Tips for saving money

The old saying "A penny saved is a penny earned" is very much true. There are umpteen number of ways in which you can save money. The amount may not be too much but when you add it up, it becomes very sizeable.

Lets first look at how you can cut down on your shopping expenditure. Generally in most supermarkets, every week there will be some items on sale or discounts. Look out for these and buy this and if the offer is really good, stock up on those items. In US, especially look out for the double and triple coupons as well as the manufacturer coupons in the sunday newspaper. Collect this and use it during your shopping trips - you will be surprised by how much you save. I used to save atleast 20-30$ during every trip by using these coupons. Also don't buy items without checking the price on the label and recheck that you have been billed correctly after you checkout. Almost 50% of the times, I have seen errors in billing.

Let's now look at how you can bring down your electricity bill. We have a tendency to leave the television and radio switch on even though we switch off the tv. In this state, the electronic equipment is consuming standby power , which even though is minimal , still when you calculate the number of hours it is in standby mode, the watt calculation usage is really high. So get up from the couch and take the extra effort of turning off the switches too when you are not using the electrical equipment. Similarly remember to swtich off the main power when you go off on long holidays.

Let's see how we can save on gas consumption. Every mile that you drive less is considered savings both on fuel expenditure as well as on servicing. When you enter a office parking lot or mall parking lot, try not to drive too much to find an empty slot to park near the entrance of the building or office. Park as soon as you get in at the nearest point to the entrance or exit of the parking lot and not of the building and walk to the building entrance. This will save you around say one tenth of a mile every time you park. You get not only free walking exercise but also you end up saving a bit on the fuel. Also remember to fill air in the tyres at regular intervals and fill fuel during the early morning hours instead of afternoon; You end up getting more fuel for the same amount since liquid expands with heat and contracts with cold.

We'll look at other tips of saving money in the future articles.

Tips for Healthy eyes and good eyesight

Our Eyes are the most important part of our body - Without eyes, our life will be full of darkness. So it is of utmost importance that we take care of our eyes.

In Today's world , we do a lot of things which causes tremendous strain on the eyes - Long hours of sitting in front of computers, watching televisions, playing video games etc .. New gadgets entice people to sit and engrosses them so much that we forget to take care of our own health, especially the eyes.

We can't do away with computers and televisions, since it is not only a part of our daily life but also a profession for most of us - so let's atleast ensure that we take breaks in between and give our eyes the much needed rest.

Balance is what life is all about - That goes for our eyes too - If you look and stare at computers and televisions for long hours - it is also necessary that you look at far away objects or just gaze at the sky to balance it out. Look out of the windows and check out the green trees , birds flying, clouds in the sky - this will relax the eyes .

If not everyday, atleast once or twice a week, do eye exercises to strengthen the eye muscles. Rotate the eyes clockwise slowly for 5-6 times and then repeat the exercise in the opposite anti-clockwise direction. Then close your eyes for a few minutes. Similarly when you get a chance, do the tratak exercise advocated in Yoga - In a room at night, Burn a lamp , sit at a distance of few feet from the lamp and look at the burning light without blinking - Tears will flow from your eyes after a few minutes and this will clear the dust particles in your eyes and make it more clear.
Another simple routine one can follow is closing both the eyes, and putting the inner palm of both the hands on the eyes for a few minutes.

Also ensure that you eat plenty of carrots and raw vegetables that gives Vitamins which are good for the eyes.

Take care of your eyes - It is your window to the world !

Tips for a healthy life

There is nothing new that i am going to preach here , just common sense advice that you would have read in newspapers and magazines from time to time. This is also from personal experience and observing people closely.

We are what we eat and what we do. So to begin with Eat healthy food. I won't say don't eat this or don't eat that. Eat everything whatever you like - The key is to eat in moderation and eat a variety of food. Try to eat less of salty and sweet food and more of raw fruits and vegetables. Drink lots of water - plain water, not coke or aerated waters. Even fruit juices available at the super markets should be avoided since most of them are made from concentrate and extra sugar is added. Don't stuff yourself in one go , eat in small portions throughout the day.

The next thing after food that contributes to a healthy life style is your day to day activities. How long you sit at one place without getting up matters. Try to walk as much as possible and be active physically even if it is doing household chores like cooking , cleaning , washing etc.. Most of us sit long hours in front of computers and if at all we have to sit, ensure that we get up from the seat often to get some drinks or just to stretch ourselves or to just look out of the window. This not only gives some relaxation to the eyes but also improves your blood circulation which slows down when you sit at one place for a long time. Don't strain yourself at anything. Light morning exercises like yoga is good.

Mental fitness is something which we tend to overlook. Along with good eating habits and physical fitness, it is very important that we stimulate the brain and keep it engaged. Watching movies and television soap operas makes our brain think less and we lose our thinking ability bit by bit. It is important to take time off , solve some games like crossword or sudoku. Taking a solitary walk in the woods also helps to relax the mind. Meditate if possible and read books on topics that interests you.

So to summarize, the key to a healthy life is
* Eat right meaning plenty of fruits,vegetables and natural food.
* Walk ,Walk and Walk and be physically active throughout the day.
* Stimulate and relax your brain by engaging it in doing something which interests you.

Here's to a healthy life to all.

Watch out this space

I plan to give tips on topics of general interest - from saving money to health topics etc...This will be based on my experience and observing other successful people. So watch out this space in the coming days.