infohttp://www.medicineestore.com