As I headed out to East Hampton (my first mini-vacation since I retired last September), I began to wonder what it would be like to have enough money to comfortably afford a small home in East Hampton. Of course, there is no such thing - but back in the days when I planned my vacations here every year, I enjoyed the antique shops, book stores, fabulous cuisine, and the peace and serenity this wonderful place offered.

Over ten years have passed and I have noticed a change in my surroundings. Now all of East Hampton and its surrounding villages have become the home of the rich and famous….well, in some cases, not so famous.

As I drove into my favorite vacationing spot, I felt an immediate calm cover me like a warm blanket and it felt good to be home again. Even though my days spent here were not as long as they used to be, nonetheless, the room was the same; the patio was the same, but the landscape had changed somewhat. Although impeccably manicured, the lawn and the trees didn’t invite the species of birds I remembered, nor did the squirrels seek as many chances to come out into the open as much as they had before. Even the family of bunnies never showed their cute faces. As I sat on my veranda and looked out at the beauty of nature, it all seemed too familiar and offered nothing new, nor did it bring me solace as it once did.

What was missing? Perhaps I had outgrown this tiny town or perhaps it had outgrown me. I thought about ideal places to retire and I suppose if one could afford it, this would be the ideal place. More than that, however, I thought about other places I had been in my life and wondered if I could take that step and retire to another city, country, or island.

Most of the places I had been were just as expensive to live in, while there were other places which could afford me the opportunity to live comfortably and continue to participate in those areas of my life that are important such as reading, writing, music, and nature.

In researching the many ideal places to retire, I found college towns to be quite within my means. Quaint towns where neighbors actually greet each other, participate in community affairs, and take advantage of university classes as well as other activities which not only enhance but enrich one’s life. Coming from a suburb in a big city, one could very easily get lost if one wanted to. In college towns, however, I suppose you can hide, but not for long. The student life, the rich history of the city, or the close knit community is not only enticing but offers a glimpse into what can be and not what one merely settles for.

As I left East Hampton, I knew I would not return. I drove slowly through the town with all of the expensive shops and restaurants, antique stores, and specialty stores and thought while this is a nice place to visit – it is not the ideal place to retire.

As we grow older, (retirement is not mutually exclusive to age), it seems we should look for an ideal place to retire that feels like home, where we have no qualms about meeting new people or becoming interested in new things. Home is wherever you are; all of you – mind, body, and soul.

So for all future retirees who are thinking of relocating to an ideal place to retire, keep looking for that one place that when you arrive – you too feel the calm of a warm blanket cover you on a winter’s day. No whistles; no brass bands, just the comfort and serenity you feel as you settle into your ideal place to retire. Then you will instantly know you are home.

Charlotte Demontigny Web Master Ideal Places to Retire - Inexpensive to Exotic http://www.ideal-places-to-retire.com

Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It’s a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love It!

Why, who wouldn’t love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday?

Here’s how I do it.

I purchase an item that has a rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon during purchase. That’s it! Using this formula I almost always come out ahead. When all is done, I’ve gotten back more than I actually paid for the item.

Even when I do have to pay for the items like deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes it’s about 50 cents for a item that would cost up to $2 -$4 originally.

Am I the only one out there that gets excited about this? I doubt it! At least I hope not. That would make me “Crazy”, wouldn’t it? But a lot of folks just don’t know how to combine money saving measures to maximize savings.

My local drugstore (which by the way is a national chain) often advertises items free after rebate. Hey, that cuts down on a lot of work for me. Easy Money! I e an also lucky enough to have a grocery store in my area that offers rebates and offers double coupons (sometimes even doubling $1 coupons as a special promotion). Needless to say, with six mouths to feed (myself, my husband, and four kids) I’m lovin’ that idea!

As the editor of www.simpledebtfreeliving.com, I’m always looking for new ways to save money. Visit us and follow one of the e-mail links to share your ideas or just let us know how excited you get about frugal living! Let me know I’m not the only one. Then we can put my family’s worries to rest. They think I’m really crazy.

Here are a couple other ways that I save on items we use everyday:

1. Always use items that are reusable rather than throw away

For example: Reusable coffee filters, cups and plates, and my favorite pet peeve -

The great sandwich bag conspiracy

The major manufacturers of sandwich bags would lead us to believe that it takes rocket science to keep a sandwich fresh. Ask yourself this, How long do you need to keep that sandwich fresh anyway? It’s not like it’s going to the moon. It’s just going to the office or school for a few hours.

The most practical way to approach this is to purchase reusable sandwich size containers. This is also very environmentally friendly reducing a great deal of waste. If however, these have trouble finding there way back home ( which is likely if you have children), you can save substantially if you purchase the plain old pleated sandwich bag that cost a mere fraction of the razzle dazzle zipper kind. Your mother used these for years and years with great success. I have used both methods for years and have never received a complaint of a stale sandwich!

You’ll find that doing these little things like, using real cups and plates instead of paper or plastic throw away, and recycling containers for storage or even to use in craft projects, can save a lot of money. Each by itself may seem minor, but when put together amount to tremendous savings over time.

2. Don’t buy it if you won’t use it. Things like small kitchen appliances, repair tools, and gardening tools are good examples. We know they’ll make our life easier if we just had the opportunity to use them.

There are 101+ small countertop kitchen appliances available to chop it, grind it, mix it, open it, bake it, grill it..well you get the message.

Simplify your life and narrow it down to a couple you just can’t live without. For me it’s my blender and my food processor. Although, I’m seriously considering a bread maker. Not quite sure if it’s worth the money yet. Especially when I’m so close to a bread outlet. But, you can’t beat the taste of fresh baked bread. I’m not counting the coffer maker it’s kind of standard equipment these days. I wouldn?t dare ask you to give that up! What am I crazy? Well , maybe..

It’s little things like the example above that identify frugal living.

3. Always get the best value for your money. Shop around. If this is a major purchase you will want to know what to look for. Research and compare products on the internet or in sale flyers. There’s nothing more challenging to the retailer than an informed consumer. That’s what you want to be. An informed consumer knows when it’s a good value! Informed Consumer - More Savings

Cheryl Johnson mother of four helping myself and others become and stay debt free. Publisher of Simple Debt Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com - a self-help plan, ideas, and resources for personal budgeting, debt management, frugal living, and extra income opportunities. Money saving tips help balance your budget and maximize everyday savings.

Many people want to make sure they are providing for their children as much or more than their parents provided for them. While you don’t want to give to your children blindly, you would like to make sure you are raising your children to be conscious about money and financial matters.

Paying a regular allowance is a hotly contested topic. Should you pay a regular weekly amount or just pay your children for chores around the house? There is no reason you can’t do both. Providing a regular allowance can offer your child a sense of independence and understanding of money. However, you don’t have to give them too much and you can also pay them extra for certain chores, like mowing the lawn or extra cleaning around the house.

You don’t have to share every detail about your own personal finances (for example: I can’t believe my credit card bill is $3,000 this month!) but you also don’t want them to grow up completely ignorant about money. If you have a new job and want to watch expenses, this is something they ought to know. You can also share with them how much the grocery bill costs or how much the movie ticket costs but they don’t need to know how much the mortgage payment is every month.

A common used technique in parenting is giving children choices. This can be applied to money matters as well. A great example is a child’s birthday. You can offer them a big birthday party or a special gift (like a new bike) but not both. They don’t need to know the actual costs, but by becoming more involved in the process, they learn how to prioritize their financial decisions.

Teaching your children about the concept about saving is especially important. Once they start getting a regular allowance, you should encourage them to save a portion of it for special occasions. They may not do it, but where else are they going to learn about it? Once they get old enough (at least 8 years old), they can also learn the basics of investing with some fun games or children focused mutual funds. Junior Achievement offers some wonderful programs in elementary schools. At the same time, you can also introduce contributing to a charity. They can either give through their own money or you can give them a certain dollar amount and let them choose their own charity.

When they reach high school age, there are basics concepts of personal finances that should be taught. These include putting a budget together, balancing a checkbook, and the concept of time value of money (for example, interest growing in a savings account). These are all invaluable lessons they will apply for the rest of their lives!

Galia Gichon, Founder of Down-to-Earth Finance, demystifies personal finance – particularly to women – through unbiased financial education. With over 14 years experience in financial services and an MBA in Finance, she does not manage money or sell investment products. You can subscribe to her weekly e-mail newsletter at DownToEarthFinance-On@zines.webvalence.com for smart tips to save more money and independent advice about mutual funds and retirement. She can be reached at 212.734.0433 and http://www.downtoearthfinance.com Written by Galia Gichon DOWN-TO-EARTH FINANCE (Copyright Down-to-Earth Finance LLC 2006)

Have you heard about entertainment credit cards? People consider them to be high-end credit cards because they are exclusive. A person needs to pay a membership fee in order to become a card holder. A perfect credit history is also required in order to qualify for these credit cards. The applicant’s annual income will also be considered and so an applicant may have to prove that he or she can afford to pay back the charges. Entertainment credit cards are also so exclusive because they do not have a credit limit.

However, the card holder has to pay the full balance within 30 to 60 days. Otherwise, an unpaid balance will be reported negatively to the card holder’s credit report and he or she will incur large fees on the account. The car holder’s account will also be cancelled in case of failure to pay the balance in full. Fortunately, large purchases may be given an extension that can be paid out over the course of a few months. Charges that are related to travel are usually allowed a thirty six month grace period. However, the interest rate of entertainment credit cards is rather high and is usually between nineteen and twenty percent.

People also refer to these cards as charge cards. Entertainment credit cards include exclusive credit cards such as, American Express and Diners Club. These cards hold far more buying power than Visa or MasterCard, even if they may not be as widely accepted. A card holder can also enjoy many additional benefits apart from credit with entertainment credit cards. Some cards offer insurance, catalogues, cash advances and other benefits.

People with perfect credit and earn over $100,000 per year have the best chances of getting entertainment credit cards. Credit card companies can trust these people to pay off their balance per the terms and they also have enough money to pay if they should default. Since entertainment credit cards are on the elite group of credit cards, they are difficult to get and cardholders have to keep their accounts in order. They have to remember that credit card companies report quickly to the credit agencies and also send accounts to a collection agency.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Entertainment Credit Cards, including assistance on how to Apply for Visa Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting getqualitycreditcards.com

:arrow:   When starting out as a gardener, there are many many things you don’t as yet know. In fact, quite often you might not even realize what you don’t know, which means they may not be a problem at the beginning. However, as your experience grows and you become anxious to try out new garden styles, various flowers, plants or shrubs, you’ll realize you’re going to have to start learning some gardening basics.

For instance, it’s important to know in which garden zone you live in. In the United States — and most parts of the world — there are garden zones assigned, which makes it a somewhat easier to understand which types of flowers, plants, trees and shrubs grow well in your zone. These zones are separated based on how much heat an area gets, and when the first and last frost of each year take place.

Other factors contribute to the success or failure of growing flowers and other plants, however, including how much natural rain falls, the length of sunlight throughout the day, as well as the types of soils found in the area.

Due to these other factors, garden zones are just a baseline to get you started, but you may discover that some plants you’ve tried to grow may not always act the way you expect them to in your gardening zone. This is due to the differences within the same zone, and will depend on where you live. Each zone stretches across the country from the east to west coasts, with the lower zones being farther north, and the higher zones being south.

The same zone on the east coast is likely going to be slightly different than the desert southwest mainly because of differences in sun strength and the level of humidity. In addition, there can also be substantial differences in the types of soil naturally present in each area. Thus, while all plants are marked for which zones they’ll grow in and how much sun they require, the same plant may perform quite differently in different parts of the country even if it’s the same zone.

Here’s a good general rule: if you can buy a plant or flower at your local garden center, it’s likely to grow with relative success in your area.

It may be best to try and start with small seedling plants and then experiment with them in different locations. You may discover that the your first year planting pansies, for instance, they’ll die quickly because they didn’t appear to like the full sun location where they were planted. The following year, if you try another spot with less strong sunlight for so many hours of the day, they could thrive and grow much better.

Meanwhile, you may discover that Vincas grow and thrive in the hottest places in your yard, no matter how many hours the sun beats down on them.

If you’re interested in finding out which gardening zone you live in, check around on the Internet, or ask at your local garden center or nursery. If you live at the edge of two zones, the good news is that you’ll have many more plant varieties to experiment with in your garden because often you’ll do well with plants that can grow well in both zones.

Glenn Cutforth is a writer, graphic designer and publisher of quality eBooks at Maxx Publishing http://www.MaxxPublishing.com. If you’re interested in getting started with your own Garden, visit his website Lawn and Garden Magic at http://www.LawnandGardenMagic.com, where you’ll find a wealth of information, tips and resources.

:arrow:   Professional blogging is a relatively new phenomenon on the Internet. There is a great deal of potential in this emergent field for savvy online marketers who possess a basic understanding of current web technology.

For the time being the number of up and coming professional bloggers is small. However, as more people realize the income potential of professional blogging the number of pro bloggers will grow exponentially. Only time will tell if there will be a sustained growth of pro bloggers, as very few people make their living entirely off their blogs.

It is the dream of a majority of bloggers to enter the realm of professional blogging. Despite the fact that most bloggers commit an hour or two each day to post on their blog, it does not always bear the financial fruits for their daily labour. Assorted methods exist for making money with a blog, the most popular being to sell advertising space through Google’s AdSense program or directly to a company that wishes to reach the demographic that your blog appeals to. Very few bloggers actually earn an income they can live off as a result of their participation in Google’s AdSense.

Predominately it is the blogging community who reads weblogs. The objective of reading other peoples weblogs is to keep oneself informed about blogging methodology and new innovations in the medium. Advanced blogging knowledge is the key to success for professional bloggers. For it is the cornerstone of their success in the medium of professional blogging. Pro bloggers amass knowledge, skills, training abilities, discussion and presentation techniques all based around weblogs and bloggers. The mainstay of a pro bloggers focus will be the phenomenon of blogging itself. Self reflexivity has become an ongoing focal topic point of the pro blogger and their blogs.

It goes without saying that a more complicated future awaits the world of professional blogging. For the mean time, success will be achieved by professional bloggers who attains the largest perpetual audience and by those pro bloggers that offer mentorship to novice bloggers. The evolution and expansion of blogger demographics will occur as a result of more user friendly blogging software, and the blogging landscape will flux with those changes. Assuredly, it is very difficult to predict exactly what kinds of blogs will be reaping the greatest financial rewards in the future. For it is the constant state of change the brings excitement into the world of professional blogging.

Mireille is a home based business entrepreneur. In her spare time, Mireille enjoys traveling, cooking and watching movies. For further information on the top home based business opportunity, visit: http://www.shortpath2freedom.com

:arrow:   Many people invest in rental property with the expectation of having an income every month. However, being a landlord is about more than just collecting money every month. Many new landlords make some common mistakes that may end up costing them money on their real estate investment. By knowing what these mistakes are ahead of time can help you avoid making them.

The first mistake that many real estate investors make when they purchase rental property and become landlords is that they do not become knowledgeable of landlord tenant law in their specific area. Three of the biggest problems in this area are late fees, tenants rights to privacy, and evictions. Some landlords may charge excessive late fees, and courts generally take a dim view of late fees that they consider too high. A landlord may charge a late fee, but they must show where the damages are from to validate the amount of the fee if it is steep. Another common legal mistake new landlords make is violating the rights of their tenants. Normally forty eight hour advance notice is required for a landlord to come into an occupied rental unit, whether the reason for the visit is for repairs, maintenance, or to show prospective tenants the rental unit. If a landlord violates this by repeatedly showing up without notice then a tenant may get money damages for the violations.

A big mistake that new landlords make is that they do not maintain and improve their rental property. By keeping the maintenance up on your rental units the value of your investment does not decline. By improving your investment property, you increase the amount that tenants will pay to rent your units. As the landlord you can charge higher rates and get better tenants if your units are clean, nicely done, and well kept. Even a simple spring cleaning, minor repairs, and cosmetic work between tenants will improve the class of people who want to rent your unit.

A very common mistake that new rental real estate investors make is that they do not treat their investment property like it is a business. You invested money to make money, not to lose it or give it away. It is important to remember that you are not a charity, and that tenants need to live up to their side of the contract. If doing business with a person cost you money instead of made you money, you probably would stop doing business with that person. If a tenant is repeatedly late with the rent, they are costing your business money and it is best to cut your losses and find a new tenant who will pay their rent on time.

To maximize your real estate investment income it is important to remember these tips. Know the laws in your areas concerning the rights of landlords and tenants, charge reasonable fees that are not excessive, and value the privacy rights of your tenant. It is also a good investment strategy to maintain and improve your investment property to keep or increase the value of your investment. Remember that your investments are a business, and keep this in mind when you are dealing with your tenants.

Joel Teo writes on various financial topics including Las Vegas Real Estate . Learn about Las Vegas Real Estate Investment at http://www.RealEstateInvestment101.info

:arrow:   Potential first-time buyers are developing problems getting into the property market as they frequently spend money which is intended to go towards housing deposits, it has been suggested.

According to research conducted by Abbey, some 11.2 million consumers saving for their first home have ‘dipped into’ their account at least once. One out of five (19.5 per cent) respondents were reported to take out money from their funds once every couple of months. Meanwhile, 11.2 per cent were reported to go into their account nearly every month. However, some 888,000 Britons could be developing the most difficulties in meeting property deposits and secured loan repayments as they are said to raid their accounts approximately every week.

Ricky Okey, managing director of Abbey for Intermediaries, said: “As surprising as the research is, it does go a long way to explaining why so many people are finding it hard to get onto the property ladder and why of the first-time buyers we spoke to we found that there is a strong demand for our 100 per cent mortgage, as many have not been able to save a deposit large enough.”

The financial services firm also pointed to research by the Council of Mortgage Lenders which indicated that “many” potential first-time buyers believe that taking out a 100 per cent secured loan is the only way in which they would be able to afford a mortgage for the property of their choosing.

But with the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) set to meet later this week to decide whether to move the base rate consumers could well find property costs rising if a vote for an increase is motioned. Chris Towner, senior economist for HiFX claimed that last week the likelihood of the MPC deciding to raise the base rate of interest was “a near certainty” as many experts within the economic markets are have factored in at least one more increase before the end of 2007.

However, Mr Towner claimed that following recent terror threats and “dampened” consumer confidence, in addition to the introduction of Gordon Brown as prime minister, the committee could decide to hold the base rate. The “recent strength of sterling” in easing inflation was also reported to be another factor in diminishing “the need for aggressive rate increases”. “While the markets have already priced in at least two rises before the end of the year, it is up to the MPC to guide the markets and not for the markets to guide the MPC,” he added.

The economist also pointed out that the Bank governor Mervyn King’s decision to vote for a rise last month despite the majority of the MPC already calling for the base rate to stay consistent revealed his belief that consumers still need to curb their uptake of personal loans, credit cards and other forms of spending. As a result, an increase to the base rate, which is widely predicted to take place on Thursday, could cause many borrowers to struggle to meet rising secured loan costs.

Abbi Rouse writes for the 1 Stop Finance Shop where you can apply online for debt consolidation loans. We specialise in all sorts of personal loans with online application. Visit Today: http://news.1stopfinanceshopuk.biz/