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“You’re About To Discover Secrets That Most People Will Never Know About The Ins and Outs Of Health Insurance” Once inside you’ll learn… Is government intervention in health insurance costing you more? Do you have the wrong plan for you and your family? The differences between an HMO, PPO and Indemnity plans The hidden meaning behind the words How geography may limit your coverage And that’s just a tiny sample! Start down the road of discovery right now by downloading “The Health Insurance Dilemma: What You Don’t Know About It Can Hurt You!” Download Your Copy Today!

Continue reading »]]> We all have goals.  Some of us actually manage to achieve a few of them in the time we set out for that success.  So why is it that some people are more successful in achieving their goals than others?  The answer to that question can be found in:

How to Set Goals and Actually ACHIEVE Them, 3 Steps to Effortlessly Achieve All Your Goals for Life, Financial, Health, and Relationships

By: David Cameron Gikandi

Often we set goals that have no real value or goals that relate to some inconsequential objective like losing 10 pounds or completing a task by a specified time.  Yes, these are goals, but not the goals Gikandi suggests we concentrate on in his book.

How to Set Goals and
Actually ACHIEVE Them

In order to live a consistant life of success, Gikandi says we have to start at the beginning and learn to understand how we think.  As many followers of the Law Of Attraction know, the thoughts in our minds create the end results in our lives.  But how do we control what we think? And, how do we quiet those thoughts we don’t want to be thinking about?

How to Set Goals and Actually ACHIEVE Them took me through a step by step method of learning starting from the very basics of my physical and spiritual makeup.  Working up from there, though my growth as a youngster, Gikandi showed me how life around me established determining factors that have had an affect on my life.  He suggests that everyone has been dragged through this minefield as we grew and that those factors have an affect on everything we do, think, and ultimately achieve.

So how do we undo the negative effects of that minefield?  Ah, that is the lesson plan included with the pages of this book.  As one hwo has read dozens of books and literally thousand of articles on The Law of Attraction, Mindset, Achieving goals, etc, I found Gikandi’s book to be extremely informative and enlightening.  He managed to not only hold my attention, but to change some some of my thinking on the subject.

Further, How to Set Goals and Actually ACHIEVE Them got me to review my own life from birth to now, looking for those hidden programs place in my soul by those who surrounded me as I grew.  I found myself creating new goal lists from a totally different point of view.  Previously I’d have established a monetary or material goal, written the desired goal statement, set a date and worked to that end.  This time I created a list that centered more on the emotions of having the said goal right now, rather than the step I would take to achieve the goal.

Each goal statement started with the words “I am” and continued to say what the goal was, how I felt having it already, with descriptions and pictures.  I’ve done this in the past, but this time my efforts were much more inclusive.  The feeling after each new goal was written was quite astounding.

How many goals do you have?  How many should you have?  According to Gikandi the most successful people have thousands, yes thousands!  I not only found that hard to believe, but had difficulty listing more than 20.  It’s no wonder that many of us don’t achieve our goals.  We have set out in the wrong direction, have the wrong desires, have not become fully and emotionally involved in our goals, and don’t have enough to matter to the universe.

I will re-read this book often to find little tidbits that I might have missed and to stay on track.

Continue reading »]]> As the elections draw near, we are continually reminded that the candidates have opposing platforms on most, if not all topics that concern us. One of those topics that sits heavy on many people’s mind is health care.

Romney’s approach seems to be one that allows the states to decide what is good for their residents. Obama’s approach is to manage from the top down – requiring states to comply with the new health reforms.  Is either approach correct? Or could there be a middle of the road fix to this problem?

Whichever approach the candidates take, the burden of funding health care is ever increasing and neither one seems to have a real, solid solution for the problem. It’s the elephant in the room that no one is willing to address.  As the population of our country ages and more people retire, the health of the nation rests on what the government decides to do with the ever increasing costs of health care.

Unions and other collective bargaining programs have been bombarded with employer demands for more cost sharing.   Employees, used to lower health care costs, are balking.  No one wins!  Self employed individuals are feeling an extremely high burden since their individual or family plans are funded totally out of their income streams.  Retired people are now finding supplemental health care premiums increasing at an alarming rate.

So where does this road lead?  That is a question without an answer.  Neither candidate seems to have the solution and neither is willing to fight for a position that will help the American public.  The only question that seems obvious is “Does Either Care?”

One thing I can suggest is to stay informed.  My book may help you in that endeavor.

Click above to Get Your Free Copy!

Continue reading »]]> As the economy creeps along, many are wondering what they can do this summer to keep the family happy, without spending much money.  Summer vacations are treats that most people cherish for years.  Videos, photos, memorabilia, and the overall feeling of being away – doing something different stay with you for years. Or at least till the next memorable vacation.

So what do you do now that the economy is in the tank?  Where do you take the kids without breaking the bank – what little there is?  No kids?  Okay, what can you or the two of you do that will have the same effect as a Mediterranean cruise?

Well maybe not as much fun or as interesting as that cruise.  Here are some ideas that will give all of you a break from the day-to-day rat race, without costing a fortune.  Hopefully you can find one or more possibilities or ideas for a staycation that will be fun and memorable, too.

Water Parks:  It is summer and nothing adds to the fun of hot summer days than water.  So rather than a sprinkler on your front lawn, look for a water park in your area.  Many parks offer summer or seasonal discount tickets allowing you and your family to have several memorable days away from home enjoying the fun of cold water, slides, rides, and more.

Museums:  Yeah, I hear you right now.  Museums are stuffy and boring.  Are they?  Look around your area for museums that will be interesting to your kids.  Planetariums, Science Centers, Seaports, Art, History, Famous authors homes, civil war sites, etc.

Be creative and pull together a one day or several day visit to one of these sites.  Plan picnic lunches, do advanced research and have some family chats about the location you intend to visit.  Ask questions to help the kids learn more and get interested in the person or place.

Day Spa:  Just you and your partner?  Enjoy a day at the spa.  Get a total body massage, or try something a bit more adventurous.  Many spas have couples rates and offers.

Sports Camp:  Have a son or daughter actively involved in a sport?  Try involving the family in a sports camp.  Not everyone has to be into the sport either.  Many camps have family programs for all ages.

Spring Training:  Live near a spring training camp for a major or minor league team?  Many offer games and other activities for your kids or the entire family.

Behind the Scene Tours:  Ever wondered what goes on behind the camera of a news room?  What about the bowling alley or the movie theater you frequent?  Many of these facilities are or will offer a behind the scenes tour.  Ask your kids what they want to see.  Get them involved.  Then take action and check out your local area for tours to feed their curiosity.

Go Fishing:  Kids love to fish, especially if they have a chance of catching one.  Look into local fish and game clubs.  Many offer family days with contests, BBQs and other events.  One club in my area even stocks the lake to make sure the kids catch a fish.  Your kids will remember that day for quite sometime.  Make sure you take lots of pictures, too!

Farmers Markets: Many kids never see food outside their local grocery store.  Check out farms or farming coops to see when they have family farm days.  Not only will everyone learn about farming, they will have the opportunity to sample fresh produce, usually picked the same day.

Cruise to Nowhere:  Can’t get to the Mediterranean, go on a three day cruise.  Many cruise companies have weekend cruises or getaways at reasonable prices.  Three days of cruising might just be enough to satisfy your craving.

The ideas are countless.  The fun can be magnificent.   Your vacation doesn’t have to be boring.  With a little advanced research, you can plan out several interesting, inexpensive, and adventurous staycations.

For other living green ideas check out:

Click Above to read an excerpt

Continue reading »]]> As summer approaches in North America, people are asking how they can stay cool and spend less in the process.  Cooling and heating costs take up more than 40 percent of the energy usage for the average home.  Thus cutting costs in those areas certainly make sense.  Doing that with little or no impact on your carbon footprint makes even more sense.   I will break it down into two sections – No cost strategies and some cost involved strategies.

No Cost Strategies:

1. Probably the most obvious and simple thing to do is raise the thermostat.  If you can handle a small increase in temperature, you will save several percent on cooling costs.  The main idea is to get the humidity down and move the air.

2. Clean or replace the filter on your AC unit.  If the air can’t move through the system, it will not be cooled, or dehumidified, and it will cost more.  Some systems have a removable filter that you clean while others have to be replaced.  In either case, inspect the filter weekly and replace or clean it at least monthly.

3. Draw the shades on south or sun facing windows.  Sounds simple, but more often than not, people have the window shades, blinds, or drapes wide open allowing the sun to heat the room and force the AC unit to work harder.  By keeping the shades drawn, your AC unit is allowed to work more efficiently.  Make the choice.  Do you want the sun streaming in and heating the room, or can you accept a darker, cooler room?

4. Clean or have a professional clean the AC condensing coils.  That’s the part of the AC unit that is outside.  If those coils are dirty or covered by trees or shrubs, the unit will work much harder to achieve the desired temperature.

5.  Close off unused rooms.  If you have central air, close the ducts in those rooms.

6. Turn off lights when not in the room.  By this point, I have to resume you changed out incandescent lights for spiral fluorescent bulbs.  Even those more efficient bulbs emit heat, so when not in need, keep them off.

7.  Computers generate heat.  Some people believe that they should be turned off when not in use.  Others argue that turning them off and on causes potential harm.  Your choice here.

8.  Spend more time outdoors.  Yeah I know you already spend lots of time outside – Really?  The average family spends more than two hours every day in front of the TV.  Cutting that in half will not only cut cooling costs, it will cut your overall electric costs, too.

9.  Use the stove and/or oven less.    Or if you cannot cut down, then use the stove on cooler days or cooler times of the day such as early morning.  Just remember the oven puts out lots of heat that our AC unit will have to cool.

Some Cost Involved Strategies.  Here are some cost involved strategies that should prove beneficial.  They move from less expensive to more expensive.

1.  If yours is a wall or window unit, select a location with the least amount of sun on the unit.  When you position the AC unit in a shady environment, the unit works more efficiently.  This may require relocating the unit and may require electrical work, too.

2.  Install a programmable thermostat if you have central air.  For the same reasons as previously mentioned, running the system at a higher temperature will cost less.  A programmable thermostat will allow you to choose the times of day or night when you want the most and least cooling.

If you are at work all day, set the temperature to a much higher setting.  Allow the system an hour or so, to cool the house for your return time.  This is most productive when your away time is more than a few hours.

3.  Seal all air leaks in your home.  This will not only reduce cooling costs, it will also help in the winter when you are trying to keep your home warm.  Look for locations where utilities come into your home.  Around windows and doors, dryer vents, chimneys, etc.

4.  Seal any air leaks in your AC ducts.  Use metal tape designed specifically for that purpose.  Duct tape is not for this purpose.  Most home improvement centers will have the correct materials.

5.  Insulate your attic stairway or access panel.  Temperature moves from hotter to cooler areas.  That is why your home gets cool in winter and warm in summer.  An un-insulated attic stair allows the high attic heat to migrate into your cooler home. Thus your AC unit has to work harder.

You can purchase attic stair insulation blankets at most home improvement stores.  If you are handy you can install it yourself.

6.  Install high quality, energy efficient ceiling fans where possible.  Air movement cools the skin.  Running ceiling fans on hot days when you are in the same room as the fan will help you stay cooler.  Remember to turn them off when you leave the room since they don’t reduce air temperature, but help you feel cooler.

7.  Install tinted film on windows.  E-films will reduce the amount of heat energy that transfers through your windows, thus allowing the AC unit to work less.

8.  Plant shade trees.  Keeping the sun off the house has obvious benefits.  It keeps the house cooler and helps the AC unit maintain a cooler temperature.  Shade trees can actually reduce cooling costs by as much as 30% when planted in the correct locations.

9.  Replace your AC units with High Efficiency systems.  Look for a SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) of 13 or better, 14 if you home is in a warmer climate.  Also look for an EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) of 11 or higher.

If you have done all the items on this list and still want to reduce your electric costs, you may consider installing a solar power system.  Solar power systems can be designed to reduce your electric bill or even to take your home off the grid.  For more on Solar Power take a look at:

Click on book to read an excerpt

Continue reading »]]> Radiant barrier helps keeps heat out during summer months thus keeping your home cooler.  It further reduces the load on your AC unit, reducing your electric costs.  Several things to keep in mind about Radiant Barrier.  How does radiant barrier work?   The types of radiant barrier on the market.  How is radiant barrier installed as proper installation is critical to gain the most benefits?

The original concept for radiant barrier came from NASA.  During the inception of the space program, NASA needed to develop a space suit that would protect astronauts from the extremes in the vacuum of space.  An astronaut, on a space walk, would be exposed to extremely high temperatures on the side of his body facing the sun, and extremely cold temperatures on the other side of his body.  Insulation would help but not protect him from the radiant heat from the sun.

There are three different types of heat transfer- Conduction, Convection, and Radiation.

Conduction is the movement of heat with direct contact.  If you pick up a hot pot, you feel the heat from the handle of that hot pot.  The heat moved from the handle to your hand.  Solids conduct heat better than liquids or gasses.

Convection is the movement of heat between a surface and a liquid or gas.  The air above a hot stove is hot because heat is transferring from the hot stove to the air above it.  Your hand feels the warmth of the heated air.

Radiation is the transfer of heat through an empty space.  No medium necessary for radiant heat transfer.  That is why the astronaut will be hot when facing the sun.  Radiant heat from the sun is transferred to his body through the vacuum of space.

NASA found that a thin sheet of aluminum foil would perform the same as 7 feet of insulation.  Obviously seven feet of insulation could not be wrapped around the astronauts, thus, the development of Radiant Barrier.  Radiant barrier reflects radiant heat back in the direction from which it came.   If held up to a radiant heat source, such as the sun, it will reflect the heat back toward the source, keeping the astronaut cooler.

The same situation can be achieved in your home.  When radiant barrier is installed in your home’s attic, radiant heat is reflected back in the direction from which it came.  In summer months, the sun heats up the roof, which radiates into the attic.  With radiant barrier installed on the roof rafters, that radiant heat is reflected back out of the attic, keeping it cooler.

There are several types of radiant barrier on the market.  Some are simple foil products, foil on some type of insulation such as bubble wrap, and multi-layer, perforated  barriers that profess to be fire rated and mold and mildew resistant.  So, which do you choose?   That decision is almost taken out of your hands by recent developments and building codes.

Attics need to breath.  A solid foil product installed on the roof rafters limits the ability of the attic to breath.  Similarly if a solid barrier is installed over existing insulation, moisture is trapped in the insulation creating a perfect environment for mold and mildew growth.  Perforated, multi-layer barriers thus, would eliminate those deficiencies.  Perforated barriers allow the space on both sides of the barrier to breath, moisture to escape and still performs the original goal – reflect radiant heat.  Fire rated barriers add further benefit, by slowing down the movement of fire, should one develop.

Proper installation is critical for the barrier to work.  In warmer climates, where air conditioning is most prevalent, radiant barrier is installed on the underside of the roof rafters.  That installation method keeps the entire attic cooler.  Since most air conditioning ducts run through the attic, a cooler attic keeps utility costs down.  In many instances, those ducts can be wrapped with radiant barrier, too.

In colder climates, practice dictates installing the barrier above the insulation in the attic floor.  This is thought to reflect the heat energy back into the home, thus keeping it warmer in winter.

There are many companies promoting radiant barrier as the new green technology.  Buyer beware!  I’ve seen costs vary from $1.50 per square foot installed to $4.00 per square foot installed for the same home.  Do your homework.  Check out the company.  Make sure the company and installers are licensed.  Check with the Better Business Bureau for open as well as resolved complaints against the company and/or the installers.  And don’t take the first price offer as gospel.  Every in-home sales company has a huge haggle range. Get the price down under $2.00 per square foot installed and get the guarantee in writing Before you buy.

There are trade-offs depending on the type of home, insulation in the attic, climate zone, and intended goal.  Many reports suggest radiant barriers will reflect 95% of radiant heat energy.  That could lower cooling costs by as much as 20% or more.  The verdict is still out regarding the reduction of heating costs.

In summary, radiant barrier installed in your home’s attic will cut cooling and heating costs.  Know your home and attic configuration so you are on top of the installation process.  Make sure you get a fire rated, perforated, multi layer barrier. And, get the installed price down.

Continue reading »]]> Heating domestic water is the second largest energy waster in American homes.  A family of four will consume over 21 million BTU’s of energy for a typical 80 gallon electric hot water heater per year.  That equates to over $1286 per year (at $.20 / KWH) just for hot water!

Right now, we are seeing lots of commercials for tankless water heaters, with claims of considerable money savings.  How does a tankless heater work and how does it save money?

Tankless heaters only heat the water you use, as you use it, in contrast to tank types which keep 40 to 100 gallons of water hot all the time.  With tank type heaters, the water in the tank cools as the heat dissipates to the room air.  Even well insulated tanks will cool, forcing the heat element to bring the water back to the set point.  That continuous cooling and reheating wastes energy with no real return on the cost.

Tankless heaters use the concept of “On Demand” heating.  Much like the concept of “On Demand” cable or satellite, you pay for what you use as you use it.  A tankless hot water system heats the water as you use it and shuts off when the water stops flowing.  Tankless units can use electric, natural gas or propane as an energy source.  And true to the name, there is no tank of water to cool and be reheated. Most tankless water heaters claim to be over 90% efficient.

The cost of a tankless water heater could run from $300 to $1800 plus installation.  While these costs might seem high on the surface, most tankless water heaters will repay the initial installation costs in a few years.  Federal and state tax credits my also reduce the initial costs.

What should you consider prior to purchasing the system?

1.  The fuel used to operate the system.  If you already have a natural or propane gas tank unit, you may be able to use the lines for the new tankless heater.  If your present tank heater uses electric, you will need to check the line and service to see if it will handle the new heater.

2. Size of the unit.  Tankless heaters are priced in gallons per minute flow rates.  The higher the flow rate, the higher the price and the need for more fuel to operate the unit.  A family of four will use considerably more water than that of a family of one or two.

A shower will typically use 1.5 to 3.0 GPM (gallons per minute).  If your home has two or more showers that are frequently used at the same time, the water heater will need to be appropriately sized.

2. The average inlet water temperature.  Obviously, colder inlet water temperatures will require more energy to heat.

3. A qualified plumber.  The plumber used to install a gas powered unit must be qualified for gas installations.

4. If you are installing an electric powered unit, you will need both a qualified plumber and licensed electrician for the full project.

Solar hot water heaters may also be an option, depending on your geographic location.  Solar hot water heaters require that a portion of your roof or another part of your property face south.  Solar hot water heaters will be discussed in a subsequent posting.

Click on the book icon to to find out more about Solar Power  or other Green Resource solutions.