10 Things For Which We Overpay

The following is a list of 10 items for which we overpay, making note of these things and making a few changes can drastically cut your spending and increase your savings.
1. Afternoon snacks such as energy bars cost about $2. and although they may seem to be a healthy alternative many contain as much sugar as a candy bar. The much more healthy and cost saving snack is to pack or pick up fruit such as an apple, pear, some grapes these are much healthier as they contain much less sugar and are much lower in cost.
2. Bottled water can cost $2. although staying well hydrated is important, it is much more cost effective and better for the environment to invest in a filtered water pitcher or if in your home a reverse osmosis filtered water system and you can have delicious water for just pennies a glass. You can fill a large cup or bottle at home and carry to work.
3. Caffeine Fix for the day a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts can cost you $1.65 and up however a much more cost effective way to get your fix is to purchase your favorite gourmet coffee which can cost $8 - $13. a pound but makes at least 40 cups making the cost of each cup about 20 cents to 33 cents each.
4. Favorite tunes cost about $18 per new CD however the more cost effective way to collect your favorite tunes is to download tunes from iTunes for 99 cents or from Amazon for about 79 cents.
5. Night out to the movies can cost an average of $20 - $30 for two people with popcorn and that doesn't include babysitter costs. More cost effective is to enjoy 2 movies from Netflixs for $5 a month or for $9 a month you get unlimited viewing. Even better if you wait a little longer for new releases you can check them out for free from you local library.
6. Fresh flowers always brighten a room and your mood, however a bouquet from the florist will set you back around $25. The more cost effective alternative is to purchase a lovely seasonal fresh flower bouquet from you local grocery store which will only cost you about $5 - $10.
7. Fresh fruits and vegetables are very good for everyone but if you are stopping to pick up pre-cut or packaged fruits or vegetables to save a few minutes time you are paying dearly for convenience and may not be aware of that fact. Broccoli florets or pepper can cost $6 per pound pre-cut however the uncut versions cost about 1/3 that much or about $2. If you purchase pre-cut pre-washed lettuce in a bag is cost about $5.98 per pound but you can wash and spin dry arugual for your salad for about 1/3 that price or about $2. If you purchase whole strawberries rather than packaged sliced one you save 75% off the cost of the sliced packaged ones!
8. Credit Card Fees can mount up if you pay your bills late as the fees assessed each time can be as much as $39. The more cost effective thins to do is to set up an automatic debit to your bank account so you are never late.
9. ATM Fees can cost as much as $3.43 if you use an ATM that is out of your network and if you do it once a week those charges will amount to around $180 by the end of the year. A more cost effective solution is to choose a bank with a large network or an online account that reimburses your fees. Another alternative is to get cash back when you go to the grocery store.
10. Fax and Mail services. If you need to send a fax instead of paying $1.49 to fax one page you can sign up to send free faxes from providers like faxZero or K7.net. When it comes to shipping you can mail an envelope or small package by USPS Priority Mail for $4.95 ( and the post office supplies the envelope or box) and it usually arrives in about 2 days. Larger packages cost $10.35 That will save 50% over shipping by UPS 2 day service which varies by weight and distance.

After following all of these money saving ideas you should have enough money leftover to spend on a few beautiful items from Two Artisan Sisters Studio! Using the new Artfire Rapid Cart you can purchase and checkout an item from right here in just 28 seconds with no sign up required.

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Integrating NEAT Into Everyday Life

This week we are looking at ways to integrate NEAT into you everyday activities. Here are a few suggestions:

• Do carry a shopping basket when you are grocery shopping, Do Not push a shopping cart.
• Do get out of your car and walk to banks, shops and restaurant , Do Not use the drive through windows at the banks or restaurants.
• Do walk or ride your bike whenever possible, Do Not always get in the car.
• Do walk your dog, you can burn 200 calories an hour or 300 calories an hour if you run with your dog, Do Not hire a dog walker.
• Do park in a central spot when going shopping and walk to the individual shops, Do Not drive to each separate shop, this way you save gas and get more exercise.
• Do walk or cycle with your children to school and activities, Do Not just jump in the minivan.

All of these a simply listed as suggested ways to increase you daily movements and thereby increase you calories expenditure. We already do some of the them ourselves, and are waiting for warmer weather so that we can begin to try out many of the others. It is kind of fun to go through the list and see how many your are already doing and how many you could easily implement into your everyday life.

NEAT Exercise Ideas For The Workplace

We are continuing our series on ways to implement NEAT movements into your daily tasks and thereby increase the amount of calories burned. Although you may not be able or wish to implement all of the suggestions even implementing one or two will increase your mobility and amount of calories that you burn in a day. The following things are ideas that can be implemented in the office at work.

• Do sit on an exercise ball as it improves your posture and strengthens your core muscles and relieves back pain. Some office have actually replaced the chairs with treadmills, called a Walkstation! Wow, that would be great, we will have to put that one on our wish list! Do Not sit on a chair!

• Do walk to your colleagues offices as a brisk walk while carrying paperwork as this will burn 60 calories in 15 minutes. Do not call, e-mail or inter-office mail.

• Do whenever possible leave the office at lunch and meet a friend for a walk or a picnic. A leisurely walk can burn 100 calories. Do Not eat lunch at your desk.

• Do take the stairs as you burn 12 calories per minute. Do Not take the elevator or escalator.

• Do stand up and walk around while talking on the phone. Do Not just sit in your chair the whole time you are on the phone.

• Do host an office party at a bowling alley or driving range. Do Not have cake and coffee in a restaurant or the conference room.

• Do have walking meetings walking around the block or in a park as you can burn 150 calories if you are walking at 1 mph. Do Not hold a meeting in a conference room with everyone seated at a conference table.

• Do set an egg time or alarm clock for 15 to 30 minutes intervals so that you get up and move and stretch every time it goes off. Do Not just sit for hours on end at a keyboard! Boy, this is a tough one to implement, but we are trying!

• Do wear headphone or an ipod, if possible and it will keep you moving even if it is only tapping your toes. Do Not put on music that will make you drop off to sleep, put on something lively!

• Do keep a comfortable pair of shoes handy so that you can easily go for a walk at lunch or on your break time, also it is a great idea to attach a pedometer to yourself and strive for 10,000 steps per day! Do Not remain sedentary all day!

We are aiming to implement as many of these relatively simple ideas into our daily routine as possible. We are starting our with the timer idea about getting up and moving around at 20 minute intervals. We also take the stairs numerous times a day since our office in the lower level, so we have to take the stairs (12 of them) up and down in order to get to our kitchen and living room. When the weather permits, which has not been too frequently the past couple of months, we do go for a walk after dinner. I think the next one we need to start to work on is getting up and walking around while on the phone! We hope this gives you some ideas for adding NEAT into your daily work routine.


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NEAT Exercise Ideas

I recently have read several articles on a new take on how to integrate exercise into your daily routine and increase your calorie use without going to the gym. You can do so through what is called Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT! Some of the changes in routine that can be made at home are :

• 1. Hang up your laundry to dry, instead of throwing it in the dryer.
• 2. Wash your dishes by hand (50 calories burned in 30 minutes), instead of putting them in the dishwasher.
• 3. Shovel snow from your sidewalk or driveway (350 calories in 60 minutes), instead of hiring someone to use a snowplow or snow blower.
• 4. Cook meals at home from scratch (100 calories in 60 minutes), instead of going out or using microwave.
• 5. Invite friends over for dinner or a game night instead of just sitting watching TV all night.
• 6. Limit your time answering e mails and surfing the net, instead of sitting silently in front of the screen for hours on end.

Next week we will post more great ideas as to how you can integrate NEAT into your work and also into the rest of your life. We already do some of these things but are trying to implement as many new ones as possible hope you will try them too!

The Origins of Valentine's Day

It is thought that Valentine's Day probably derives it's origins from the ancient Roman feast of Lupercalia, an ode to the God of Fertility, which was celebrated on Februrary 15th. Their calendar was different at that time, with February falling in the early springtime. One of the customs of the young people was "namedrawing". On the the eve of the Lupercalia Festival the name of Roman girls were written on slip of paper and placed into jars. Each young man drew a slip. The girl whose name was chosen was to be his sweetheart for the year.

Legend has it that the holiday became Valentine's Day after a priest named Valentine. The Emperor at the time, Claudius II, ordered his Roman soldiers NOT marry or become engaged. Claudius believed that as married men, his soldiers would want to stay home with their families rather than fight his wars. Valentine defied the Emperor's decree and secretly married the young couples. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned, and put to death. Before execution, Valentine himself had fallen in love with his jailer's daughter. His final note to her was , "From Your Valentine",a phrase that has lasted through the centuries.

Two Artisan Sisters wishes everyone a very Happy Valentine's Day!
If you are still needing a lovely gift for your Valentine check out our studio at http://www.twoartisansisters.artfire.com

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As you can see we are still in the learning stage here! Sorry about that! We are experts at knitting and crocheting not with all of this computer technical stuff! We appreciate your bearing with us during this learning curve!

Just What Your Valentine Wants!