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The word blissness came to me as a result of a challenge issued to me by my creativity coach. She was praising me on the progress I’d made in my fledgling business. I actually shuddered when she said the word “business,” as it conjured up images of women in austere dark suits clutching heavy briefcases, sitting in endless boring meetings and never having time to do what they really wanted to do.

My coach suggested that if I didn’t like the word business, to think of a different word to call it. I accepted the challenge. A few weeks later, the word “blissness” blossomed in my mind and I gleefully chose it for my own. I know that teaching SoulCollage® workshops and building my website, KaleidoSoul, is a business, but I choose to call it my “blissness” because it is giving me something that I never had before: an opportunity to share my passion for SoulCollage® with the world in a way that creates money and spreads joy at the same time.

SoulCollage® is a personal growth tool (created by Seena Frost) that is a mystical, magical blend of self-discovery and the fun of collage. Each participant creates his/her own deck of collaged cards using magazine images that speak to the subconscious mind. A SoulCollage® deck has four suits that represent our personality parts, persons who have influenced our lives, animal energies that assist us as allies, and archetypes who resonate with and inform our life’s direction and purpose. Inner surprises abound as we interpret our cards and do soul readings with our decks.

I knew immediately on making my first SoulCollage® card that I wanted to create a business revolving around it, but I had no idea what this would involve. However, I was so passionate about SoulCollage® that I dove right in. I had no business plan, and my only goal was to share the wonders of SoulCollage® with as many people as possible.

The key to creating a blissness as opposed to a business springs directly from one’s passion (heart) and intuition (soul). There’s no way to create work that sings to you unless you are living that work from your own heart and soul. And in order to allow the flow of universal abundance, you need to be in touch with your own inner wisdom (intuition).

I began by avidly continuing work on my own SoulCollage® deck. The deeper I went with the process, the more excited I became about sharing it with others. I set up a few local workshops in eastern Massachusetts, and began teaching.

It soon became clear to me that I needed a website, so I did a lot of research and found SiteSell’s Site Build It (SBI), which not only has helped me build KaleidoSoul.com, but is helping me to market it as well. Getting KaleidoSoul up and running was a crash course in web design, internet marketing, keywords selection, and the basics of HTML, but I thrilled to the challenge.

After that, each step I’ve taken has come from following my intuition. This has been a real lesson for me in being open, aware, and listening at all times. As I have continued on this path, I have found myself led to take the next step, and the next…

I trust my inner hunches and follow where they lead. In this fashion I have created a monthly ezine called Soul Songs, found other websites interested in helping me promote KaleidoSoul, developed an active community of SoulCollagers on the Yahoo Groups board, written e-courses about SoulCollage, and am now getting ready for our first KaleidoSoul Kindred Spirits Members-Only Tele-Class as well as our first annual SoulCollage® Weekend Retreat this August.

There are plenty of things about this blissness that are tedious, of course- photocopying flyers for my workshops, writing press releases and website updates, to name a few. Yet when I remind myself that this is all a part of my blissness, I am reminded of why I began it in the first place- to live in rhythm with my heart and soul. And then the monotonous tasks carry me forward to the next creative step.

I wish you blissness in the daily rhythms of YOUR life and work.

I’m a busy guy. I own several traditional brick and mortar businesses, and I spend a lot of time online. Since last month I’ve been spending a lot of time working on this blog and re-orienting myself on the Net.

So every morning I let my four dogs out, grab a cup of coffee and toast a bagel, then run upstairs and get on my computer. Some days I need to be out of the house at 9:00 AM to get somewhere, and some days I have nothing but time. Either way there are three things I do every morning after looking over my emails. First I go and post an article to five different article sites. This ensures that a steady stream of new one-way links to this website is being produced.

Then I go to my RSS reader and poke around for a while on the forums and blogs to see what is going on. I keep a notebook next to my computer and write down anything that I think I can use later. Then I get to the most interesting and important part of the morning — I go to my awstats page.

Awstats is a basic site log analysis program that comes with most host accounts. I’ve always wondered how accurate the hit counts and other numbers really are, but that doesn’t matter because I’m not looking for counts…I’m looking for trends.

Reviewing and understanding your site traffic logs can help you make more money by tailoring your site to meet the needs of your visitors.

The first place I stop is my average page counts by day of week. I’ve noticed on AffiliateBlog that the traffic starts off strong on Monday, builds through Wednesday, then starts to trail off. There’s a small spike Saturday morning, but it’s a classic bell curve otherwise. What does this mean? It means that if I have something that I think is going to be well received I try to publish it on Sunday and get my pinging done for Monday. I’ve also noticed that my RSS Feed subscribership follows the same pattern. This all makes sense, because people start off the week strong and end it tired — including me.

I breeze by the countries and note the flags because I think it’s cool. Next I stop at the section that shows the robots visiting the site. I make sure all of them have been there recently (especially Google), and I make a note if it looks like something is not right. I recently realized that one of the minor robots had never visited, so I went to the site and submitted a listing. If you’re curious about all the robots out there, go to Robotstxt.com and take a look. Make sure the major robots on the list have visited your site in the last month. If not, you need to get them there. I’ve noticed that MSN, Yahoo and Google (in that order) visit my site the most. You need regular robot visits to ensure your latest content is indexed and available to prospective visitors.

Now we get to the fun part — the list of the most-viewed pages. This tells you which content people are most interested in, and which content isn’t really making the grade. The most popular post on AffiliateBlog has been The Ten Top Paying Programs at Commission Junction This Week. Oddly enough, a similar post about Shareasale is much farther down the list, meaning that people want to hear about top paying programs, but they want to hear about Commission Junction as well. I always watch for posts that climb up the line fast, and I always take note of them to brainstorm another entry that my visitors might like.

I get some search engine traffic but not much, so I glance at the keywords. Judging by some of the keywords that appear there, this section isn’t very accurate.

Still there? Okay…listen up. Here’s where you can really multiply your traffic, find some compatriots to work with and get some terrific insights into the minds of your visitors. Move down to the section that shows the external web sites that people are coming from. Understand…this is where your visitors saw something about you and clicked on it.

Go through this entire list. I look for blog sites, web sites, social bookmarking sites (like del.icio.us) and forums that have not appeared before or have moved up fast. I click on the link and see where it leads. Then I see the context in which my website appears.

Just as I do for people who trackback my blog (refer to it in their blog), I follow each link, get an email address and send off a quick email to the person thanking them for taking the time to mention my site. Nothing fancy — just a quick thanks is fine.

The responses I get back are terrific. I would say that a large majority of them (80% probably) are responded to with amazement that I would take the time to acknowledge their actions. But why wouldn’t I? If someone takes the time to recommend you the least you can do is acknowledge that recommendation and be grateful for it.

I love the site list because I find out some really interesting things. For example, my trackback to Google’s blog when they bought Writely was actually listed on the Google blog page and brought me some traffic. And I was on the front page of del.icio.us for a little while…long enough to get some hits that way too. It’s really interesting, and it’s really fun to go through. Sigh…I am a dork.

One last observation…I noticed that the people bookmarking my page hovers between 7 – 10%, which isn’t bad. My RSS feed list at Feedburner hovers at about the same range throughout the month, meaning that more people bookmark the site than sign up for RSS feeds. I’ve pondered this all month, and I’ve decided that a large majority of my visitors don’t use RSS regularly. That’s why the new crimson box at the top of my blog pages has appeared today. I put together an email version of my RSS feed in digest form that I’m going to make available weekly.

So there’s a ton of information out there in that log file — you just need to go over it carefully and think.

One of the wedding trends that’s really revving up brides today is the addition of a time capsule to the wedding prep proceedings. Yes, the wedding time capsule is a growing trend — to the point where you can buy a pre-made kit from many web sites.

In kit form, your wedding time capsule takes the form of an attractive tin, in which you place various mementos — photos, videos — as well as predictions for the future; then, you seal it all up with some festive stickers, to help discourage premature peeking. You decide ahead of time how long you’ll wait until you open it again — your 10th anniversary? 25th anniversary? And then you write a stern directive to yourself on the tin to help you keep to the agreement.

Although most people equate “time capsule” with “something you bury in the ground,” burying your wedding time capsule isn’t a great idea. Not only does that subject the contents to extreme temperature variations, but with the US Census recently reporting that the average American moves every five years, chances of you leaving behind a buried capsule before the hoped-for anniversary rolls around are high indeed. Instead, keep yours out of the elements and somewhere relatively kind — avoid damp attics, but a climate-controlled closet would be just perfect.

Some of us just like to do things our own way, and a wedding time capsule is no exception. Of course you can create your own! And a great way to do that is to get close friends and relatives in on the fun. Have them scribble up some predictions — or perhaps marital advice. Take advantage of a pre-wedding party to snap photos of your intimates, and tuck the photos into the capsule. If you really want to motivate people to get involved, hold some kind of drawing for participants, such as a wedding raffle — give away a box of fine cigars, a bottle of bubbly or even an afternoon at a spa.

While you’re letting others in on the action, there are number of ways to go about it. One is to compose a list of predictions for everyone to guess at — the whole experience is similar to filling out a junior high slam book, and just as fun. For example, ask participants to predict:

How many children you’ll have,
what kind of household robots you’ll have,
how many career changes you’ve gone through,
what major nation we’re closest to, and which one we’re mad at,
what animal is the trendiest pet,

… and so on.

Another is to ask your wedding party and close friends to compose short letters to you. Give them each envelopes, and instruct them to tell you on the outside when it’s time to open the envelope. Some will simply say “fifth anniversary,” “10th anniversary,” or “when your first child is born.” Others will get more creative — and you’ll probably find it’s terrific fun to stretch out the time capsule concept in this inventive, unpredictable way.

Handing wedding guests a wedding favor has almost become a tradition, although nobody really expects to receive anything when going to a wedding, most people will confess to being very happy with a little something to remember the weeding by, a wedding favor.

Not everyone can afford to produce a big flashy wedding and add to that an expensive wedding favor, everyone knows that the cost of a wedding alone (without the added events) can become a very heavy toll on the young couple, a wedding favor does not need to be a very expensive or a rare thing to be appreciated by all. Many people will tell you that receiving a wedding favor is, by itself, a nice gesture and that they would greatly appreciate anything, since it indicates that the bride and groom have thought of their guests.

But what would make a nice, inexpensive wedding favor? What can you think of that will surprise you guests and give them a sense that you truly thought of them and wanted to give them a little something as a token of your appreciation of them coming to your wedding and their wedding gift to you?. Almost anything can be turned into a wedding favor, from chocolates to jewelry, anything can become your wedding favor.

A wedding favor is not limited to one thing, it doesn’t even have to bare the sign of your wedding, although having some soft of indication of the event is always a good idea there is not much point in printing this on a pack of chocolates or even on a specialist coffee.

Many things that you can buy in wholesale will serve you as a wedding favor, your creativity and hard work will do the rest. Think of something that is unique, it can be the date of you wedding, the season or anything both of you – or even one of you – is known to like, or to do, and try to think of things that associate with that passion of yours. Some people like to bring up the way they met on their wedding favor, if you both like tennis, why not go that way, if you cant find something like that, don’t worry – there are still a lot of ideas out there.

Here are a few ideas you can use right away, they are not pricy, and you can make them in a reasonable timing, it wouldn’t take all your energy and it will be a great wedding favor for your wedding guests. Fortune Cookies are always a nice thing, print out a lot of the usual fortune cookie sayings, and you got something to put on every table, try and make the fortunes relate to your wedding, or even to current events, this way everyone will know that this was specially made for the wedding. Deck of Cards is a fun, creative idea, with many possibilities of attaching it to the wedding by printing, writing or sticking things on the cards. A word to the wise, better hand these out as late as possible or you may end up with a few drunk tables forgetting about the wedding and starting poker playing.

Gourmet Coffee Packs are also a great wedding favor, assign different coffee flavors to different tables so guests can trade-off. Place the coffee in tulle and tie a beautiful ribbon (which matches your bridal party’s colors) around the favor. This wedding favor will be well-received by the adults!

Wedding favor is a developing trend, not difficult to make and real fun for your wedding guests to receive, start thinking of what wedding favor you will have at your wedding. Good luck.

A lot of people have been wondering and asking whether whole food vitamins are better than regular vitamins. Many experts have tried to answer that question based on different premises, different studies and different researches. But this article is the only one that will give you a straight-up, no frills answer and that is: YES whole food vitamins are better than regular vitamins. Of course the next question that comes after is, WHY are whole food vitamins better than regular vitamins?

Here are a few reasons why:

1. Whole food vitamins make you feel great and look great because it contains all natural vitamins and not the synthetic, laboratory-created vitamins. Whole food vitamins also help you lose weight and give you more energy to go through your day.

2. Recently, researchers and experts have been peddling the benefits of having a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds. Having these in your daily regimen, they say, lowers the risk of getting cancer, heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. But in order to get the sufficient amount of vitamins and nutrients it is advised to not only have fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds present in your everyday diet but to also take whole food vitamins along with it. The significant antioxidant properties of vitamins, minerals and raw enzymes found in whole foods has previously been taken too lightly but is now proving to be a real life saver.

3. In order to reach the prescribed amount of vitamins and nutrients, like lycopene and beta-carotene, intake per day you would have to consume enormous amounts of food that you may not have the stomach to handle. For example, the required daily dose of lycopene is equivalent to 10 tomatoes and that is plenty enough to make you full without having enough room for other food offering other essential minerals and nutrients too. Whole food vitamins, on the other hand, allows you to achieve the prescribed daily nutritional requirement because each pill you take contains the sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals that you would otherwise be unable to get.

4. Whole food vitamins compared to regular vitamins is made of dried fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds that have been pounded and turned to a powdery form and then placed in a capsule or shaped like a pill. Regular vitamins are synthetic vitamins that are not natural and are nothing but artificial concoctions by chemists in laboratories. They are not a product of nature and are therefore not as healthy as the natural vitamins you can get from raw food. Synthetic vitamins are designed right down to its molecular structure to imitate the molecular structure of a natural vitamin. This means that regular vitamins are stripped of the “life giving” enzymes present in raw foods and whole food vitamins.

5. Minerals and calcium supplements are made from rocks, corals and industrial mineral compounds. Would you want these things in your body? The truth is these compounds may not even want to be in your body in the first place because these types of minerals are in a raw form, which the human body may not absorb. Eve though these raw minerals are being treated to make it less coarse, its effectiveness is still questionable and whether it is being properly absorbed is still unknown. Aside from that, long term benefits from synthetic calcium and other minerals are also unknown. Whole food vitamins and minerals on the other hand are made from all-natural REAL food that naturally contains calcium and other minerals. Whole food vitamins and minerals is the safer, more effective alternative to regular vitamins.

6. The human body is designed to receive and process nutrients that come from food and not synthetic supplements. Regular vitamins contain synthetic materials or ingredients that the human body may not agree to and may not be able to absorb and process properly. Although regular vitamins have never been tagged as a culprit for man’s many afflictions, just the fact that it is an unnatural creation and is alien to our body is enough reason for me to fear it. Whole food vitamins are the only vitamin supplement that is 100% safe because it is 100% natural.

Do pests ‘gopher’ your lawn? Chances are, if you have a lawn, you risk the chance of having pests, such as the gopher and his cousin the mole. And, perhaps even those pesky six-legged creatures- ants and other insects- call your grass patches home. Why are these animals and insects attracted to your lawn? And, what can you do to stop them from burrowing and nesting? Those answers and more will follow in this article.

Most household lawns are not large enough to attract so many pests that a serious problem will result, but nonetheless, they can be a nuisance and cause some minor damage to your grassy nook. Insects are not very easy to spot, as some are so small they are naked to the eye, however, they can be identified by dead, brown patches of grass. Telltale signs of moles and gophers are a little more obvious- dirt hills on the top of your lawn, and beneath them, tunnels and holes. Once you identify that you have pests, you then need to decide the best way for you to take care of the problem.

The first option is to call an expert. Use your local directory or a referral from someone you know that had a similar problem. But if you are like most people today, you may want to do it yourself. And, if you are a DIYer, the first thing you need to do is size up your situation, and what you are up against. Let’s look at insects first.

When dealing with insects, the first thing you must realize is that not all insects are bad guys. Sure, we probably would swat at them all, but in reality, some insects can actually act as exterminators against others. Other insects can actually help control your thatch level. There are two types of insects when it comes to the ones who invade your lawn: above and below ground insects. Above ground insects usually feed on your grass, and can be seen fairly easy. Some examples of these can be chinch bugs, green bugs and armyworms. The below ground insects are just that, they feed on your lawn through the root system, which means they are the most destructive of the two. They are also the most difficult to identify since they are not easily seen. These can include grubs, beetle larvae and billbugs. There are literally thousands of species of insects, far too many to list here. You could borrow a book on insects from your local library, or check out some entomology websites to learn more about what roles and functions they have. After all, you don’t want to kill off any allies!

There are five basic types of treatment for anthills and other insects: chemical insecticides, biological insecticides, botanical insecticides, insecticide soaps and predatory insects (remember- some are your friend!). There may also be specific types for specific insects. Weigh each option and choose which one fits your needs the best.

Moles and gophers are two of the most common animal pests, and due to striking similarities they are often confused. Both animals build tunnels under your lawns, but that does not mean they are the same. These two have many things that set them apart from one another. Moles are smaller than gophers, and have pointed snouts and large front claws. They do not feed on your lawn, but the insects that dwell within. Sounds like they are helping you with the insects? Maybe, but the moles’ tunnels leave mounds of dirt on the ground above, and their shallow tunnels cause uneven ground. Gophers, the largest of the pesky pair, have buckteeth and small ears. These creatures love to dine on your grass and plant roots. Gophers also leave mounds of dirt, but they do far more damage underground, causing sinkholes. While your green may not encompass as many acres of the turf in the movie Caddyshack, they can cause just as much recurring trouble. Getting rids of gophers and moles leads to one grand solution- killing them. There are also more conventional methods, such as traps.

The best way to deal with pests though is to perhaps not have them at all. This can be achieved by taking preventative measures in your lawn. But of course, nature has a mind of its own!

I am often asked the question; What does bad credit cost me?”

It is a hard question to answer because of the individual’s circumstances and the fact that lenders are competing fiercely for customers.

But I will give it my best shot.

Mortgages

If you know your credit score you will be in a position to make a pretty good guess at what interest you will be charged on a mortgage. In today’s (March 2006) market, mortgage rates for those in the top or prime category, with a score above 720, will pay around 6.25%.

As your score declines your rates will increase.

For those in the second tier, with a score between 700 and 720, rates will go up to around 6.38%; for those in the third tier, with a score between 675 and 699, rates will be about 6.91%; for those in the fourth tier, with a score of 620-674, rates will be about 8%; in the fifth tier, with scores in the area of 560 to 619, the rates increase to 9%; finally for those with the lowest scores, 500 to 559, the rate jumps to 9.82%.

On a $150,000 mortgage, your payments will be between $926 and $1411, a $485 difference per month.

Additionally, those in the lowest tiers will face higher loan origination fees.

Most bankrupts will be in the 650 area – if they behave themselves – within two years of bankruptcy. You will save a lot of money if you push your score above 675 before trying for a mortgage.

These numbers are not written in stone and vary from lender to lender. According to some news accounts, you can qualify for the lowest rates with a score of 620, but proof of that is hard to find.

Auto Loans

You will not qualify for zero or low APR financing offered by manufacturers. You will have to deal with a sub prime lender and will be charged rates in the 21 to 24% area.

Again, loan origination fees may be high.

Credit Cards

Interest rates will be high up in the 30% area. If that was not bad enough, bad credit risks face fees that can choke an elephant.

Fees commonly charged to those with poor credit include the following:

Setup fee – while you can find some lenders that may not charge a setup fee, fees between $29 and $49 are not uncommon.

One time fees – these can be as much as $100

Account maintenance fees – $6 or $7 a month

Annual fees – $35 to $150

Bad credit credit card fees can easily run over $250 the first year, a little bit less after that, if you are not careful.

Other Hidden Costs

Bad credit can ruin your chances of getting a new job if you employer checks your credit report, which many do.

Some auto insurance companies will charge you higher premiums if you have bad credit.

Your utility deposit may be higher than for those with good credit.

You may not be able to rent an apartment, if the landlord doesn’t like your credit.

Even though just about anybody can find credit, no matter how bad their credit score, that doesn’t mean it will be inexpensive, or even affordable. It pays to shop around and read the terms of any offer of credit very carefully.

Rebuild your credit. Pay all your bills promptly and without fail. Only use a portion of your available credit, 20 to 25%. Avoid applying for new credit.

Within two years or so, if all goes well, you may qualify for better credit terms.

The IRS issued the February 14, 2006 Quality Assurance Bulletin (“QAB”) dealing with 401k plan exclusions of part-time, temporary, and seasonal (A.K.A. “part-time”) employees. T

This QAB revolutionizes the way IRS document examiners will look at 401k plan eligibility clauses and warns that inadequately drafted provisions dealing with part-time employees may be disqualifying, regardless of any plan determination letter.

Why the Attack ?

As 401(k) plans have matured, newly recruited employees are no longer willing to wait the traditional 1000 hour, one-year eligibility period to begin participating. Many employers are liberating their traditional 401k plans of a 1000 hr year wait by allowing immediate eligibility, at least for the deferral portion of the plan.

Other employers, while permitting immediate eligibility, wish to also avoid covering part-time employees because of :
(1) the negative effect on the ADP test as part-timers seldom contribute and will be counted as a zero.
(2) the administrative costs of adding and deleting new employees and
(3) the part-timers’ zero balance will prescribe a top heavy contribution.

Employers are now looking to provide immediate deferral entry and simultaneously exclude part-timers as a classification.

The Problem:

Treas. Reg. §1.410(a)-3 notes that a service condition requiring more than a one thousand hour year of service is invalid. In other words what matters is that the plan as written, could have a service requirement in excess of the Code §410(a) limits, which is enough to disqualify the plan. Therefore, as a class- part-timers can not be excluded.

IRS additionally addressed this issue in the following:
• A 1994 Field Directive instructed IRS examiners to challenge plans which had these service requirements.
• The IRS modified Publication 794, which accompanies determination letters, added the following :

“A determination letter may not be relied on with respect to whether a plan’s exclusion classifications, if any, violate the minimum age or service requirements of section 410 by indirectly imposing an impermissible age or service requirement.”

• A 2002 Recurring Issue Focus (“RIF”) told IRS examiners that this would be an audit issue, not a determination letter matter.

IRS 401k Attack

Effective with the February 14, 2006 QAB the IRS examiners will again challenge 401k plans with the “part-time” exclusions. Examiners will not be challenging an exclusion classification that is defined without reference to hours of service (e.g., hourly paid employees).

The QAB states:
“Specialists should take note that the issue of whether a plan is providing a direct or indirect service requirement is not limited to part-time or seasonal employees. Any exclusion classification, whether it be part-time, seasonal, temporary, or any other classification of employees, should be closely scrutinized. Specialists should require that any such classification be clearly defined.”

Employer’s 401k Triumph

Plan sponsors should carefully examine their 401k plans if they currently exclude part-time employees from participation. If the plan does not have a fail-safe to assure that the plan will comply with Code §410(a), the sponsor should consider amending the plan.

The employer could regain the provision by including special language for the condition when a part-time employee works more than 1,000 hours of service during a plan year.

The plan can exclude part-time employees as a classification until they meet the 1,000 hour year of service requirement, even though full-time employees enter and start contributing immediately.

College education is important. It is an investment that yields huge lifetime dividends. Someone who earns a college degree definitely earns more than those who do not reach college. However, getting into college is not easy for most families. The big amount needed to fund a student’s college tuition and other expenses is not that easy to get.

A four-year college degree right now ranges from $60,000 to about $120,000. Those amounts include other expenses such as housing, transportation, books, and emergency funds. Average families may find it expensive that sometimes, their children don’t get into college anymore.

But that should not happen. There are several ways available to be able to save up for your kid’s college tuition and other expenses. To help you decide on which among the different saving techniques to do, here is a guide that gives you the advantages of each saving technique.

1. 529 Plans- This is one of the most popular ways of saving for college. 529 plans are investment accounts managed by the state, which is open to everyone. 529 plans are flexible as the funds can be used to pay for the tuition or other school expenses such as housing, books, other fees. 529 plans also allow for the funds to be used either in private or public school, or even in vocational or international colleges. With a 529 plan, the control of the money is in the account holder even when the beneficiary already turns 18.

2. Prepaid College Plans- Also known as Prepaid Education Arrangements, this plan allows parents to take advantage of the current in-state college tuition fee. The amount of the plan depends on the number of years left before your child turns into college. Thus, the earlier you start with the plan the better. The plan also allows out-of-state college choices; however, the rate will follow the in-state prices.

3. Coverdell Education Savings Account- Previously known as the Education IRA, Coverdell ESA Plan is yet another option for parents to save for their child’s education, including elementary and secondary schools. This plan can be combined with the 529 plan and prepaid college plan; however, the maximum allowed annual contribution is only $2,000.

4. Government-issued savings bond- The bonds series EE issued by the government can also be used for education. These bonds are offered at discounted rates and earn interests until maturity. If used for education, the principal and interests are all tax-free.

5. Internet sites/private companies- There are savings tools that can also be found in the Internet. One example is Upromise. This company allows the members to earn savings by purchasing items from their affiliate grocery stores, restaurants and more. This free money accumulated can be used for the child’s education expenses. Although small, it may be enough to buy your child books and school supplies.

There are indeed several choices you can choose from. Yet another option that may work for you is to start saving personally. Try to get a specific amount from your monthly income and keep it as savings for your child’s education. The earlier you start, the better, as you will be able to save more and your savings will also earn interest over time. Saving $200 a month once, you give birth to your child can let you save at least $43,200 when your child turns 18. That may already be enough to get your child into a public college institution. This requires commitment and dedication, though, to accomplish this task.

It is up to you to decide which one to go with. All of them, anyways, have the same purpose – to let your child get into college. Any average family can definitely find a savings technique that best suits its budget.

What many people may not realize is just how much of the effort to quit smoking relies on changing your thought processes and self-perceptions. While the actual smoking behavior is all that others see, like the tip of the iceberg, a smoking habit is supported by many underlying, unseen factors including your reasons for smoking. These may vary widely, including:
- stress relief
- weight loss
- boredom
- fitting in with a group of people
- image
- nicotine addiction

Understanding your own reasons for smoking is the first step in creating a customized plan for quitting. By finding healthier replacements to address your underlying needs, you will be less likely to succumb to temptation when obstacles arise. Because every individual is different, it is essential that you tailor your stop smoking plan to suit your own unique situation.

Another element of mental preparation is in trying to retrain yourself to see cigarettes not as something pleasurable, but as something you no longer want in your life. This can be a major adjustment, however all the evidence about the dangers of smoking as well as your personal reasons for quitting, can be utilized as reminders. Make a list of all the negative things about smoking that you are looking forward to freeing yourself from, as well as the positive changes you are striving towards, and review these often.

Part of your transition will involve learning to identify yourself as a non-smoker, and changing your behaviors accordingly. Take some time to think about what this will mean for you. Do you need to make changes regarding where you spend your time, and who you spend it with? At what times during your day might you feel the most lost without a cigarette? What temptations are you likely to encounter during your normal routine? Thinking about these things before they occur will help you be prepared with solutions all ready to meet the challenges as they arise.

Another component of mentally preparing yourself to quit smoking is the power of positive thinking and visualization in helping pave the way to success. If you can easily imagine yourself overcoming your smoking habit, and start to really feel how great it is going to be to quit, this will provide additional motivation and momentum towards reaching your goals. Along with specific visualizations, you can also learn relaxation techniques that will help overcome your cravings, and reduce any underlying stress that is contributing to your habit.

Doing some reading and research ahead of time using the many available resources will help give you an idea of what to expect during the quitting process, and learn about what types of strategies have been used successfully by other former smokers. You can then choose a combination of different approaches as seems appropriate, and keep other strategies in mind as a back up plan. If you look, you will find there is plenty of help along the way; take advantage of as many stop smoking methods as necessary to help you stay quit, and look forward to celebrating your milestones.