Drinking Bottled Water - Is the Extra Convenience Worth The Cost?

By MoneyBlueBook

Ah water...the lifeblood of the planet, covering more than 70 percent of Earth. It falls from the sky for free and trickles out of the tap at a simple twist of the knob - yet many of us choose to pay for it in bottled form, myself included.

Bottle water isn't cheap either. It frequently costs the same if not more than other drinks. Whoever came up with the idea of packaging and marketing something that could be obtained for free is an absolute genius. It's not like the bottle water contents been fortified with nutrition or vitamins either. Many brands of water are simply that - plain old water. The source of the water is frequently the same as that available through the tap.

Quality-Wise, Bottled Water Is Not Necessarily Better Than Free Tap Water

The bottled water you buy at your grocery store usually comes from mountain aquifers or underground wells. However, unless you examine the labels carefully, many simply contain purified water, which is essentially plain old tap water that has been treated further. However, there is a misconception that bottled water is better because it's gone thorough extra filtration steps. That is not necessarily the case. There are currently no uniform standards governing the filtration of commercially sold bottled water. In fact, public municipal and city water treatment plants frequently have much more rigorous treatment procedures and quality assurance standards than that required by commercial brands.

Why Drink Bottled Water Then? For Convenience!

But there's no denying that the greatest benefit of drinking bottled water

By MoneyBlueBook

I have a friend who recently got married in an arranged marriage according to his traditional Indian culture. Because it was an arranged marriage organized by family members without the benefit of prior dating, the bride and groom are still getting to know each other. After only a few weeks of marriage, there are already a few wrinkles he is starting to learn about his new wife.

She Likes To Have Expensive Things To Show Off

My friend's wife enjoys material possessions, and not necessarily for the right reasons. She wants to buy expensive things not because she needs it, but because she sees them as status symbols and items that need to be possessed so they can better rival other couples.

Recently his wife asked him to buy her a brand new large 42 inch plasma television. Now that's a very big TV. However, since coming to this country from India only a few weeks since the marriage, she has yet to turn on or even watch any of the existing television sets in their house. Yet somehow she suddenly wants to acquire a premium, top of the line model. Her reason? Because everyone else in the neighborhood owns a nice large flat screen and so she wants one too. They currently already own three pre-existing CRT televisions sets. Neither of them have a history of watching much television to begin with and they don't even have cable television service because they don't use it. Her sudden impulse to want to own a large expensive flat

By MoneyBlueBook

Since my parents and a few of my friends and relatives live overseas, I'm always on the hunt for ways to make cheap international phone calls. Domestic calls are never a problem because I just use my cell phone minutes where long distance charges are already included.

I've looked at the international phone rates of traditional land line carriers but none can compare to the cheaper prices offered by online voice over internet protocol (VOIP) services like Skype.

It Was Good While It Lasted

I've tried many different programs over the years. Some have been absolutely wonderful but sadly many ultimately went out of business due to unsustainable business models. One of my past favorites was FreeCalls365, which allowed users to call landline phones using their PC's. They made money from ads that were displayed on their dialer program while you talked. They've since gone out of business.

A few other dearly departed programs include AllFreeCalls and Yak4Ever. These two companies were closely related and started out as AllFreeCalls before it shut down and later resurrected by a new operator as Yak4Ever. Both companies exploited the same Iowa state telephone law that allowed them to provide free international phone calls to users. The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) kickback scheme they utilized was based on the FCC's own requirement that large telecommunication companies pay part of the fees incurred by rural telephone providers. By partnering with local phone companies in Iowa, AllFreeCalls and Yak4Ever were able to take advantage of a legal loophole that allowed them to

By MoneyBlueBook

The holiday season is a time for good memories and cheer. But it's also a time when people are looser with their wallets, more readily open to the idea of spending more money than usual on presents for family, friends, and loved ones. It's easy to take out the ole credit card, swipe it through and not worry about it until later. But that later time will ultimately arrive in less than a month. When you finally open up your next bill or when you log into your online account to check your statement balance, prepare to be stunned. Somebody's going to have to pay all that back to the credit company and I'm betting it's going to be you.

Don't Let Holiday Shopping Hype Force You To Make Bad Decisions

Just because it's the holiday shopping season doesn't mean you have to forget all the frugal living common sense you acquired throughout the year. Don't throw all that out of the window. Christmas and the other holidays are still a month away. You still have ample time to plan ahead to make sure you are making the most efficient use of your shopping budget. Don't panic and start hitting the department stores without doing your research first to make sure you are using all of the available coupons and discounts out there.

Here Are A Few Of My Thoughts and Common-Sensical Tips Regarding Holiday Shopping

By MoneyBlueBook

I live in the suburbs and commute into Washington D.C. for work every day. I actually have it comparatively easy since I don't have to commute through the notoriously jammed packed Beltway every morning. I tried driving to work for a while, but the frustration of dealing with daily rush hour traffic finally broke me down. With gas prices soaring and with more cars piling onto the roads than the day before, it just didn't make sense for me to commute by car anymore. So that's why I decided a few years ago to commute solely by subway, and I've never looked back since.

In the D.C. area we have an extensively used subway system, called Metro. Many commuters, particularly federal government workers who live in the Maryland and North Virginia suburbs commute into D.C. using the Metrorail system. Over the years I've learned a few cost and time saving tips for commuting to work via subway:

1) Know the weekday times for regular and reduced fare. The rules may be different in other major cities like New York, Philadelphia, or Boston, but the D.C. Metro charges a reduced fare when you ride during off peak times. The D.C. Metro regular fare is in effect on weekdays from opening to 9:30 a.m., 3:00-7:00 p.m., and 2 a.m. to closing). All other times are reduced fares.

The fare that you are charged depends on the time that you cross the gate. I always keep the peak hour times in my mind when I plan my

By MoneyBlueBook

This might be sort of corny, but I've been told that I can be rather charming. When I talk to people I like to get to know them. It doesn't matter who the person is - they could be a janitor or receptionist, I still like to make some light hearted chit chat and humor them with some of my random jokes. I guess some people find it endearing but I just see it as being pleasant.

It is true that people tend to gravitate towards those who are friendly and optimistic. Because positive association is such an appealing quality, people are much more inclined to perform favors for those with sunny dispositions.

Just a few examples will demonstrate to you know what I mean. Most of the time, these situations happen in the most routine, mundane places, but it really comes in handy.

Getting My Bigger Scoop At Sbarro's Pizza

Today at work for lunch, I went to my usual underground eatery and chose to eat at Sbarro's. When it was my turn to order, I turned to the young sales lady and told her what I wanted - spaghetti with meatballs. Now as you know, many of these places tend to give standard portion sizes for both men and women. Now I'm not that big, but I can eat. So as she was filling up the bowl with the standard portion, I flashed a smile and asked politely if she could do me a nice favor and give me a little bit extra. I guess I