Thursday, September 24, 2020

Could you use an additional $1,000 a month? #TBT

Today's blog post was originally published two years ago:

Silly question! I'm sure most of us could use an additional $1,000 every month.

But how?

There are quite a few ways:
  1. If you work full time, you could ask your boss for a $5.77 an hour raise
  2. You could find a different full time job that pays $5.77 an hour more
  3. You could take on a part-time job. In California, the minimum wage is $11 an hour, so if you work 21 hours a week at a minimum wage job you could make $1,000 a month.
  4. If you have a quarter of a million dollars lying around, you could put $240,000 of it in a savings account that pays 5%

5. Or you could take this friendly advice;

I've seen this attributed to John D. Rockefeller also
Number 5 is based on starting your own home-based network marketing business, where you can often earn more than 1% on each person's efforts. Plus, it's the only one that allows you to write off certain expenses on your taxes, so you'll also save money!

Since I'm familiar with SendOutCards, I'll use them as an example. Although other companies are similar.

SOC is based on a Paid4 plan. We'll use the $97 a month subscription as an example since it's the middle plan plus it's the recommended plan if you're seriously interested in having a business.

With the Paid4 plan, the idea is to sign up 4 other people on the same subscription as you. In our example, you plus four others at $97 (5 * $97) equals $485. You earn 20% of everything that you and your customers spend, which is $97...so, your subscription is paid for.

Of the $485, $97 goes to you and $310 (called volume), goes to pay the people above you in the pay plan. The rest goes to the company ($78).

During your search you may come across someone who wants their subscription Paid4. They will then earn 20% on their, plus their customers', subscription and you will earn 2% on their volume (2% of $310), or $6.20. Not enough to get excited about yet. But you now have a total of $620 in volume in your organization (you plus one other Paid4 subscriber), which means you get a 5% raise! You now earn 7% on any new referral partners (Paid4 subscribers) and their volume. When you get a total of $3100, you'll get another 5% raise to 12% and you will have earned 7% on $2,480 (the difference between the original $620 and the $3,100 for your next raise) or $179.80. Still not much to get excited about. But once you get to $10,000 in volume (a total of about 33 Paid4 subscribers in your organization including you), you'll be earning over $1,000 a month ($6.20 + $179.80 + $828.00 = $1,007.80).

At $10,000 in volume, you'll earn 17%, at $50,000 you'll earn 22% and at $100,000 you'll earn 27%. This is based on the total volume in your organization...your volume plus your customers' volume, plus every referral partner that you bring in, plus every RP that they bring in...down to seven levels!

Also, when you're trying to find additional RPs at each step in the progression (you need to bring in at least one new RP at every step), you'll probably also bring in additional customers at $19.40 each ($97 for every five customers), which also is included in your total volume. Not every customer will come in at the $97 level...some will come in at $17/month and some will come in at $147/month. You'll receive 20% on all of these as well as 20% on any cards purchased in free accounts. Plus, you'll get commissions on any gifts that are purchased!

To get to $1,000 per month of income will take some time and some work, but the work is pretty simple and the time is fairly minimal (especially when compared to 21 hours a week for a part time job).

To get started it costs $59 a year to become a Referral Partner. You don't need a $97 subscription right away...you could start with a free account (not recommended) or a $17 a month account. You can upgrade to $97 a month when the time is right, and I can help you determine that time. Just email me, and I'll help you get setup.

To find out more, go to www.sendoutcards.com/144087 and click on Pricing.

The numbers have changed quite a bit in the last two years, although the concept is the same. I'll update the numbers next week.

Interesting days


Today - Lash Stylists’ DayRemember Me Thursday and Cherries Jubilee Day

Tomorrow - World Dream DayHug a Vegetarian DayFitness DayGerman Butterbrot DayBetter Breakfast DayBinge DayCooking DayPsychotherapy DayWorld Pharmacists DayLove Note DayOne-Hit Wonder Day and Comic Book Day

Week long celebrations:
Sep 21 - Sep 27: International Week of Happiness at Work
Month long celebrations:
Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
October will be Dysautonomia Awareness MonthDomestic Violence Awareness MonthSUDEP Action MonthFire Prevention MonthCyber Security Awareness MonthMental Health MonthBlack Cat Awareness MonthFamily History MonthDyslexia Awareness MonthComputer Learning MonthBreast Cancer Awareness MonthFair Trade MonthEmotional Intelligence Awareness MonthADHD Awareness Month and Pizza Month

Next Thursday - International Coffee DayCD Player DayWorld Vegetarian DayOlder Peoples Day and Lincolnshire Day

Month long celebrations:
September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
October 24 - Make A Difference DayTripe DayBologna Day and United Nations Day

Week long celebrations:
Oct 19 - Oct 25: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week 

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

#SourdoughSeptember

Since we're getting close to the end of the month, I figured I'd better get this blog post out now, before it's too late.

So, what is sourdough?

According to Wikipedia:
Sourdough bread is made by the fermentation of dough using naturally occurring lactobacilli and yeast. It uses biological leavening rather than using cultivated baker's yeast. The lactic acid produced by the lactobacilli gives it a more sour taste and improved keeping qualities.
That doesn't sound very appetizing, but it's actually quite delicious. It's very popular in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Gold Country in the Sierra Nevada foothills.

But why is it so popular in this area? We'll let Wikipedia tell us about it:
French bakers brought sourdough techniques to Northern California during the California Gold Rush, and it remains a part of the culture of San Francisco today. (The nickname remains in "Sourdough Sam", the mascot of the San Francisco 49ers.) Sourdough has long been associated with the 1849 gold prospectors, though they were more likely to make bread with commercial yeast or baking soda. The "celebrated" San Francisco sourdough is a white bread characterized by a pronounced sourness, and indeed the strain of Lactobacillus in sourdough starters is named Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis, alongside the sourdough yeast Candida milleri found in the same cultures.

The sourdough tradition was carried into Alaska and the western Canadian territories during the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Conventional leavenings such as yeast and baking soda were much less reliable in the conditions faced by the prospectors. Experienced miners and other settlers frequently carried a pouch of starter either around their neck or on a belt; these were fiercely guarded to keep from freezing. However, freezing does not kill a sourdough starter; excessive heat does. Old hands came to be called "sourdoughs", a term that is still applied to any Alaskan or Klondike old-timer. The significance of the nickname's association with Yukon culture was immortalized in the writings of Robert Service, particularly his collection of "Songs of a Sourdough".
The article contains instructions on how to create sourdough bread, it doesn't really give a recipe, but you can get a detailed recipe here.

I should've written this sooner, it takes five days just to make the starter and then another day or two to create the dough but only about 45 minutes or so to bake the bread. I guess I'll have to buy some pre-made bread this year because even if I had all of the ingredients I might not have enough time to bake the bread before the end of the month!

Interesting days



Tuesday, September 22, 2020

They're back!

And I've already had people ask how they can win some. Of course, I'm talking about pumpkin spice caramels!


So, how can you win some?

Right now, I have a contest related to Hug A Greeting Card Writer Day last week. All you have to do to enter is to create a greeting card and send it to me so that it arrives by the end of the month. I'll do a Facebook Live on Friday, October 2nd and I'll have the viewers pick the best card. When I created the contest, the caramels weren't available yet, so the prize is an 8 pack of brownies, but you can get the caramels instead, if you'd prefer. If you don't have my address, you can email me.

Any card is acceptable, but if you'd like to try SendOutCards, you can use it to build your own card from scratch. And if you're not already a customer, you can even send the card for free!

There will be more contests over the next several weeks, so be sure to watch my Facebook for more info.

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Restless Legs Awareness DayZa’atar DayEducation Technology DayInternational Day of Sign LanguagesCelebrate Bisexuality Day and Checkers Day

Week long celebrations:
Sep 21 - Sep 27: International Week of Happiness at Work
Month long celebrations:
Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
Next Tuesday - World Heart Day and Biscotti Day
Month long celebrations:
September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
October 22 - Caps Lock DayInternational Stuttering Awareness DayNut Day and Smart is Cool Day

Week long celebrations:
Oct 19 - Oct 25: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week 

Monday, September 21, 2020

How to Fight Entitlement and Develop Gratitude in Your Kids

Since today is World Gratitude Day, this article from The Art of Manliness seems pretty timely!
According to a survey cited by psychology professor Robert Emmons, when parents were asked what they worried about most regarding their children, the majority didn’t name drugs, sex, global warming, political crisis, or the economic future.
Instead, two-thirds of parents said their primary concern about their kids, was their sense of entitlement. 
They’re right to worry. A sense of entitlement breeds a number of negative qualities: envy, resentment, selfishness, greed, petulant indignation, laziness, detachment, and a lack of resilience. 
Entitlement can be caused in part by kids being given too much, too easily — being spoiled, without having to work for their largesse. Yet everyone knows poor kids who still feel entitled, and rich ones who don’t. 
The central factor in entitlement is thus not the amount of good stuff in a child’s life, but his or her attitude toward that stuff. 
Entitlement is essentially ingratitude, and gratitude is thus its antidote. Where entitlement says, “I’m owed that,” gratitude says, “The world doesn’t owe me anything.” Where entitlement says, “I deserve this,” gratitude says, “Everything I get is a gift.” 
Whereas entitlement is the origin of many vices, gratitude, as Cicero said, is the greatest of virtues, because it is the fount of all the rest. The research-backed benefits of gratitude read like a laundry list of everything parents most desire for their children: in terms of physical health, it boosts the immune system and improves sleep; in terms of mental health, it bolsters resilience to stress and lowers depression; in terms of character, it strengthens the qualities of humility, compassion, forgiveness, and generosity, as well as feelings of closeness and connection to others. Humans who feel grateful, whether young or old, want to give back by being better people, and supporting others. In a study done by Emmons, the leading scientific expert on gratitude, he found that “kids who were more grateful than their peers at age ten were, by age fourteen, undertaking more community activities and were more socially integrated.” 
The fortunate thing about gratitude, is that it not only comes with all these benefits, it isn’t, as we often think, just a feeling — something that spontaneously happens to you. Rather, it is more like a skill, something you can intentionally practice, get better at — and develop in your children. Today we’ll take a look at how.
How to Develop Gratitude in Your Kids
Emmons defines gratitude as having two parts: “(1) affirming goodness in one’s life and (2) recognizing that the sources of this goodness lie at least partially outside the self.” The following methods of instilling gratitude in your kids work on both prongs of the equation.
  • Prompt them to say “Please” and “Thank you.”
  • Prompt them to think outside themselves.
  • Expect them to write thank you notes.
  • Encourage grateful contemplation.
  • Do service together.
  • Model grateful behavior.
Here's how you can model grateful behavior:
Spouses’ should thank each other for everything, even for the routine chores that are “expected” of them; say “Thank you for making dinner,” “Thank you for doing the dishes,” “Thank you for taking out the trash,” even when it happens every day; remember, no one inherently deserves anything; it’s all a gift. Let your kids also overhear you thanking the waiter, the cashier, the flight attendant. Let them see you writing your own thank you notes. 
Give credit and praise to others too. When celebrating a success, talk to your kids about the other people who helped make it happen: “I’m proud of this, but I couldn’t have done it without ____!” 
If you want grateful kids, watch whether you yourself approach life with an attitude of getting what you’re owed, or being delighted with what you’re gifted. As Emmons observes, gratitude “is more often caught than taught.”
Be sure to check out the article to find out more about developing gratitude in your kids.

 Interesting days



Tomorrow - Business Women’s DayWorld Car Free DayDoodle DayWhite Chocolate DayHobbit DayIce Cream Cone DayDear Diary DayElephant Appreciation DayWorld Rhino Day and Chainmail Day

Week long celebrations:
Sep 21 - Sep 27: International Week of Happiness at Work
Month long celebrations:
Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
Next Monday - Drink Beer DayInternational Poke DayStrawberry Cream Pie DayFamily DayGood Neighbor Day and World Rabies Day

Month long celebrations:
September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
October 21 - Apple DayCount Your Buttons DayGlobal Dignity DayReptile Awareness Day and Hagfish Day

Week long celebrations:
Oct 19 - Oct 25: Healthcare Foodservice Workers Week

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Your weekend guide to interesting days - September 19, 2020

This week


Sunday - Fortune Cookie DayHug Your Hound DayCeliac Awareness DaySupernatural DayPositive Thinking DayDefy Superstition DayKids Take Over The Kitchen DayGrandparent’s DayRoald Dahl Day and Peanut Day

Monday - Boss/Employee Exchange DayEat a Hoagie DayCream Filled Doughnut Day and Gobstopper Day


Wednesday - Guacamole DayPlay Doh DayTeenager Workout DayWorking Parents DayCollect Rocks DayWorld Ozone DayStepfamily Day and Cinnamon-Raisin Bread Day


Yesterday - Tradesmen DayCheeseburger DayHug Your Boss DayFirst Love DayConcussion Awareness DayGrenache DayHug A Greeting Card Writer DayRespect Day and Water Monitoring Day

Today - Talk Like A Pirate DayRead An Ebook DayButterscotch Pudding DayGymnastics DayCoastal Cleanup Day and Eat An Apple Day

Week long celebrations:
Sep 13 -  Sep 19: Housekeepers Week
Month long celebrations:
Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Next week




Tuesday - Business Women’s DayWorld Car Free DayDoodle DayWhite Chocolate DayHobbit DayIce Cream Cone DayDear Diary DayElephant Appreciation DayWorld Rhino Day and Chainmail Day

Wednesday - Restless Legs Awareness DayZa’atar DayEducation Technology DayInternational Day of Sign LanguagesCelebrate Bisexuality Day and Checkers Day


Friday - World Dream DayHug a Vegetarian DayFitness DayGerman Butterbrot DayBetter Breakfast DayBinge DayCooking DayPsychotherapy DayWorld Pharmacists DayLove Note DayOne-Hit Wonder Day and Comic Book Day

Saturday - Lumberjack DayHuman Resource Professional DaySave Your Photos DayRabbit Day and Johnny Appleseed Day

Week long celebrations:
September 21 - September 27: International Week of Happiness at Work
Month long celebrations:
September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Next month


October 13 - No Bra DayOwn Business DayTrain Your Brain DayAda Lovelace Day and Ada Lovelace Day

October 14 - Dessert DayInternational Top Spinning DayPet Obesity Awareness DayTake Your Parents To Lunch DayEmergency Nurses DayBring Your Teddy Bear To Work & School Day and World Standards Day

October 15 -  Get Smart About Credit DayWorld Students’ DayChicken Cacciatore DayConflict Resolution DayWhite Cane Safety Day and Global Handwashing Day

October 16 - World Food DayDictionary DayDepartment Store DayFeral Cat DaySteve Jobs Day and Boss’ Day

Friday, September 18, 2020

The week in review - September 18, 2020

Monday - "What Poker Can Teach You About Luck, Skill, and Mastering Yourself" From The Art of Manliness. "We end our conversation with Maria’s conclusions on the respective roles luck and skill play in our lives."

Tuesday - "RMGS recap - part 2" Since the replays are now available for purchase, I didn't do a recap of the second day. "I'm just going to tell you that there were just as any speakers on the 2nd day...with speakers talking about sales, marketing, networking and personal development."

Wednesday - "Develop strong friends, relationships to prosper" This one's from Harvey Mackay. "Harvey is one of the master networkers in the world, so it's probably a good idea to at least think about what he has to say."

Thursday - "Why people who claim Social Security early often live to regret it #TBT" Apparently this is the third part of an unplanned four part series. "A new study nevertheless finds that early claiming leads to a significant increase in the number of retirees living in poverty."

Interesting days



Tomorrow - Talk Like A Pirate DayRead An Ebook DayButterscotch Pudding DayGymnastics DayCoastal Cleanup Day and Eat An Apple Day


Week long celebrations:

Sep 13 -  Sep 19: Housekeepers Week

Month long celebrations:

Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

Next Friday - World Dream DayHug a Vegetarian DayFitness DayGerman Butterbrot DayBetter Breakfast DayBinge DayCooking DayPsychotherapy DayWorld Pharmacists DayLove Note DayOne-Hit Wonder Day and Comic Book Day


Week long celebrations:

September 21 - September 27: International Week of Happiness at Work

Month long celebrations:

September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month

October 18 - Toy Camera DayChocolate Cupcake DayDevelopmental Language Disorder Awareness Day and No Beard Day


Thursday, September 17, 2020

Why people who claim Social Security early often live to regret it #TBT

Today's blog ties in with my Social Security posts from a few weeks ago and was originally published two years ago:

Since so many of my friends are either retired or approaching retirement, I thought this was timely.

My full retirement age is 66 years and 4 months according to Social Security, which is 48 months from now! The age changes by 2 months per year, until age 67 for those born after 1959. You can actually receive more if you delay collecting your benefits. The table below is for those born in 1956, like me and most of us who graduated from high school in 1974:
The chart below explains how delayed retirement affects your benefit. The increase is based on your date of birth and the number of months you delay the start of your retirement benefits. If you start receiving retirement benefits at age:
  • 67, you'll get 105.3 percent of the monthly benefit because you delayed getting benefits for 8 months.
  • 70, you'll get 129.3 percent of the monthly benefit because you delayed getting benefits for 44 months.
When you reach age 70, your monthly benefit stops increasing even if you continue to delay taking benefits.
But what happens if you decide to start collecting your benefits early? You can start collecting at age 62, no matter what year you were born.

Today's blog post is based on an article from Market Watch:
Your retirement standard of living could very well be worse if you claim your Social Security benefits at age 62. 
That’s surprising because the Social Security Administration goes to great lengths to ensure that, regardless of when retirees claim their Social Security benefits, they will be no better or worse off. Those claiming at age 62 — “early claimers,” as they’re called — will receive more years of benefits than those who wait, but at a reduced rate. Assuming their life expectancy is equal to what the actuarial tables predict, the total benefits they receive in retirement will essentially be the same as if they had waited and received fewer years of higher monthly benefits. 
A new study nevertheless finds that early claiming leads to a significant increase in the number of retirees living in poverty.
The article then points out:
Nevertheless, far more people claim their Social Security benefits at age 62 than at any other age, as you can see from the accompanying chart. More than a third of all retirees do so, in fact.
But why would people regret collecting benefits at age 62?
Instead, he continued, their finding reflects the entirety of a retiree’s financial situation during retirement, of which Social Security benefits are just one part. And upon taking all income sources into account, they found that early claiming is associated with a greater probability of living below the poverty line.
The article points out that this affects those at the lower economic levels the most but it doesn't give any numbers and the original article requires a purchase (which I didn't do) but the gist of the article seems to point to a lack of financial planning for those who collect their Social Security benefits early.

This also applies if you are thinking about collecting spouse or survivor benefits. See the link to the Social Security website above and click on the year you were born for more info.

Interesting days


Today - International Country Music DayGet Ready DayTable Shuffleboard DayLocate An Old Friend DayMonte Cristo Sandwich DayApple Dumpling Day and Constitution Day


Week long celebrations:
Sep 13 -  Sep 19: Housekeepers Week
Month long celebrations:
Sep 15 - Oct 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
Next Thursday - Lash Stylists’ DayRemember Me Thursday and Cherries Jubilee Day

Week long celebrations:
September 21 - September 27: International Week of Happiness at Work
Month long celebrations:
September 15 - October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
October 17 - Repair DayForgive an Ex DaySweetest DayBridge DayI Love Yarn DaySpreadsheet DayInternational Day for the Eradication of PovertyWear Something Gaudy DayMulligan Day and Playing Card Collection Day