Well, I can remember as a child always saying that I wanted to be different than my parents.  There were things they did that I didn’t approve of, and I just didn’t want to be like them.  Sure, they were good parents, but they had some habits that I thought were silly like doing crossword puzzles everyday.  I just couldn’t understand why they would want to do something boring like that.

Well fast forward fifteen years…

Guess what I do every morning? 

Well, I am a little different than them (or at least that is what I tell myself) as I do free online crossword puzzles instead of doing them out of a book.  I find that doing it this way is more environmentally friendly (kills less trees) and gives me a larger selection.

It has even got to the point where I use a free crossword puzzle maker to make puzzles for my parents to try out - and so far they like them.  It is neat for me to create these puzzles as it is challenging to piece together many different fact together and turn them into a puzzle.  I find making the puzzles almost as hard as doing them.

So, I hope that I don’t pick up any more of their annoying habits - but I am sure I will as I grow older….

For those of you who extend credit to your customers, or if you are a lender, I bet you’d agree with the title of this article, right?  For those of you who don’t belong in this category, consider this:  if your friend were to lend you $100, and something happened that you couldn’t pay it all back, wouldn’t you try to give them something?

I know I would.  That should be your attitude as well with respect to your debt.  You wouldn’t tell your friend "Oh too bad" and expect them to be your friend, and the same goes with your lender.  If you think about it, part of the reason you did get the loan is that the lender trusted you.

The thing to consider is that a lender is just a person too.  If you were to say "Look I cannot afford to pay back everything but I’ll see what I can do", they would appreciate the effort.  If you are looking for some way to pay back the money you borrowed, even though you cannot afford the whole thing, you should look into a debt negotiation program.

What these programs do is negotiate with your lenders to get both a reduction in your balance as well as a reduction of the interest rate - all lumped into one payment.  You can think of this as credit and bill consolidation help - they help you by reducing your monthly payments, and at the same time, they help the lender get some of their money back.

Even if it is as simple as you being overburdened by credit card debt, you can use credit card negotiation services to reduce your debt load and your payment.  The trick here is just ask - the worst they can say is no.

So, have some consideration for your lender and try to find another alternative instead of bankruptcy.

Once in awhile I go to visit my girlfriend that lives in Vancouver.  I don’t know if you have ever been there, but it can be a very busy and overwhelming place.  You see, I come from a small town, and I am not used to the crowd, or more than three streets.

So, when I go to visit, I try not to go anywhere without her - for fear of getting lost.  So while she is at work, I try to entertain myself.  Last time I was there, I decided it was time to find something else to do.

You see, most of the time I sit and knit, but lately, that has been hurting my hands.  So, I sat at her computer to try and figure out something that could entertain me.  After a while, I decided that maybe some fun games were in order - that should keep me entertained.

So, I spent the next few hours playing fun action games and fun puzzle games.  I like to alternate between the two to have a little variety.  This way, I don’t get bored sitting at the computer.

I think the next time I go visit, I will take the time to play games again.  When I am here at home, I just don’t have the time to play games - so it makes the vacation seem even more relaxing.

Well, I was looking at the list of top franchise opportunities for 2007 and I was amazed that some of the companies that I thought would be on there were not present.  I suppose that is the same as every year - we have our predictions, but they don’t always come true.

Perhaps my biggest surprise was that Starbucks didn’t make the list.  Now, I have seen them pop up all over in my home town this past year, and five years ago, we didn’t even have one.  Now, almost every corner has one.  After I did some research, I found out that you cannot own a Starbucks franchise - they are not available to the public.  Guess I will have to dream of owning another coffee shop instead.

There was also a section on the fastest growing franchises that I skimmed over.  I was really surprised to see a lot of commercial cleaning companies on the list - I never realized that there was so much growth in that sector.

Well, another year gone by, and some of my predictions I made at the end of last year ended up on the list.  I will have to sit down and predict what will happen next year - I am sure there will be a few more surprises at this time next year.

I had the most disastrous wedding in the history of marriage.  Most of this is because my Maid of Honor sucked big time.  She showed up at my house on the morning of my big day hung over and looking awful.

I had to enlist another friend to help me get ready as, my so-called best friend was completely useless.  When I asked her for help she answered by telling me she was way too busy to write some wedding toasts.  Way to leave it to the last minute.

The ceremony turned out alright and little miss hangover did her part and looked perfect doing it, but that fell apart at the reception.  She decided to make it a repeat of the night before and had way too much to drink.  When it came time for the wedding toasts and speeches, she actually stood up and said she could think of nothing to say so she downloaded free wedding toasts from the Internet.  Lovely…

Suffice to say, we are no longer friends and I am sure she is sitting in some bar right now doing what she does best - being absolutely useless to everyone.

I have a friend that operates one of the more popular shops in town listed under Houston diamonds.  Now, he inherited the business from his father years ago, and they do enjoy success.  But recently he found out that some of his old clients were going to San Antonio to purchase loose diamonds and they were not coming to him anymore.  Since he was well known, he decided that I should be the one to go investigate for him.

I packed up my things and headed off to San Antonio.  After he decided that I should go, he contacted some of his former clients to find out why they left.  According to them, the prices and the clarity at the competition was better.  So, I was sent to see if San Antonio diamonds really did have better clarity and color.

After a few hours of looking at different stores, I did have a conclusion - and I didn’t think he would like it.  It ended up that their prices were slightly cheaper ( about five percent) and their clarity was better too.

Thanks to my research, he has changed diamond suppliers and is now building his business back up.  Who knew that in the diamond industry that the shoppers would be so educated and shop around.  I know I sure didn’t.

Well, some of you are going to be shocked a bit by what is written here, because you have already assumed something: you assumed my best friend is a human.  Actually, I want to talk about some Christmas gift ideas for man’s best friend: a dog.

Now, if you have a dog, you know that there are a lot of options in terms of what you can buy your favorite dog or puppy for Christmas.  You can get everything from gourmet dog food, a new house, some toys, and even clothes.  But, have you ever made something for your dog instead of buying it?

Well if you haven’t I have a good idea for you.  Instead of buying dog treats for your best friend, you could cook them a feast.  Now, I don’t mean baking them a roast or cooking a turkey.  What I was thinking of is you could make some homemade dog food.

When you make your own dog food.  Thing is, you know what foods you dog enjoys, and you could do that for them.  Not only is homemade dog food inexpensive, but your dog will appreciate the thought you have put in to their gift - I know I sure enjoy someone taking the time to make me a homemade meal.

Today, I will be going out to buy some office supplies for my home business.  I try to get out and do this about once per month because I don’t really need a lot of supplies, rather I just top up what I have.

Today’s shopping trip will be a little different - I am going to look at getting some home office furniture.  I have decided that the office chair I have is a little too worn out and it needs to be replaced.  The chair I am replacing has been very reliable - though in terms of comfort it has been very lacking.

There are a couple of chairs that I have looked at, with the most promising being the mesh office chairs.  I sat down in a couple and my back quite enjoyed it - my current chair usually makes my back cry in pain.

After purchasing the chair, I took a look at some of the other office furniture.  There is a file cabinet I think I will buy next month - but the chair was enough for today.  I will now have something to do in the afternoon - put my new chair together.

With the prices changing so much year to year, for most of us this is becoming a yearly ritual - to see what we can find for low cost car insurance.  With the advent of the Internet this shopping around has become much easier - you can now save yourself some money from the comfort of your own home.

I always try to make a point to do a little research regarding the car insurance types available to me.  Did you know that there are five general types of car insurance?  I had no idea, until I did the research.  Learning the terminology and types of coverage are essential to ensure that you get the best deal possible.

So if you are looking for some car insurance - take the time to learn your options.  If you know what is available, and what the prices are in the market, you will be able to make a smart, informed purchase - and keep some money in your pocket.

I am concerned about your health.  Sure, I don’t know how old you are and whether or not you have any types of health problems, but as we all get older we run into different health conditions.  Call it a byproduct of aging, but it is something you will have to face.

What really concerns me is the financial burden you will experience due to your health.  Some of the blogs I have read have stated that you may need to spend upwards of $50,000 per year to get the long term care you need.  Is your retirement savings prepared for that?

Sadly, most people can’t handle the extra expenses generated due to their bad health.  Quite a few of them end up in poverty, or end up depending on their families to pay their health costs.

Save your families from the financial burden of your health - get some insurance to cover your long term medical bills.  The price for long term care insurance is definitely worth the piece of mind - you will feel a sense of relief that you will be taken care of should your health deteriorate.

Just be sure to check out your options before you need long term care.  Just like life insurance, if you are not insured when you need it, it will be too late.