It’s never easy to tell your loved one that they have a problem such as a shopping addiction, and is hard to confront your partner without hurting their feelings, so what do you do?

Here is a perfect gift for your partner. This gift is a way for you to show your support, care, and love while also helping your partner remember to shop more responsibly.

Jin Hong designed this “Partner Wallet” to help people ditch their impulse shopping problems. Citing a Psychology Today article, which said, “Arguments over money are the number one reason for relationship stress and breakups,” Hong suggests giving the wallet to a loved one who can’t stop spending.

This wallet is specially designed to help your partner stop themselves from spending impulsively. It has four zippers, which delay the process of paying and provide more time for her to rethink the purchase. Paying for an item takes longer, and the buyer has to think about whether the purchase is really worth it as she sees the notes on the zipper’s pull-tabs saying:

• “I believe in U”
• “You will beat your shopping impulses”
• “You are in control of your finances,” and
• “You know it’s never too late to stop.”

If it took me that long to get to my stash of cash, I’d certainly reevaluate my unnecessary spending.

Click here for more inquires on this wallet

It is a nightmare when you get to your destination and you find out that your baggage did not. The baggage is somewhere but not where you are. What do you need to do to avoid losing your baggage? Here are some tips:

1. Pack light so you don’t have to check in your luggage
   This is the only guarantee that everything you need will always be with you. You really don have to bring a ton if you will only be gone for three days or so. Just bring the essentials.
2. Tag your luggage properly
   Make sure that you have the right information on your bag. Make sure you have a contact number there and the place where you will be staying. Make sure that you also remove old tags other airlines. Put a keychain or a colorful ribbon that you will notice even your on the other end of the world.
   
3. Avoid connecting flights
   If you can avoid connecting flights, avoid them. Connections can sometimes make things complicated. There are also airlines which share codes with other airlines but sometimes they don’t have accreditation for the same luggage service. And somewhere in that sentence, you lost your baggage.
   
4. Check in early for the flight
   Getting to the airport on time allows you to have some space for security checks and gives the airport crew enough time to place your bags onto the right plane.

   Worse comes to worst, what do you do when your baggage is lost?
   

5. Complete all the forms needed
   Act promptly if you don’t see your luggage on the carousel. Most likely the airline crew will have an explanation. There are times that they will be able to locate it immediately but there will be times that you need to wait. If you can wait for your baggage, by all means, wait. If you are pressed for time, fill out the necessary forms so the airline can get the baggage to your hotel or house.
   
6. Ask how the airline can help you
   Some airlines will extend a helping hand like they can give you some petty cash so you can buy some essentials like toiletries. They can also give you coupons so you can get some clothes or equipment. In case you have a damaged luggage, ask how they can address that since some will go out of their way to have your bag repaired. Some also give a replacement luggage so problems of damaged suitcases are solved on the spot.
   
7. File a claim
   When you can not really trace your bags, file a claim but remember that the liability can be limited for domestic flights and even smaller fees for international flights. There are credit card companies and travel insurance that covers lost or damage luggage.

SOURCE

Eden

Eden switched to BPA free liners in April 1999 — all of its bean and grain combos and chilis are also in cans with BPA free liners. However, due to their acidic nature, Eden’s tomatoes (and all of the industry’s tomato products) are still in cans with BPA liners.

Vital Choice, Oregon’s Choice, Wild Planet, Eco Fish

Vital Choice cans MSC-certified salmon as well as albacore tuna, sardines and mackerel with BPA free liners. Oregon’s Choice canned last season’s catch of lightly salted MSC certified Albacore (6 oz.) in BPA free cans, and the company says it will over the course of the next two years move all of its canned fish to BPA free. Eco Fish has canned albacore tuna packaged in a BPA free can, and the company is planning to make the switch for its canned salmon once it finds a suitable can source. Wild Planet has implemented BPA free packaging for both its 5 oz. skipjack tuna and its 5 oz. Albacore tuna products.

Trader Joe’s

Canned corn, canned beans, canned fish, canned poultry, and canned beef at Trader Joe’s are all packaged in BPA free cans. However, any other products that contain those items – for example, soups or chilis – are not in BPA free cans.

Native Forest and Native Factor

Edward & Sons has at least a dozen different products in BPA free cans. As long as you purchase Native Forest or Native Factor brands, the canned goods are BPA free.

Sources:

Treehugger March 2, 2010

This article from the Prevention magazine is truly excellent. I am a great believer of using natural remedies over drugs of any kind if possible. These suggestions are great and some are new to me so hopefully informative for you.

Make Your Kitchen Your Medicine Cabinet

Almost 45% of Americans say they’ve relied more on home remedies or OTC drugs in the last year to save money on doctors’ visits, according to a Kaiser Health Tracking poll. While you should always see the doctor for serious ailments, you may be able to soothe minor complaints with these inexpensive products already in your pantry

Salt
Use it for: Athlete’s foot

A saline solution provides a hostile environment for fungus, decreases excess perspiration, and softens skin so antifungal meds can penetrate deeper. Soak your foot for 5 to 10 minutes in a mixture of 2 teaspoons of salt per pint of warm water, recommends podiatric surgeon Suzanne M. Levine, DPM.

Tonic Water
Use it for: Restless legs

A 6-ounce glass of tonic water before bed might calm symptoms of restless legs syndrome; the quinine it contains helps stop repeated muscle contractions.

Lemon
Use it for: Age spots

Cut a few wedges and place them directly onto your age spots for 10 to 15 minutes a day, suggests Audrey Kunin, MD, a cosmetic dermatologist in Kansas City, Missouri. “The acid in the fresh lemon juice may help lighten the age spots,” she says, but it won’t happen overnight. You’ll notice a difference in 6 to 12 weeks. Watch carefully; overuse may cause the upper layer of the skin to peel.

Honey
Use it for: Cuts and scrapes

This natural sweetener contains 3 powerful wound-healing components: sugar for absorbing moisture so bacteria can’t survive, hydrogen peroxide to disinfect, and the nectar-based compound propolis to kill bacteria. An added bonus: Honey dries to form a natural bandage.

Olive Oil
Use it for: Eczema

Packed with inflammation-reducing antioxidants, olive oil is the basis of many moisturizers; used alone, it’s free of chemical irritants you may find in store-bought creams. Rub 1 teaspoon per square inch of skin, creating a seal that keeps skin from drying out. For serious cases, cover oiled skin with plastic wrap overnight.

Milk
Use it for: Anxiety

To calm yourself before bedtime, pour a glass of warm milk. “The old wives’ tale of having warm milk really does help,” says Bernard Vittone, MD, a psychiatrist and founder of The National Center for the Treatment of Phobias, Anxiety, and Depression in Washington, DC. Milk contains the amino acid tryptophan, which can bring on relaxation.

Apple Cider Vinegar
Use it for: Bruises

Apple cider vinegar is an excellent natural anti-inflammatory. Dab a little on a cotton ball and rub it directly on a bruise, or make a paste out of the vinegar and an egg white or petroleum jelly and smear it on the bruised area.

Chamomile Tea
Use it for: Calluses and corns

If your feet are prone to bumps and lumps, soak them in a diluted chamomile tea bath, advises Levine. The tea will soothe and soften hard skin. The brew will stain your feet, but it comes off easily with soap and water.

Baking Soda
Use it for: Urinary tract infection

It makes the bladder more alkaline, which prevents bacteria from multiplying, says urologist Larrian Gillespie, MD. Drink a solution made with ¼ teaspoon of baking soda mixed in 8 ounces of water at the first sign of symptoms. Continue this once a day until you see a doctor, get a culture, and start taking antibiotics.

Ginger
Use it for: Stomach aches

This root is well-known as a stomach soother, and rightfully so. It’s great for relieving just about any gastrointestinal illness, including motion sickness and pregnancy morning sickness. To make a tea, steep a tablespoon of ground fresh ginger in hot water for 10 minutes, then strain.

You may have already seen it but I hadn’t, so for those who haven’t seen it – take a look.

This article from BOTTOM LINE SECRETS is both enlightening and surprising. I’m sure you will like to read this information.

Not only can the foods you eat affect the size of your body, they also can affect the size of your brain. That’s what researchers discovered when searching for a connection between food and Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK recently conducted a mouse study investigating four types of diets to see if any of them triggered brain plaque formation, the hallmark sign of Alzheimer’s that also leads to brain shrinkage. What they discovered came as quite a surprise.

The mice, which had been bred with a vulnerability for developing Alzheimer’s, were divided into four groups, and each fed one of the following four diets…

Standard commercial mouse chow (58% carbs, 29% protein, 13% fat)
A high-fat/low-carb version of the chow that was standardized at 60% fat, 30% protein, 10% carbs
High-protein/low-carb chow (60% protein, 30% fat, 10% carbs)
High-carb/low-fat chow (60% carbs, 30% protein, 10% fat)

BRAIN FOOD

After 14 weeks, researchers studied the brains of the mice. Previous research had shown that a high-fat diet increases the amount of amyloid beta protein (the main constituent of Alzheimer’s plaques) in the brain, and this study found that, too — but interestingly, this did not translate to an increase in plaque itself. Another finding was that the high-protein/low-carb diet was associated with a tendency to lose nerve cells from the hippocampus, the area of the brain where memory resides.

That’s interesting in itself — but what really astonished the scientists was that in the course of the 14-week study, the brains of the same high-protein/low-carb group of mice had shrunk. They weighed 5% less than the brains in all other groups.

The lead author on this study is Sam Gandy, MD, professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City and a neurologist at the James J. Peters VA Medical Center in the Bronx. Dr. Gandy told me that it isn’t unusual for people’s brains to shrink very slightly (less than 1%) as they age, but the 5% brain shrinkage as seen in this group of mice is a considerable decrease. Dr. Gandy told me that how problematic this is depends on what part of the brain was diminished. He said that his team plans to study these findings further — including whether the type of protein eaten makes a difference. In the meaintime, keep your diet properly balanced. Weight loss at the cost of brain volume is not a good trade-off.

Source(s):

Sam Gandy, MD, professor of Alzheimer’s disease research and associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York City.

This morning I was going to be diligent about getting my housework done before I got to my computer. I have been so busy since I have got back from Australia that household chores have been neglected. Once I get in front of the computer that’s it for the housework—it doesn’t get done.

Well it looks like it may not get done again today. The reason is, I am feeling angry and frustrated, and here’s why: I was watching Fox News this morning after I got back from the gym and settled on the couch with my coffee. British-American economic journalist, Stuart Varney came on to discuss the financial state of America.

I was feeling good about the day until the subject of the economy came up. Politicians are talking about adding 1½ trillion dollars to annual spend as if it was nothing. However, Varney laid out in very simple terms what kind of trouble we are facing. For every trillion dollars added to the national debt it will cost America 50 billion dollars per year in interest. Simply stated, that’s one billion dollars per week interest for every additional trillion that the USA owes in debt.

These figures are ineffable. How is this country ever going to lower that deficit and stop over spending?

The analogy for me is, if you have a business and nothing on the shelves to sell, how are you going to make a living and how are you going to pay your debts? The USA has been so busy consuming and passing their manufacturing and any form of productivity to countries like China that we no longer earn any income of any substance. We have been borrowing to keep ourselves in the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed. Now we owe the world over 12 trillion dollars. The USA has been living beyond its means and has been living on credit for years.

Wake up America you are not going to be able to pay your debts. Each year we spend more than we make in revenue, that’s called the deficit. Each year the deficit gets larger and each year’s deficit adds to the national debt, which is now over 12 trillion dollars. Does America have to reach rock bottom before there is any turn around? It appears so.

It’s one thing to rant, but it’s better to discuss the solution. What’s the solution? The government is out of control, but you don’t have to be. This is what you can do to contribute to your own well-being and security—get yourself out of debt. It should be your priority for your own future. Teach your children to stay out of debt. There may not be a job for them to pay off their debts, so teach them not to get into debt in the first place. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I am often asked why I wrote my book and I don’t always have the answer other than I saw a need 2 years ago to help people become debt free. I decided not to talk about it, but to do something about it. All the tips and strategies I wrote in Simply Fantastic: Living Better on Less are all small easy doable changes. The first step to getting out of debt is to spend less than you earn. Cutting your cost of living is important to increase you monthly income surplus. Then you can use the surplus income to pay down your debt and get debt free. Just do it! Start making changes in your life now to get yourself out of debt.

I am not writing this just to sell my book. I have written what I know to be true but there are other books on the market too that have additional information. Everyone in America needs to do their homework, and believe me and many others that are warning you, that there is big money issues ahead.

My last point, back on the government, is that you need to realize that the government cannot give you anything that it doesn’t first take from someone else by force. I hear many people in America talking about the proposed health care bill, but what I don’t hear is how the government is going to be able to pay for it. America is already broke and adding 1½ trillion dollars to the annual deficit will only hasten the demise of this great country.

There is no such thing as a free lunch. In Australia and New Zealand the taxpayer pays dearly for the privilege of having a “free” health care system. It’s not free, it’s not available without big waiting lists, and most Australians now have private medical insurance in addition to the government health care because they cannot rely on the system to give them the service they need.

Jordan Braverman, MPH

Dental care is rarely covered by Medicare… few retirees have dental insurance… and those who do have dental insurance often find that their coverage is very limited.

Dental bills average around $677 per year for the typical senior, and a major procedure, such as a root canal or a dental implant, can push that tab into four or even five figures.

Exception: Medicare usually will pay dental bills if they are related to a medical incident that requires a hospital stay, such as jaw reconstruction following a car accident.

Some resources that could help you dramatically reduce your dental bills or even provide dental care for free…

HEALTH INSURANCE

Insurance can help pay dental bills. Options to consider…

Dental insurance. If you have access to subsidized group dental insurance through an employer or former employer, it likely is worth having. If not, the case for dental insurance is less compelling.

Dental insurance typically features copayments as high as 50%… annual benefit caps in the low four figures… often long waiting periods before expensive procedures are covered… and usually only 80% coverage if your dentist is out of network. Dental insurance premiums for seniors are about $480 per year for individual plans. That’s a steep price for such limited coverage, but not necessarily an awful deal if you have reason to believe that you will require significant dental work within a few years, perhaps because your dentist has warned you that a major procedure cannot be put off too much longer.

If you do decide to sign up for dental insurance, consider the policies offered through AARP. Rates on AARP dental policies often are a bit lower than what comparable individual dental coverage would cost elsewhere.

More information: Visit AARP® Dental Insurance Plan

If you do have dental insurance, confirm that your dentist will accept it before agreeing to any procedure. Work with him/her to get the most out of the insurance if he does.

Example: If the dental work you require is not an emergency and significantly exceeds your coverage’s annual benefits cap, ask your dentist if the work – and the bill – could be spread out over two or more plan years.

Private health insurance. If you do not have dental insurance but have private health insurance in addition to Medicare, this health insurance could include some basic dental benefits. Read the plan literature or call the insurance company’s customer service department to find out.

Medical flexible spending accounts (FSAs). FSAs can substantially trim the effective cost of dental care by allowing patients to pay for health-care bills – including dental bills – with pretax dollars. Unfortunately for retirees, FSAs are available only to employees whose employers offer FSAs as part of their benefits packages.

HAGGLING

Dentists’ bills often are negotiable – but only if you discuss costs before having the dental work done. Ask if you can get a senior discount or a cash discount if you pay in cash. Either of these appeals could net you savings of 5% to 10%.

Call other dentists’ offices to ask their prices for the procedure. If you find a better rate, tell your dentist that you are on a tight budget and ask if he can match the lower price.

Get a second opinion before agreeing to any major procedure. There’s a chance that your dentist could be recommending an expensive procedure that is not necessary. Have your dental files, including the most recent test results and X-rays, forwarded to the dentist who will provide this second opinion so that you do not have to pay to have these repeated. You will have to pay for the second opinion, but the cost of a simple office visit is so much lower than the cost of an elaborate dental procedure that it can be a smart investment if there is any chance that the original dentist was wrong.

IF YOU HAVE A LIMITED INCOME

You probably can get dental care even if your financial resources are very limited…

Medicaid. Medicaid is available only to those with low incomes and limited assets. Eligibility rules and program benefits vary by state. In most states, Medicaid provides at least basic dental care for those living near or below the poverty line.

To find out if you qualify, contact your state’s Medicaid Office. (Visit www.benefits.gov, select Medicaid/Medicare from the Benefits Quick Search menu, then choose your home state. Or call 800-333-4636 for a contact phone number for your state’s Medicaid office.)

Helpful: Nursing homes are legally required to arrange for dental care for residents who use Medicaid to pay for their stays. That typically means that they must either bring a dentist to the nursing home or transport the resident to a dentist’s office to receive care.

Local and state dental associations. Many have programs that provide dental services for free or reduced rates to those in financial need. Services are provided by dentists who volunteer their time. Eligibility requirements vary.

State and local dental associations can be found on the Web site of the American Dental Association (ADA), select “Dental Organizations” off the menu, then check both the “Constituent (State) Directory” and the “Component (Local) Directory” to find relevant associations. Or call the ADA at 312-440-2500 and ask for your state dental association’s phone number.

Example: The Connecticut Dental Association sponsors an annual “Mission of Mercy” program that provides free cleanings, extractions and fillings on a first-come, first-served basis. Unlike most programs of this sort, Connecticut’s Mission of Mercy does not require proof of limited income. See the Connecticut State Dental Association’s Web site for more information.

Public or nonprofit dental clinics. Available in many regions, these typically charge very low rates, perhaps linked to the patients’ ability to pay. In some cases, treatment is free. Your area Agency on Aging should be able to direct you to any dental clinics in your region and might know of other local low-cost dental options for seniors. (Call the US Administration on Aging’s Eldercare Locator, 800-677-1116, or use the Locator on the Web at www.eldercare.gov to find your local Agency on Aging if you cannot locate it in your phone book.) Your local or state dental association also might know of area clinics.

MONEY-SAVING OPTIONS

If you are too well off to qualify for low-income dental programs, consider these options…

Local dental colleges. Performed for perhaps half the usual cost, the work is done by dental students under the supervision of qualified instructors.
The quality of the dental care tends to be good… however, a dental school might not provide a full range of dental services. The American Dental Education Association Web site can help you find dental schools in your region. (At www.adea.org, click “About ADEA” then “Who We Are,” and “Predoctoral Dental Education Programs.”) Typing “dental schools” and the name of your state into Google.com also can help you find any schools in your region.

Retail dental centers. Usually located in shopping malls, they typically charge 10% to 20% less than traditional dentists’ offices.

Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Jordan Braverman, MPH, former director of legislative and health policy analysis at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Center, Washington, DC. He is author of several books on health-care policy and financing, including Your Money & Your Health (Prometheus).