Todd Benatar » Finance/Monies http://toddbenatar.com Seeds of thoughts from down on the farm Wed, 16 May 2012 02:54:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Interesting Blogs http://toddbenatar.com/2012/04/12/interesting-blogs/ http://toddbenatar.com/2012/04/12/interesting-blogs/#comments Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:26:19 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=407 A few times a week I get a chance to surf the Internet mindlessly, just seeing where I will end up and seeing what there is to see, but I usually don’t read other people’s blogs, at least if I don’t know them that is. I do at times enjoy reading my brother’s and my friend’s blog now and then, just to see what they are up to that they have not telling me about.

Last night was a night that I just wasn’t ready to hit the sack, so I started surfing around and fell across a blog that was written by a girl who is complaining about the fact that her boyfriend is such a sports fanatic, who lives and breathes sports, mainly football. He is a Florida Gators Football fan and appears to be fully occupied by this sport even before the football season starts, what with all of the football pools and fantasy picks that are so popular these days.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2012/04/12/interesting-blogs/feed/ 0 Skate Boarding Stories http://toddbenatar.com/2012/04/02/skate-boarding-stories/ http://toddbenatar.com/2012/04/02/skate-boarding-stories/#comments Tue, 03 Apr 2012 01:31:29 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=165 After yesterday’s game, a few of us went for a few drinks, shot some pool and got caught up on what everyone was up to these days. I haven’t really been kept in the loop with these guys and was eager to hear all their stories and share a few laughs before heading back to the homestead once again.

With finance and the economy being the way it is today, life is becoming more and more difficult for so many of us, it was nice to just get away from all the “hot” topics that are being discussed each day, so we kept the conversations on the lighter side and no one even wanted to talk about politics and all the heart ache that we are all experiencing due to our governments wasteful overspending and the challenges that Obama now is facing.

My one pal, Doug has gotten totally into the sport of skateboarding and had several good stories that kept us entertained. He is looking to be in real good shape and he had kicked butt all day long during the earlier paintball games. Made all of us look bad in comparison.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2012/04/02/skate-boarding-stories/feed/ 0 Finding some spring projects to do with my kids http://toddbenatar.com/2012/03/26/finding-some-spring-projects-to-do-with-my-kids/ http://toddbenatar.com/2012/03/26/finding-some-spring-projects-to-do-with-my-kids/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:26:43 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=1729 Guest post written by Alex Hunt

It’s always a big deal to get my kids to stay inside when it isn’t really warm enough for them to play outside. My kids are especially prone to colds, even though they eat well and take their vitamins, so I worry about them playing outside in colder weather. But it’s almost spring time and they’re a little more restless now because of it. So I’m trying to find some activities for them to do inside that are spring-y.

I thought that it would be really fun to try and make some birdhouses with the kids. While I was looking up some easy kids’ birdhouses directions I saw info regarding DEBT COUNSELING. As I was looking up some more info on it and how it would affect my family’s debt, I decided to use the counseling services.

I found all kinds of little birdhouse directions to make with the kids and I decided on the simplest one that I could find. Plus, it will be a lot more fun to actually paint the birdhouses than to just assemble them.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2012/03/26/finding-some-spring-projects-to-do-with-my-kids/feed/ 0 Cloth Napkins http://toddbenatar.com/2012/03/18/cloth-napkins/ http://toddbenatar.com/2012/03/18/cloth-napkins/#comments Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:35:17 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=1723 I was watching a show a little while ago where they were talking about reducing your carbon footprint. I’m probably a little bit more interested in saving the planet than most of the people that I know, so I paid attention to the show to see if there was something I could do that I haven’t been doing to reduce our carbon footprint. They suggested using cloth napkins instead of paper napkins as much as possible.

Well, I’m really not sure exactly how much “energy” using cloth napkins will save because in my experience you have to wash and iron them. I’m thinking that the “energy” used to wash and iron them might be a larger carbon footprint than using paper napkins. What do you think?

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2012/03/18/cloth-napkins/feed/ 0 Donating to Charity Options http://toddbenatar.com/2012/02/05/donating-to-charity-options/ http://toddbenatar.com/2012/02/05/donating-to-charity-options/#comments Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:44:56 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=153 Philadelphia Red Cross Car Donation is looking to assist with the  process of donating your car, truck, SUV, van, airplane, boat, timeshare, or motorcycle, which is a good way to dispose of your unwanted vehicles and can provide you with a nice tax write off for the year.

Since 2011 is now over and done with, all donations will be going towards the 2012 tax return season and I have several old vehicles here at the farm that are just wasting away and have decided to have them hauled off the property and donate them soon.

A very useful site can be found at Charitydispatch.com, they have vehicle donation specialist waiting 24/7 in order to help you with any questions or concerns regarding charity donations. They make it easy to find the charity of your choice in which to contact to discuss donations and I’m glad that they were able to hook me up with the Philadelphia Red Cross that is going to profit from my several vehicles that I’m looking to rid the farm of.

I wanted to wait until 2011 was over to start donating, I’m looking for all the tax write offs that I can find for next year and this will certainly make a difference for next year’s tax time.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2012/02/05/donating-to-charity-options/feed/ 0 Looked for It http://toddbenatar.com/2011/12/25/looked-for-it/ http://toddbenatar.com/2011/12/25/looked-for-it/#comments Mon, 26 Dec 2011 03:01:20 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=1631 Guest post from: Kent Lara

I knew I needed to find a local internet provider GA to get online from home – work was riding me hard and I needed to work even after I left the office just to keep up. I work at a really young, fun company but your results are what get you promoted and some people had less of a life than I did so they were able to work late and make more results. That doesn’t sound like a big deal but for me it’s all about getting ahead before I’m married and have kids so I kicked it into high gear and set myself up a home office in the second bedroom. I love being able to kick back and watch my nightly shows WHILE I’m working and I’m lucky because my girlfriend waits tables so she’s out a lot at night. I don’t really mind putting in the extra hours as long as it’s going to get me somewhere at some point. Let’s just hope the big bosses notice my effort!

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2011/12/25/looked-for-it/feed/ 0 Customer Satisfaction Surveys http://toddbenatar.com/2011/11/05/customer-satisfaction-surveys/ http://toddbenatar.com/2011/11/05/customer-satisfaction-surveys/#comments Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:12:59 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=1599 With money so tight, all the way around and across the board, as consumers we are all looking for ways to save money, while businesses are searching for ways to drum up business and bring our hard earned money into their bank accounts. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not dissing anyone running a business, just stating a hard fact.

It seems that customer satisfaction surveys are a growing way for companies to hear how they are doing as well as finding ways to bring their current customers coming back. I don’t mind taking these surveys if there is something in it for me, not just the promise of being entered into some sweepstakes that the odds are completely stacked against me winning anything at all.

There are a few places that if you complete one of their customer satisfaction surveys that you will be given a code to write some where on your receipt so that you will receive some type of discount on your next purchase, those are surveys that I have no problem taking the time to complete. I always don’t mind a quick survey that only takes a few moments online since I’m on a computer some where most of the day. The kinds that I really refuse to complete are the kinds that come in the mail, no time for that and I don’t appreciate them junking up my mailbox with such trivial concerns.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2011/11/05/customer-satisfaction-surveys/feed/ 0 Used Parts are Good for the Environment http://toddbenatar.com/2011/11/01/used-part-are-good-for-the-environment/ http://toddbenatar.com/2011/11/01/used-part-are-good-for-the-environment/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:06:21 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=226 As someone that likes to take in consideration the environment when ever possible or able to do, I like to use used parts for things that are in need of repair. Used car parts are a great in many ways, availability, cost effective, and good for the environment as well.

The days are gone that you have to go roaming through several distant junk yards in an effort to locate your desperately needed used car parts for your vehicles, what a difference the computer and the Internet have made in the used car parts business. Now you can go online and locate most parts for any type of vehicle with just a few key strokes, such as the website of 247spares.co.uk offers to the public. 247spares is rated number “6″ in the hitwise category for “Automotive Shopping Online”.

Not only can you locate used parts for cars, but SUV’s, pick ups, and vans as well as gear boxes, engines and so much more, by taking a few minutes and filling out the few short questions with your relevant vehicle information for their Free Instant Online Quote.

Good news articles to read also. Interesting to read what is happening on the roads on the other side of the ocean in the U.K., no issues with a language barrier to deal with here.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2011/11/01/used-part-are-good-for-the-environment/feed/ 0 Always Feeding The Printer http://toddbenatar.com/2011/10/29/always-feeding-the-printer/ http://toddbenatar.com/2011/10/29/always-feeding-the-printer/#comments Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:50:45 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=1593 Well the search is on for a good buy on my dell 3115cn toner that I am figuring on needing here pretty soon. It is something that I have kept thinking about doing but it kept getting put on the back shelve time and time again and now I can’t waste anymore time dilly dallying around until the last minute. It really bites when you want and or need to print something out only for the printer to spit out the most god awful copies of the documents that you need right away.

The are many highly competitive companies out there vying for our business for our printing equipment and all of the necessary accessories that keep us happy printing campers. And finding them online makes it such an easier task to tackle trying to find the best bang for your buck. I always look for sales, coupons, discounts and free shipping is a must on every order or it doesn’t get ordered. Hopefully I can find the sweetest deal possible this weekend and order at least two or three of them in an effort to keep me printing for some time and not have to go through this again for a good long while.

]]> http://toddbenatar.com/2011/10/29/always-feeding-the-printer/feed/ 0 A Court Reporter In The Family http://toddbenatar.com/2011/10/25/a-court-reporter-in-the-family/ http://toddbenatar.com/2011/10/25/a-court-reporter-in-the-family/#comments Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:53:19 +0000 Todd http://toddbenatar.com/?p=1584 With so many jobs being taken away due to so many of today’s technologies that have taken the place of jobs that have previously been handled by “real people” I am so glad to know that Court Reporting is still being done by humans. For some reason I really thought that Court Reporters were a thing of the past, so I was pleasantly surprised when I found that one of my nieces was going to work as one come the first of the year. It’s not the career that I envisioned her getting into but it certainly isn’t a bad choice for her at this point in her life.

I have always been one to refuse using those self check out options at all of the grocery stores for various reasons. The main one is that I would not like to see our cashiers jobs taken away. Too many jobs have been lost over these past several years and it doesn’t look like many jobs are going to be opening up any time soon. I have to admit that I also enjoy having someone to talk with and do the work for me!

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