Thursday, June 9, 2016

3 Easy Steps to Chop $ FAST OFF your Household Bills

This is gonna be a REALLY short post...so pay attention.
If you implement only these 3 EASY Steps, you will IMMEDIATELY start saving money OFF your household bills:
NUMBER 1: 
 Start doing ALL your laundry in COLD water. Not cool water, not warm water...but COLD WATER.
This will immediate start saving you money on whatever your home uses to heat your hot water.
If using COLD water to do your laundry makes you uncomfortable, I would encourage you to run a personal experiment and do one full day of laundry using ONLY COLD water and see if you can notice and lowering in the quality of your laundry. I dare ya! Most most most people can not notice ANY difference at all in the quality of their laundry after switching to washing in cold water!

NUMBER 2:

 Unplug STUFF that you don't use on a daily basis. What kinda stuff you may ask?
Well, stuff like your electric blender or your DVD player. Why? Because when electrical items are plugged in, even if the power button is "off", still drain a small electric current from your outlets ....and that constant tiny drain of electrical current is called "PHANTOM" power.
PHANTOM POWER costs you MONEY! So, anything that you don't utilize personally on a daily basis can be happily unplugged RIGHT NOW and only plugged back in WHEN YOU NEED IT.
Stroll through your home and see what items are plugged into EACH electrical outlet in your home. Is there a lamp that no one uses? UNPLUG IT! 

NUMBER 3:

Start super duper shopping and stocking up on the LOCAL LOSS LEADERS. What is that you say?
LOCAL LOSS LEADERS are items that grocery chains and department stores sell "BELOW COST" in order to draw customers into their stores. They don't make money from selling those items, but they use them as a very effective method of getting more humans into their stores. The stores know that once someone is physically present in their stores, the odds of them buying ONLY the loss leader items is very low....so the know that  the customers will wind up buying at least several other items while they are in the store. The stores know that they will earn a profit from these other items, even if they lose money from the "LOSS LEADER" items.
So what, in your local stores are the LOSS LEADERS? For us, it is totally BANANAS. Literally, bananas are a very effective high volume sales item that almost EVERY large grocery store and/or department store in my city carries. The prices are literally ROCK BOTTOM and there is even a price war going on to reach the lowest of the lowest LOSS LEADER PRICES.

So, in closing, stock up on these items...whatever they may be in your city.....
( some plentiful and very low priced well stocked items) and use them to keep your pantry full. Your family will thank you for it and your wallet will too :)

Peacefully productive,
Carla.


Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Is Gluten Free Fast Food an Oxymoron?

It's coming...whether you are ready or not....the GLUTEN FREE apocalypse...
Ok, ok, I'm being rather dramatic....but in all seriousness, if you or someone you love is working in the food industry and has not accommodated the GLUTEN FREE market...
....then a dramatic U-TURN is required.

Gluten FREE foods are not only a legitimate food category, it is now becoming a MASSIVE GROWTH opportunity to build up market share for those who DO NOT have a MEDICAL reason for eating a gluten free diet.
Are you shocked???

You shouldn't be. More books and research has been done lately on the benefits for
"REGULAR" consumers to adopt a gluten free diet because it simply
MAKES THEM FEEL BETTER!

Why? Gluten is a complex "hard to digest" molecule that even "regular" folks can have a hard time digesting.
Therefore, when  ANYONE adopts a gluten free diet, they may begin to notice changes and improvements on many levels of human functioning.

 These improvements may include:

  • less mood swings
  • more emotional stability
  • more energy
  • Less abdominal bloating, and gas 
  • more predictable digestion and elimination
  • less constipation
  • improvements in complexion of the skin


Need I go on ? But don't take my ideas as truth....just try it for yourself and see what your results  may be.....
Only YOU can discover if a GLUTEN free diet can help you live better.

Let me know how gluten free food makes you feel in the comments below


Peacefully yours,
Carla

Buy my new book Life in the Gluten Free Zone on Amazon today!


Disclaimer: This blog is not intended as medical advice. The author and publisher of this blog does not accept any legal responsibility or liability for any of the ideas discussed in this blog post or any other post on this blog. Medical advice should always be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner.


Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Banana Wars

Over the past few weeks I've noticed that there has erupted a rather CUTE banana price war in my neck of the woods.

I suppose one might be able to trace it back to Walmart...who seemed to be the last one who sold their bananas at the juicy retail price of 57 cents per lb for the last several years.
But lo and behold, it seems that Zehrs... ( the high end banner of Weston stores)
has caught the "low price bug" and decided to join the the banana price war.

Zehrs has for many years been targeting the more "well heeled"  and higher end shoppers, but perhaps methinks that they are rethinking their strategy to match a more "realistic" shopping scenario for most
Ontario, Canada shoppers. So they've created a new and competitively priced genre of fresh produce products that can match---  if not BEAT-- the juicy low prices of the box stores.

So, for the humble bananas that they used to charge 99 cents a LB for, they are now charging only
57 cents a LB.

The "Real Canadian Wholesale Club" which markets to shop owners and restaurateurs is also in on the game and was last seen selling their bananas for only 56 cents per lb. I can only applaud.

Zehrs'  competitive pricing strategy includes juicy new pricing for English Cucumbers as well as
fresh Red Tomatoes.

Competition is ALWAYS a good thing, at least in this regard.
Thank you big huge grocery chains for helping big families shop smart.

Peace,
Carla.

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Shop With Me

Want to browse a book store like "Chapters" with a friend who loves the same books you do?
 Now you can! Come putter through my shop with me at my Amazon Store. I've selected a few of my favorite Boot Strappers and Epic Life Hackers who never cease to make me pause and have a good "think".
Enjoy  my   Shop Till You Think Shop   .


Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Why You Should Try Gluten Free...Even if You Aren't a Celiac

Ok, folks....I  just wanna write today to those of you who aren't necessarily diagnosed with any kind of gluten intolerance or celiac disease.

Why? Because it is being discovered more and more, that eating gluten free foods can help ANYONE's digestive system take a much needed rest from the standard "gluten packed" diet.

What folks need to realize is that the molecule called "gluten" is a VERY VERY hard
nut to crack when we ingest it as food. Digesting GLUTEN is very hard work even for the healthiest digestive system. Even the healthiest human being can be negatively affected by eating too much gluten.

Anything with WHEAT in it contains gluten. Gluten is hard to digest! It requires a lot of energy and effort on the part of our stomach, intestines, and colon just to process it.
Therefore even if you are perfectly healthy, you may just want to give your body an occasional
break from eating any source of gluten for a full  "day" or  "week" or a whole "month".
Remember that gluten can stay in your system for many days, so if you are going to give your body a break from gluten, you want to try to stick to a gluten free diet for a good chunk of time. Give your body a chance to cleanse itself of all the gluten it is holding onto, and see if you begin noticing any improvements.
You may, as gluten leaves your body, begin noticing a thinner waist line, a clearer complexion,
 and a more stable mood.

You never know....you  might feel completely revitalized and regain energy simply by removing
gluten from your regular diet.

It is a personal choice what we put in our mouths. Far be it from me, to tell anyone what to do... But I want to encourage you to experiment and see how eating differently may improve your life.We don't HAVE to eat anything we don't want to....and thus we can observe and sense the changes that our diets have upon our own sense of wellness, energy level and moods.

Be blessed and well,

Carla

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is not intended as medical advice. This blog post is intended for conversational purposes only. The author and publisher of this blog do not take any liability for any ideas discussed in this blog post or any other blog post on this blog.
Medical advice should always be obtained from a licensed medical practitioner.






Wednesday, May 25, 2016

It's OK to Be a NOOB

Now don't get slick on me. Everyone's a NOOB at some point in their lives or careers...

We aren't born knowing how to do very much. So don't be shy just because you know you have to face that awkward stage where folks may notice that you are just an entry level amateur noob.

There "ain't nothin' wrong" with moving ahead with a project even if you know it's not going to come off as pro or epic "mastery".

As I've blogged about before....just because you will never become a concert pianist doesn't mean you should never learn to play the piano. Playing the piano for many years at an "entry" level is totally cool in my humble opinion.

And the same goes for many other things you may want to do online. Yes, you will most likely improve with practice at most of the things you do.....but that doesn't mean you should hesitate to do something just because you aren't yet slick at it.

For example, you may be a novice writer. You just LOVE to write, but have never published anything publicly and are terrified of being bashed or trolled for putting something out there that isn't polished or professional. What would my advice be?? I'd say...GO FOR IT ANYWAY!

Yes, it's hard to put out work that you know is not yet straight AAA STAR studded quality. But that doesn't mean I regret any of the stuff I have put out there online. I'm very proud of all my "noobish" ebooks and awkward blogs and regrettable tweets. Why? Because I had the courage to be out there in all my "noobish" glory....being willing to make epic fails in public, for the sheer purpose of knowing that
"nothing risked...nothing gained". All the gains I have made in life, have been because I have been a risk taker. I have been willing to take risks, without knowing whether I would succeed or flop. Thankfully, most of my efforts have been fruitful.

And so....I continue.......to improve. I continue to grow....and eventually, with God's help....I will reach mastery of those skills I have put my hands to. But the bottom line....the point I really want to make to you my beloved readers is this.......I keep moving forward because I am not embarrassed to put work out in public that is less than awesome. I keep producing high volumes of work, because I know that through the sheer volume of projects I create, I am giving myself  MASSIVE LEVERAGE that will eventually tip the scales in my favor.

What have you given up doing just because you couldn't go public with something less than perfect?
What can you move forward with, now that you have the courage to be a noob?
Looking forward to reading your comments in the section below.

Peacefully productive,
Carla.




Monday, May 23, 2016

Your Own Genius

Well, our childhoods don't last forever....and no matter whether those years were positive or negative, there comes a stage in adulthood, where one begins to realize that we need to
  protect and nurture those qualities about ourselves that we value most.

For example, if you want to continue to play the piano that you learned as a child, you are going to have to keep a keyboard or old school piano around in your dwelling somewhere and keep at it. Even if you only play it once every three months or so, you will keep your skills alive and fresh in your short term memory.

What you attend to regularly will stay fresh in your mind and remain a part of your life.

So...back to my original thought.

If you want to keep your genius......... we are going to have to figure out how to nurture it. It's one thing to nurture the genius in your own child, as they are young and still under your care. But it is a whole 'nother thing to nurture the genius in yourself, as you age and embrace middle age.When your lifestyle and life stages change, your strategy for self-care needs to change too.

What is THAT going to take? How are we going to nurture our own genius, continuously as we age?
How can we incubate the genius that is lying dormant within us?
Well, I don't pretend to have the answers....but here are a few random ideas:

1/ Protect your fave "think" spot. Maybe it's a quiet room in your home. Maybe you need to protect it from
some other household purpose and preserve it for your thinking time.
 (hint:don't let the vaccuum cleaner be stored there :)
It's called your own personal THINK TANK. It's important. It's personal. Guard it and protect it.

2/ Make it a priority to simply feed that wonderful brain of yours with empowering mental "food".
Yes, I have loads of ideas about that, but it's not about my opinions, it about what nurtures
YOUR genius.....not mine. What nurtures my genius is not the same as what makes your brain explode with creativity. The authors that make my mind thrive are not the same as yours.

By the way, one hurdle I had to overcome, as I began to explore new thinkers and authors, was to allow myself to read and learn from people with whom I had HUGE personal differences.
You see, I used to think, that in order for me to able to glean any quality information from a writer/thinker, I had to be in 100% agreement with the lifestyle and beliefs of that particular writer/thinker.
Boy, it was a huge relief to get free from that VERY VERY limiting mindset.
For it was literally IMPOSSIBLE for me to find the information I was seeking from ANYONE who believed the same things I did. Therefore, I changed my mindset and am now free to learn from whatever person or source I choose, no matter if I have REALLY big personal differences and belief systems than that particular writer or thinker.

3/ Protect your 'Noggin. Literally. Your brain is your greatest asset....and it's not going to help you if you split your wig in a bicycle accident, because you just didn't wanna protect your brain with a helmet.
Protect your brain whenever you play aggressive sports too.  A puck to the head is not going to help you nurture your genius. Guard that brain of yours with physical barriers to impact. Wear your seat belt when you are in a vehicle. It makes sense.

Well,that's all for now.
In peaceful productivity,
Carla.

Friday, May 20, 2016

Hey McDonalds Canada...... We want Gluten Free Burgers Too

I was surprised and inspired to read in an online MSN article
that McDonalds serves GLUTEN FREE BURGERS in several European countries!
To be specific, the MSN article stated that McDonald restaurants in Italy, Finland, Norway and Sweden offer a gluten-free burger..

That's great news for Europe....but hey ...what about us???

There are plenty of Celiacs and Gluten Intolerant people in Canada....would it be so hard to set aside a few special gluten free burgers for us?

If you click Here you'll be able to see for yourself all the varieties of menu items that McDonalds has developed across the globe. Can you find your country or regional flavors listed?

If you feel strongly about this issue, maybe it's time to drop a line to your own McDonalds headquarters.....
and ask them to offer some delicious gluten free items.

Contact McDonalds Canada

Contact McDonalds USA








Thursday, May 19, 2016

Wow This Life Hack Actually Worked

Annienygma is one of my fave bloggers.
Her little tips and strategies have empowered many many folks 'round the globe thrive without overspending.

She is a determined minimalist and has been living for many years on her book royalties which she authors and selfpublishes online.

Anywho, so what is the life hack she suggested that worked for me?
It was her simple advice on how to unclog a drain.
Annie suggested using boiling hot water with vinegar and baking soda and salt and dishwashing soap.
I actually only have to use three items and it worked excellently....
My kitchen sink was clogged and I really really prefer not to use those really toxic and "too strong"
chemical drain openers. So I poured about 1/2 cup of table salt and 1/2 cup of baking soda into the clogged drain and poured about 2 liters of boiling hot water right on top of it all.....
It took about 3 minutes and it actually cleared of it's own accord!! I didn't even have to use a plunger on it:)

Thanks Annie! You Rock.
To visit Annie on her blog click here Annienygma ...

Peaceful Productivity,
Carla.