Running For The Sheer Joy Of It

Following on from my last post and how keeping as healthy as possible is good not only for yourself but for you medical bills too.  I also run because it makes me feel good. The psychological effect of doing something you like should never be ignored. I am lucky in that my kids like to exercise, although more sport than running; hubby exercises too but is more inclined to cycle than run.

That is all going to change, I have booked us all onto a fun 5km family run in November.  This is also going to coincide with a family break for a wedding. taking kids out of school for a day either side but sorted that out with school as soon as we got the invite. As we have to travel all the way to the bottom of South Island  need more than just the weekend. Will go Friday till Monday, the wedding is Saturday and the run Sunday. Perfect! I am hoping some more of the family & wedding guests will get involved as well.

The run is at Teretonga Park, Invercargill and it is the ASB Colour Rush. This means that after running 1 km we will be ‘coloured’ with different coloured powder. As a family run it can be run or walked so we can all do it. Afterwards there is a ‘colour’ party sounds great fun and a lovely way to round-up the break. I imagine we will look something like people who celebrate  the Hindu Indian Festival of Holi.

Colourful or what?

To keep things economical we planned to camp but one of my relatives has offered us the use of her home, which is really going to keep the cost down. Now to find an economical wedding outfits!! I will share my tips for finding economical outfits for me and the kids next post.

Running to Keep Healthy and save on Medical Expenses

You cannot remain healthy always and not fall sick. Only Superman has got that gift. So, how does running help to keep medical costs down? Let us first know about health benefits of running.

• Running burns extra fat – If you are fat, lots of diseases are invited and you will pay enhanced medical bills. Running helps you burn fat and keeps you lean. You will have more energy and there are less chances of being over weight. Isn’t running beneficial?
• Strengthen your joints and bones – Running really builds your leg muscles and knees. Also it will keep the elbows in shape. The common gabble about running is bad for your knees is not true at all. So, keep running and you will never have joint pains or unhealthy bone issues.
• Running helps keep your brain healthy – Early morning run will bring fresh oxygen to your body and brain. It will help you be sharp in reaction. The oxygen helps the brain keep healthy for a longer duration so you will be sharper even if your body is ageing.
• Increases you life years – As you are running and keeping healthy you will live longer. It is especially beneficial for smokers. A study showed that smoker’s increase their life span by 4 years if they start running. You do not understand why? Well it is simple, running will keep the harmful cigarette soot out even if you are still smoking.

The benefit of running will keep you healthy and minimize visits to the doctor. Automatically the medical bills will reduce. Sounds crazy but is practically true, and the living example is me. There are many more benefits which we can discuss later.

 

Buying Gadgets online

The future of retail is online. According to a recent survey more people will be buying online than regular malls in the United States. The biggest sector being influenced by online shops is the electronics sector. People prefer to buy online, because of many benefits associated with it. However care should be taken while shopping for gadgets online. The major benefits are convenience and competitive price. Here are a few things to take care of:

• Compare – Internet gives immense potential for comparison. You can compare features and the price also. While getting a gadget online, never forget to compare.
• Use the promo code – Many websites give price benefits in form of promo codes. These promo codes can save you a lot sometimes. Never forget to use them. Recently I saved one-third on my new smart phone using the promo code.
• Observe the price history – Every gadget comes with a price much higher than its worth. Just wait and watch, and you will save much more than you think. Competition benefits the customer, so let the competition arrive.Take for example the launch price of iPhone and the price now.
• The open box items – This is a very economical option. Sometimes a small blemish in the gadget and you can get it for peanuts , if you trust the open box market. It is risky but worth it.
• Refurbished – You can get great deals of used gadgets. They are very good and checked by the retailer. You may sometimes get the gadget at ten percent of its current market price.

How online shopping has changed my life

I know a lot of people think that online shopping is just good for big purchases, or maybe to buy books or dresses sometimes. Well, at least that is what I thought. Who buys things you might need on a regular basis online, right? That is what grocery stores and shopping trips are for.

Then, I ended up on a website that would let you find all the groceries you need online, and at a good price too. I couldn’t believe the kind of discounts you got (of course, it helps that you can buy in bulk from these websites, I’d say). That is when I realized, you can just find all the groceries you want, add them to your shopping cart and the food is delivered to your house! I can understand how and why that might not work for fresh produce (I like my vegetables and fruits to be fresh, so no storing them for weeks, thank you), but it works miraculously for knick knacks you might need around the house.

I do hate carrying heavy bags, or having to make time to go out and shop for necessities and I think this just removes all the inconveniences right out of it!

The Benefits of Bulk Shopping

Raising a family can certainly be a financial strain, particular in today’s economy with grocery prices going through the roof. However, you don’t need to be an extreme couponer to save money. With a few bulk shopping tips, you can start living far more cash simple and avoid more credit debt and accruing higher expenses on your weekly items.

One of the biggest benefits of bulk shopping is that you’ll pick up a lot of food and save money per pound. For instance, purchasing a big pack of chicken breasts gives you and your family a solid five meals, for only the cost of about three meals. But having more food isn’t where the benefits end exactly.

Driving to the store on a weekly basis also starts to eat directly into the budget. Fuel is incredibly costly, so cutting back on your store trips allows you to save money in this regard. Less wear and tear on your automobile also equates to fewer maintenance expenses. All in all, shopping in bulk can have a ripple effect on your cash savings.

Saving Money Instead of Buying Gifts

Giving Christmas gifts to children is quite fun. Their faces light up and they are thoroughly occupied with new toys,  for the whole day. However, I worry over the message we are sending them. I don’t want to stop seasonal gift giving as it is an important connection to others of our faith, but I have wanted to change the focus of giving for a while.

I decided to look for alternatives to buying so much. For one thing, it is a terrible idea to keep giving money to huge corporations. I also believe that my children will not fare as well, financially, as my grandparents did, since my husband and I haven’t fared nearly as well as our previous generations did. I have this nagging feeling that we should teach or children to do more with much less.

In the end, we gave the gift of time and companionship by inviting everyone for a Stone Soup affair. As in the children’s tale, each person brought one exotic item to add to the meal. We did not make soup, so guests did not have to worry about their item being in a big pot with other items. Instead, we had everyone’s food laid out on the picnic table and people ate buffet style, We provided games and music and adults could bring wine coolers and beer.

We spent less money than if we had bought a gift for each guest, took lots of photos to share later in the year, and everyone had a great time. I’ll get started on the alternative giving earlier, next year, but I think the children are seeing the world a little differently.

Balancing Family and Work

In the current economy, it has become more important than ever for people to work. Some families have had to take multiple jobs, or work harder than before, in order to repay loans they have taken, or even to afford rent. All of this might sound like regular problems faced by people all around the world, but this poses an interesting question. How is this affecting family life in New Zealand?

It has become more crucial than ever for people to balance their work and family life. Even today, the government is laying a lot of emphasis on finding the right policies that would enable families to spend more time with their children. These policies would lay emphasis on leaves, holidays, decreased working hours, childcare holidays, tax benefits for families etc. Some policies should be developed in order to make sure that organizations and corporations become more family-friendly.

Till then, you could try making your own little efforts. You should take some time off and make sure that you eat at least one meal with your entire family. If your kids are still young, make sure you develop a bedtime routine. You should do at least have one special day every week. It can be one evening where you have a special dinner, or one evening where you all get together for a movie or a marathon of your favourite show. These things will help keep the family together- and they don’t take too much time, so it won’t affect your work as well.

Family Economics in New Zealand

It can be quite complicated to find out which school one must send children to. After all, you have to consider the quality of the education one will be getting, along with one’s geographical location and how much the school is going to cost.

Of course, you would have to choose between a private school and state schools. You would also have to choose between sending your kid to a same-gender school or a co-education institution. These are important decisions because it might improve the chances your child has in the future.

There are some parents who choose to move to a different district so that they can send their children to school there. Unless you have one particular school in mind and are determined to send your child there, you should try not moving your entire family somewhere else. You would have to consider a number of other factors- including real estate situations, employment conditions, etc.

You would also have to focus on how much money sending your child to school would cost. A lot of state schools in some districts are just as good as private schools, and are much cheaper. You just have to do your research, sit your children down, and have a discussion with them about what they would or would not like.