Tornadoes. Not Cool.

Unless you have been in a cave, you probably know that Alabama (and other parts of the South) were hammered by tornadoes this week.

We were watching this monster tornado on television. The station has camera towers set up to monitor conditions. There it was, huge, plowing down everything in it's path. I knew I was watching mass destruction, but I also knew I was watching death. Of course I had no way of knowing it would be as bad as it was.




The weather man said it was headed directly for our town, so got in the bedroom closet. It was over quickly. When it was over, the towns on either side of where we live were absolutely demolished. Why we were spared, I don't know.

We have the insulation and roofing tiles of homes that were destroyed, in our yard. I haven't cleaned it up yet, though I should do that soon since it serves as a sad reminder that today someone no longer has a home, or a life.

The death toll for Alabama is at 250 today. Unfortunately that number will rise, as there are many people still missing. A guy I grew up with lost his wife and two children. I can't even imagine.

I've spent the last two days feeling extremely guilty for having our power back on, having running water, our home, and our lives. Michelle said I should not feel guilt, only sympathy, but for some reason I cannot help it.

The National Guard is here. Volunteers from across the country are here. Alabamians are helping each other, as we always do in times of distress. Soon funerals will take place, land will be cleared, homes and businesses will be rebuilt, and everyone will go on with their lives. The one thing that will be impossible is having the ability to forget the events of the past few days.

Happy Easter

PeopleStox

I have two things that I do each day now that I work from home. The first is to complete the work I have assigned myself that day, the second is to search for new ways to make even more money.

One of the best discoveries of recent days is a site called PeopleStox. The premise is simple, you know how to do things that other people may not, and you can offer these services to others at a price of your choosing. Of course there are limits as to what you can offer, but so long as it is not illegal or highly immoral, you can list it.

The listing process is easy. I put up just a few listings, and made four sales within the first week. Each job took me only a few minutes, so it was little work, big profit.

The site operates by taking a small cut out of the cost of your job. The cost is very reasonable considering it is free to use the site, and free to post your offerings.

If you have skills and could use some extra cash, check out PeopleStox.

Horoscope - Ask A Question

Yep, I admit it. I do put stock in what my horoscope says. Sometimes it is just too spot on to ignore. And the profile for Scorpio (my sign)? Couldn't be more like me. Sure, the profile tells people some of the qualities about me that I don't like. But hey, it is what it is, right?

The site I am placing a banner for below, (you can also see one on the right) allows you to ask one question and get an answer from a psychic. Yes, it's free. No, I will not tell you what I asked, but will say that it was nice to have that whole mess cleared up.

Give it a try. It's like using the Magic 8 Ball, but better.

I Read, For Cheap

I love the library, it's great for what it does. However, I am a person that likes to own books. I would have a house filled with books if I could. I plan to "extreme coupon" my way to some new books this weekend, and you can too.

Clearance at Books-A-Million is the way to go...

Bargain Book Clearance Sale - Save up to 80%!

Or this site, which sells clearance as well as scratch and dent books that I have found to not really be all that scratched or dented...

Buy NEW BOOKS at 50-90% off at BookCloseOuts.com

If you don't have much time, or have a crappy attention span, consider book summaries. These are the best deal of all because they are free...

Free Book Summaries3 New York Times Bestsellerswww.getabstract.com

Extreme Couponing

I admit I was intrigued by the TLC show Extreme Couponing (http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing). I wondered if what they were doing could really work. I assume they weren't making it up, and therefore it could. What the show lacks though, is details. Yes, I get that you need lots of coupons to make it happen, and I get that it takes planning, but really - aren't there limits in place? You mean to tell me that you really had 100 coupons for Degree deodorant, and the store let you use all 100 at the same time? I missed the latest edition which aired last Wednesday. Maybe it gave more details?

While I will never reach the "super couponer" level, I did try using some for the first time in my life a few weeks ago. I didn't come out stockpiled for years to come, but did save about $15 on things we use anyway. That is $15 I can spend on fun stuff, instead of food. So yay for that.

Oh, and I did use internet printed coupons. Unlike the Sunday paper, you get to choose only the ones you want or need. You can get your own here: Access over $100 in printable grocery coupons.

And here: Find grocery savings at CoolSavings.com with grocery coupons, discount codes and money saving tips!.

Free Time

The hardest thing in having free time is deciding what to do next. Working online provides almost too many opportunities. Being an infamous multi-tasker, I wander from writing articles, to marketing, to eBay, to sports memorabilia sales, and so on and so on. Wondering all the time if I should be doing more of one, and less of the others.

But is this possible for a person that gets bored easily, and likes to do it all? My Associated Content articles are the perfect example of my ADD: Associated Content. Jumping from topic to topic, based on what I am interested in at the moment. Financially, I think it would be to my benefit to stick with one or two things, and focus on doing them well. But what if I miss something?

On the infinite internet there is lots that can be missed. That knowledge alone will most likely keep me wasting more time, and making less money. I can only hope that when I do stumble on that one method that is so much fun, and at the same time so profitable, I will clearly know it.

Yesterday...

...was Mrs. Leslie's birthday. It was a low key day - the way she likes it. I, however, want all the bells and whistles when my birthday rolls around.

It's still many months away, but if you should need gift ideas..anything to do with beer will be nice.

Spring Cleaning

I'm not a fan of cleaning, but it's such a nice day that I thought I would give it a whirl. I was moving right along, and got brave enough to even mop the hardwood floors. Got started, and guess what? The mop broke.

I wasn't willing to shower and go to the store because I knew fully well I might not even resume my cleaning once I returned. So I finished the floor with a rag. That was probably harder than going to the store, but at least it kept me going.

Now I am dreaming of which new mop I should buy. How can you go wrong with something called a "Tornado Twist?" Though the "Wonder Mop" and "Mystic Mop" are intriguing as well.

Maybe that is the key to making me want to clean more. Cool cleaning products with interesting names.