Smart money saving tips you may not know

Many cool ideas to save money in daily life

Recently I read this book and found many chapters are fascination. There are many smart money saving tips we all do not know.  It’s a simple, engaging read filled with real-life stories that covers all of the basics Canadians need to know about credit, debt and investing.

The book provides much-needed advice. It points out that today, Canadians are saddled with over 1.4 trillion dollars in consumer debt and less that 75% have three months’ savings in an emergency account. But the book is also filled with nuggets of valuable information that even the most financially astute may be unaware of.

Top 1-Some bill payments affect your credit score more than others

Keehn says many Canadians are surprised to discover that conventional mortgage payments are usually not included in their credit report. “So, it’s even more vital to ensure that credit card payments, loans and lines of credit are paid on time every month as those debts are reported regularly on your credit report.

She also cautions that if any of your accounts end up in collections, even a minor amount would hurt your score.

Key point:

Pay all your bills on time and order your credit report from Equifax Canada or TransUnion Canada so you can review it yourself.

Top 2-Not all VISA and MasterCard are the same

Most of us are aware of the difference between store credit cards and bank credit cards. But what about the difference between store-issued and bank-issued VISA and MasterCard? If you think the only difference is the rewards offered, think again. Keehn points out those store-issued cards tend to have higher interest rates and aren’t always recognized as major credit cards.

She tells the story of a colleague who tried to use a department store MasterCard to check in at a kiosk at the Toronto airport, and it was refused.

Key point:

Always travel with a bank-issued credit card as they are more widely accepted.

Top 3-Interest on student loans begins the day you graduate

Keehn says, “Although student loans give you a six-month grace period to begin paying down the loan, interest on the loans starts to accumulate the day you graduate.”

Key point:

Pay off student loans as soon as possible by continuing to live like a student after graduating to keep your costs to a minimum.

Top 4-Being just a little late can cost you more than you think

We all know falling behind on our credit card payments means we’ll be hit with interest rate charges. But Keehn points out it can also increase the rate of interest we’re being charged – in the case of one of her clients who was always a few days late, by over 10%.

Key point:

Always pay your credit card by the due date. If you don’t, some cards will hike your interest rate until you’ve made six months of consecutive minimum payments.

Top 5-There is important differences between life insurance and mortgage insurance

Mortgage insurance is sometimes thought of as life insurance,” says Keehn, but it’s not. While life insurance proceeds are tax-free and payable directly to your beneficiary, mortgage insurance is paid out to the lender to cover only the remainder of your mortgage.

Key point:

When it comes to insuring your debt, life insurance can provide you with more control than mortgage insurance over the costs and who will benefit.

Last point- never, ever looks at anyone and compare to other

Last one key piece of financial advice she would like to share with readers after having written The Money Book. She said, “It would be to never, ever look at anyone and compare you financially.

Key point:

Most individuals have no clued what their friends and neighbours are worth. The advent of easy credit creates illusions that couldn’t exist just a few decades or centuries ago. Not long ago, if you didn’t have the cash for something, you didn’t buy it. Now, you can look very wealthy, but like everything, the time of reckoning eventually comes.”

This Money Book for Everyone Else is a guide that will teach you:

• How only paying what your credit card company requests might leave you burdened with a balance for decades;

• How to protect your financial identity and how failing to do so could result in a life-long nightmare;

• How to spot and avoid investment scams;

• Why certain credit cards could leave you hungry and thirsty on your next flight;

• Navigating the world of Canadian tax shelters, along with the basics of investing and debt;

• How to repair and maintain your credit score;

• Simple tips for being debt-free sooner;

• Questions, criteria, and biases you need to be aware of when choosing your financial team.

(Source-The Money Book for Everyone Else by Kelley Keehn)

Simple tips to remove burning or other bad smell from Microwave

Excellent tips to removing bad/burning smell from Microwave

Microwaves can pick up smell from the foods that you cook, especially if they get burnt. It is unpleasant to use a microwave that smells bad. Lots of food smells linger in the microwave for a long time. To combat those odors here are some simple tips for removing bad smell form the microwave.

 

First Tip: Use Lemon Juice

First mix fresh lemon juice and water in a microwave safe cup or bowl and put it into the microwave. Run on high for 2 minutes, and then wait 2 more minutes before removing the mixture.  

If the smell continues, you can make a paste with the juice and water mixture and baking soda and scrub the interior of the microwave. Then let this paste sit for 10 minutes the wipe off and rinse. Then my microwave is clean and odor free.

 

 

Second Tip:  Try Coffee Grounds

 

 

Try leaving a small plate with coffee grounds in the microwave overnight. You will see when you open your microwave in morning there will be no bad odor. If this smell still persists, try this process again.

 

Third tip- Use lemon essential oil

 

Lots of food smells linger in the microwave for a long time. To combat those odors and leave your microwave smelling fresh, use lemon essential oil. Just put a cup of water into a microwave-safe glass container and add 4 drops of lemon oil. Microwave the bowl on high for 2 minutes; keep the microwave door closed until the water is cooled a little, about 10 minutes.

Fourth tip-Use rubbing alcohol

To removing fishy and burnt smells from a microwave, use a little rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball and rub. This cleans it right up and kills the smell. You may want to leave the microwave open for a few minutes, until the alcohol smell dissipates. Then clean with soap and water.

 

Fifth Tip- Use cinnamon or vanilla or lemon extract

To get rid of the awful lingering smell of burnt microwave popcorn, fill a large microwave-safe bowl with one cup of water and sprinkle your favorite spice like cinnamon or add several drops of vanilla or lemon extract. Bring to a boil. Let it sit inside for 10 to 15 minutes to cool down. Simply wipe the walls down with paper towels. Leave the door open to further air it out.

Sixth tip-: Use Baking Soda for

For years I have kept a small opened box of baking soda in my microwave oven. I completely remove the top of the box before putting it in the microwave. Things like popcorn, pizza, etc., can leave a smelly microwave oven, and it's such a simple thing to do so the smells vanish. I happened upon the idea one day while I was putting baking soda boxes into my fridge/freezer. And it dawned on me that maybe it would work in the microwave

How Social networking websites are harming our daily lives (more examples)

More Danger of Social Media

This is my second part of article in which you will see How Social networking Sites are harming our daily lives. In the last article we saw some real examples from web which are showing how Social networking Sites are harming our daily lives. As the popularity of social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace) continues to explode, stories about the danger of social networking are piling up.

You will find how much people are using Social Media to get popularity in weird way.

A fire at a University of Guelph residence Saturday night was part of an apparent suicide attempt that was streamed online, school officials said Monday. A 20-year-old male student, believed to be the person who set the fire, was taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The fire, which broke out just after 7:30 p.m., forced dozens of students to evacuate the residence.  The student live streamed his apparent suicide attempt on a video-sharing website.

Anytime something like this happens, we have to step back,” Brenda Whiteside, the university’s vice-president of student affairs, told CTV Kitchener. “Were there things that we missed? Were there things we can do differently?” About 30 students have been temporarily displaced from their rooms at Dundas Hall, part of the university’s East Residence. The university is providing counselling services for students who need it. “The most important thing is they have access to information,” Irene Thompson, the university’s director of housing, said, adding that this time of year is particularly stressful for students as exams approach. “We want to make sure that they have what they need to survive.”

The first few minutes of the video show a male student moving around a dorm room. Then, roughly eight minutes into the video, flames can be seen engulfing a corner of the small room. The video camera continues to run for the next 20 minutes or so until rescue workers arrive. Kate Schievink, a student who was displaced by the fire, said the video is hard to watch. “If you didn’t have anything to do with the incident itself, I wouldn’t watch it,” she said. Alastair Summerlee, the university’s president, is asking all students, staff and faculty to avoid watching the video. In an online message, Summerlee also said that he considers the University of Guelph community a family. “We pull together in times of crisis and to help those in need. Let us continue to support and strengthen one another,” he wrote.

Some interesting and cool facts/myths about household bleach

ABC about household bleach

What is bleach?

Bleach is a strong and effective disinfectant. Its active ingredient, sodium hypochlorite, denatures protein in micro-organisms and is therefore effective in killing bacteria, fungus and viruses. Household bleach works quickly and is widely available at a low cost. Diluted household bleach is thus recommended for the disinfection of facilities.

As bleach irritates mucous membranes, the skin and the airway, decomposes under heat or light and reacts readily with other chemicals, caution should be exercised in the use of it. Improper use of bleach may reduce its effectiveness in disinfection and also lead to accidents which can be harmful to health. Overuse of bleach or using a bleach solution that is too concentrated results in the production of toxic substances that pollute the environment and disturb ecological balance

We all use bleach in our daily life. But Lot of people are uncertain as to when to use bleach and what it will do to clothes. But the truth is, adding Bleach to your laundry isn't as scary as you might think. In fact, there's no reason for it to scare you at all. Below you'll find the truth/myths behind some popular bleach myths.

Myths abound when it comes to bleach. But with simple understanding comes more effective use of a great versatile product. We've addressed some of the common myths below.

Myth: Laundry detergent does not disinfect and does not clean as thoroughly as when used with disinfecting bleach..

TRUTH: Laundry detergent does not clean as thoroughly as when used with disinfecting bleach. During a wash, Bleach reacts and breaks the chemical bonds that allow soils and stains to attach to fabrics. It works by oxidizing and breaking down stains into smaller pieces. These smaller materials are easier for laundry detergents to remove. They lift and float away from the surface and are kept suspended in the wash water, thus preventing soil from re-depositing onto the garment. Thus, liquid bleach removes dirt and stains that laundry detergent alone may leave behind.

MYTH: Bleach wears down fabric and shortens its lifespan.

TRUTH: When used as directed, liquid bleach does not affect the life of fabric. Tests show that even after 50 wash cycles, fabric washed in laundry detergent with Bleach, is just as resilient as fabric washed in laundry detergent alone.

Myth: If a label says a garment cannot be bleached, do not bleach it.

fabric washed in laundry detergent alone.

MYTH: Laundry detergents with bleach are the same as Bleach.

TRUTH: Laundry detergents with bleach aren't even close. In fact, liquid laundry detergents with bleach alternative don't even contain any bleach. Powdered detergents with bleach contain a much less effective bleach than Bleach (sodium hypochlorite), and they deliver less than 10% as much active bleach in the wash.

MYTH: Chlorine and liquid bleach are one and the same.

FACT: Actually they aren't. The term "chlorine bleach" is a misnomer. What's in the bottle is sodium hypochlorite, the active ingredient in liquid bleach. Although chlorine is used to manufacture sodium hypochlorite, there is no free chlorine in bleach.

Fact:

Almost all cotton whites and most synthetic whites are safe to treat with liquid bleach. If a label on your whites instructs not to use bleach, test it out on a hidden area (a bleachability test can be found on drlaundryblog.com). If there is no visible effect, it can be bleached. This is also true for many printed and coloured fabrics.

Myth:

Bleach seems too intense for use around the house.

Fact:

Bleach-based cleaners that are registered with Health Canada can be used to clean and disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces around the house such as porcelain, tile, counters, sinks, refrigerators, appliances, fibreglass and tubs.

Myth:

Bleach is a harsh chemical that can cause harm to my septic system.

Fact:

Ultra Javex® Bleach by Clorox is safe to use in homes on septic systems. Since bleach breaks down very rapidly, especially when it comes into contact with organic matter, it won't harm your septic system.

Myth:

Using bleach cleaner in my coloured toilet might cause discolouration of my toilet bowl.

Fact:

The recommended use of Disinfecting Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Bleach1 will not harm coloured toilets. By using it, you can kill 99.9% of germs and remove tough stains for a cleaner, toilet bowl*.

Use as directed.

 

Myth:

Bleach-based cleaners in the toilet may be harmful to my pets if they happen to drink from the bowl.

Fact:

It should not be a problem if your pet ingests small amounts of water from a toilet bowl cleaned with a bleach product. However, pets should not rely on drinking from the toilet bowl as a main source of water.

If a pet ingests undiluted product or large amounts of toilet bowl water containing product, it is recommended that you contact your veterinarian.

Best laundry Usage Tips:

Need to eliminate dinginess and improve cleaning results in your laundry?

You can improve results in your laundry by

•sorting properly

•pre-treating or pre-soaking spots, stains, and heavily soiled garments

•using enough detergent

•adding liquid bleach to your load

•using the warmest water temperature recommended for the fabric

•loading your washer loosely