Found this rather interesting article on Kiplinger.com. It was written by Cameron Huddleston!

10 Great Gifts for College Grads

Help them get a head start in the real world.

Some college seniors may be hoping Mom and Dad will spring for an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe so they can go "find themselves" or just take time off before starting the daily grind of 9-to-5 life. Aside from the fact that most parents can't afford this sort of gift, it won't help new grads get a head start in the real world.

If you're looking for practical graduation gift ideas, consider these:

Interview attire. It's crucial to project the right image if you want to get a job and get ahead. But college seniors are more likely to have closets filled with shorts, jeans and t-shirts than work-appropriate attire. So take your grad shopping for a good suit. For families on a budget, give a nice tie, dress shirt and perhaps some sensible shoes. And share these ten tips with your grad so he or she can ace an interview.

Financial advice. If your child knows little about the basics of investing or personal finance, help her learn with a few good books. For easy-to-read primers, see 4 Great Financial Books for Recent Grads. Or get her a subscription to Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine for just $12.

Gym membership. Help your grad release steam after a long day of work at a new job with a gym membership, the price of which tends to drop in spring and summer (so you'll get a deal).

Kitchenware. This is a gift people often think of for newlyweds. But college grads can benefit from having pots and pans to cook meals at home and save. Plus, kitchenware tends to go on sale in May, so you should be able to find deals.

Grocery gift card. Encourage your grad to cook at home with a gift card to a grocery store. Hopefully, she'll be less tempted to dine out if she can stock her refrigerator for free. You can find discount grocery gift cards at Gift Card Granny.

A mattress. Everyone has to sleep. So your college student will surely appreciate a real bed -- rather than that worn-out futon he was sleeping on in his college apartment. And May is a good time to buy mattresses, which can be marked down by as much as 50% as retailers try to make way for newer models.

Security deposit for an apartment. For grads just starting out, coming up with the first month's rent and a security deposit can be tough if their first paycheck won't show up until the end of the month. And you don't want them to have to rely on a credit card to make these payments. So consider chipping in by offering to write a check for the security deposit or one month's rent.

Renter's insurance. First-time renters often don't realize that they'll have to pay to replace their stuff if it's stolen or damaged by fire or another disaster -- unless they have renter's insurance. You can help them protect their belongings and finances by purchasing them a policy, which usually costs $200 to $300 a year.

Help with student-loan payments. Students with loans usually get a six-month grace period before they have to start making payments. If your grad doesn't have a job by that point, he might need help footing the monthly bill because you don't want him to default (see The Dark Side of Student Loans). Consider pitching in until he gets a steady paycheck or can find relief through a loan-deferment program.

A head start on retirement savings. If your grad will have earned income from a job, you can open and fund a Roth IRA for her. Even if she has a workplace retirement account, she'll benefit from a Roth because she'll be able to withdraw the money tax-free in retirement. She also can withdraw contributions (not earnings) at any time tax- and penalty-free. To learn more, see The Basics of Roth IRAs.

Do We Need to Breathe?

One of my treatments for a wound that would not heal was Oxygen Treatment. It is a therapy where your whole body is inserted into a chamber like they used to do for polio victims. It is pressurized and you take care of your ears while going down like a deep sea diver in which the oxygen is pressured into your cells and you are left there for an hour and half. Of course you don’t feel anything but after 50 treatments, I noticed my eyesight was better and my nails grew which they never do grow. Wow! I was delighted. But…..a few months after the wound was healed and my oxygen therapy was over, I was back in the past strength of contacts and had flimsy, peeling nails.

Went to a physical therapist as well as she was talking about deep breathing that we breathe too shallow and don’t get that oxygen deep in our lungs. Have you noticed when you get stressed or need to stop, how much better you feel when you take 3 or 4 deep, deep breathes! ?

Then I ran into an article in the paper talking about getting oxygen into our lungs. I am not into yoga, but when being still or trying to go to sleep, practicing deep breathing does relax you. The article was talking about oxygenating your muscles. If you breath out when you’re contracting the muscles and in when you’re relaxing. When running, hold your shoulders back and run with your back straight to make sure air gets into your lungs easily.

How do you know if you are breathing from your diaphragm deeply. Lie on your back on the floor and put your hand or book on your abdominal area. When breathing, the book or your hand should rise up.

Try this exercise for yourself. Sit up right in a comfortable chair, no music, close your eyes, try to exhale at the same count that you inhale. Do it five minutes every day, no exceptions. See how differently you feel after 21 days. I’m going to try this! Let me know if you try it and what your success is as well. (Article from DMN by Leslie Garcia.)

7 Habits for Longer Life!

1. Rest Up! Getting the right amount of sleep, about seven hours of sleep, research shows to be shown as ideal. Less than 5 hours of sleep had shorter lifespans.

2. Eat Right! Eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, drinking moderate amount of alcohol and not smoking gave a potential 14 extra years of life.

3. Make Friends! Research shows that people with large social networks were 22% less likely to die than they that reported few friends.

4. Use it, Don't Lose it! Exercise both body and mind. Keep your brain engaged, and get your body moving.

5. Mind Your Middle! Waist circumference is a strong predictor of mortality. Anything above 44 inches in men and 41 inches in women were associated with 25% higher mortality rates.

6. Get Fresh Air! Get out and enjoy the fresh air instead of the recycled air in your house and office.

7. Make it a Family Thing! In a study of centenarians in the U.S., people who had a 100 year old brother or sister lived longer than others born in the same year.

TURN PLASTIC INTO CASH!

How many gift cards do you have kicking around unused? Did you get several for Christmas gifts? Maybe you really don't like the store or their merchandise. How about turning these dust collectors into cash?

Click here!

These folks help consumers unlock the billions of dollars of gift cards that are never used. They offer a convenient and safe way to get the most out of gift cards. You can cash in gift cards with a minimum balance of $25 for up to 92% of the card balance. They'll also exchange your unwanted cards for purchasing power at stores like Amazon.com, or donate them for the benefit of your favorite nonprofit organization.

Worth a look - it's cash!

(Recommended by Real Estate CyberSpace Society of which I am a member!)

Are You Being Legal?

Using Cell Phones in School Zones:
The law states that as of Sept 1, 2009, Texans may not operate a wireless communication device in a school zone without the use of a hands-free equipment. This may include sending and receiving text messages, email or other content on your wireless communication device.

The details: At every entrance to a school zone, the city, county or other political entity must post a sign that warns drivers that the use of a wireless communication devise without a hands-free devise is illegal and the operator may be subject to a fine. If the sign is not there, law enforcement probably won’t cite you unless the signs are posted.

Bottom line: Use a hands-free device if you must take calls when driving in a school zone.

Shopping:

There will not be extra money this year for spending for Christmas, I would say. Our family gave up giving gifts at Christmas a long time ago. I think all of us will be looking for better values this year as well. What is value? Could have meaning for different people but for example: if you buy a dress for $200 and you wear it 20 times, that would be of more value than spending $50 for a dress and wearing it only 2 times. That's "cost per wear" test! Do we follow such a test with most things that we buy?

Just being together sometimes is the best gift. Or the value of time….giving your time to someone that needs your help or a friendly face or a listening ear. Just taking the time to reconnect with people in our past would be a great gift. That is what I am going to try to do this season! What are your plans?

PlanoFirst…..it makes cents

Why Should I Spend My Money in Plano?
1. Plano is a unique community offering everything a resident could want for shopping, dining and playing.

2. The importance of making “Plano First” when making your decision to spend your money is critical.

3. Local dollars spent in Plano boost sales tax revenues and helps the City operate.

4. Approximately 1/3 of the City’s revenues come from sales tax so it is especially important to make “Plano First” when you shop, eat and play.

5. Help Plano continue to provide the services that are critically important to making Plano a great City.

6. 1 cent of every dollar spent in Plano goes toward City sales tax to help fund city services.

This same scenario is true with any City each of us live in. Cities that have lower sales are reaping lower tax dollars which reflect in the services the Cities can fund and operate.

Health Care

Oh wow, this is a hot subject but I do want to comment. Yes, I do. This is a Blog and I can express my opinion on mine own Blog, I would hope.

Where are our old fashioned values of taking care of oneself? James and I are a little odd because we have not had insurance for the last 30 years. Oh, aren’t you just worried sick about what would happen to you? Well, I do trust the Lord and if He wants to take me that way with a long illness and take all our savings, it is His anyway, so He may do what He likes. And I have had Breast Cancer. But paid and negotiated the bills with cash with all the doctors and hospitals. They give discounts to insurance companies, they needed to give discounts to me and they did. In fact, my general doctor always gave me discounts for cash.

My girls didn’t have insurance either but we certainly did not run to the doctor every day with every little sickness. James and I are very seldom sick. Yes, we have been blessed and we do have aches and pains which we don’t like necessarily and I for one, do not like getting older, but we are very active and don’t have time to think of any pains.

I’m not saying everyone has the ability of saving enough money to take care of themselves when they do get sick but I am saying, they could have saved their money instead of buying that bigger house, or that new car or that boat or those trips instead of taking responsibility for their own lives. I think Corporate America has done the same thing. The company will take care of you with your medical and your retirement. If they don’t, the government will. I admit it is nice to go to the doctor for that checkup and walk out without paying anything but that can’t last forever either. People took care of their own needs and families and there was very little government involved in their lives except for protection and enforcing the laws back in the 40's. (Maybe they did not live as long, but with the new system, we may not either.)

Quit expecting someone or something to take care of you now or later, but take control and take care of yourself and do some planning ahead. That's my sermon today. And thank you for listening....or reading ....or whatever. You probably have some comments for me now.