Seven To Ten

Here are some tips to recycle your cloth towels:

* Consider darker or patterned towels to hide stains.
* Dishtowels are great for cleaning stubborn surfaces. They won’t tear and shred.
* Use a clean towel on stainless steel and windows. Any grease will leave streaks.
* You’ll be amazed at how much one dishtowel can wipe and clean.

I will admit there’s one reason to keep paper towels in your home. If you have pets you my want to consider a roll, but make sure you and your family know that cleaning up “accidents” is the only time they are acceptable.

And please make sure the paper towels you keep around the house are made from recycled materials.

By switching to cloth towels you’ll save yourself money, wasted trees, additional landfill usage, and all the energy needed to produce paper.

Are you using lots of paper towels? Do you know how many trees are chopped off to make those towels?

It is a pity paper towels, once stained with food or cleaning products aren’t recycled. Try picking up a few sets of dishtowels to replace your addiction to the paper variety.

For a very small investment you can supply your home with enough wiping power to last several years. Make sure you have enough so that when your towel gets dirty you can dump it in the wash and start fresh with another.

You can use a dishtowel to clean up just about any mess in your home. Forget about which paper product picks up quicker, or absorbs more. A cloth towel will always do a better job.

1. Morocco

Though the Moroccan dirham has strengthened slightly against the dollar, the ancient cities of Casablanca, Fez and Marrakech still have many café meals costing less than $5. Classic budget hotels in atmospheric narrow streets, such as the Hotel El Muniria in Tangier, where Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac stayed, cost around $30 a night. Plenty of luxury hotels are available too.

2. Panama

This small country boasts mountains, rainforests, 1,500 miles of coast and - of course - the magnificent canal, where you can gawk at giant supertankers being raised and lowered through the locks. Exchange rate is unaffected since Panama’s currency, the balboa, is pegged at parity with the U.S. dollar.

3. Vietnam

There’s never been a better time to visit one of Asia’s most fascinating countries, with pristine beaches and unique crafts: The dollar goes further against the Vietnamese dong than it did three years ago. You may have enough left to splurge on a fivestar hotel, such as the new Park Hyatt in Ho Chi Minh City.

The economy is looking better, maybe it is time to fancy a perfect vacation. Of course, we still have to consider our budgets, not go splurging and turn a wonderful vacation into a credit card nightmare.

My wife always tells me we should pinch on accommodation and transportation so that we have more money to explore the country and enjoy the sights. If only she shows shows the same restraint during her shopping extravaganzas.

If you are going to London, the capital of England, you will appreciate cheap but comfortable lodging. London has a bustling nightlife, high-end shopping venues, art galleries and fine dining. I love London’s Big Ben, Madame Tussauds and Hampton Court Palace. On this site, you can find very affordable London hotels - it provides both last minute and all-year accommodation and you can book your rooms in advance.

Another city which I will like to recommend in England is Manchester. Never mind the weather. The number of tourists to this city has increased over the years and in many aspects, it is ranked second best, just behind London. The Lowry, Affleck’s Palace, Millienium Quarter and Gay Village are the prime attractions in this city. You can check out Manchester Hotels here.

If you find both cities exceeding your budget, then settle for a simple and relaxing trip to Birmingham. My brother’s son is studying in a university so I am pretty familiar with Birmingham hotels. Fans of the Lord of the Rings movie will love the scenery on the Tolkien Trail.

If you prefer attractions across the Thames, then consider Paris, the capital of France which is considered by many to be the most romantic city in the world. Do not miss out on the Eiffel Tower and the Notre-Dame Cathedral. There are many beautiful Paris Hotels, ranging from budget to luxury, high class ones on this site.

For those planning family or business trips soon, it is a good idea to check out CheaperThanHotels.co.uk to find cheap, quality hotels.

If you ever engage in a bout of printing, you will realize that ink catridges are very expensive. My printer uses four ink cartridges (1 black and 3 color) and it would cost me over $100 to buy them. The printer itself costs only slightly more than $100.

The cost of inkjet printer cartridges is getting higher and they seem to contain lesser ink every year. Printer manufacturers are smart by subsidizing the printer cost knowing they can make more money selling ink cartridges in the long run.

I find it very frustrating and have turned to online research for a place to buy generic ink cartridges. They cost a lot less than the brand names I am using. Previously, I dislike generic inks as they are prone to leaks and can spoil the printer but with sky-high inflation and weakening dollar now, there is no point in persisting with “original” inks.

There is a site, Inkers, which offers a 100% guarantee against defects for one year and they even have a thirty day no-questions-asked return policy. They are currently having a free shipping promotion to within US (regardless of your purchase size) and average delivery time is 2-3 days.

Inkers purchase in bulk and direct from the manufacturer, that is why they offer very competitive prices for your photocopier toners, inkjets, & fax cartridge. Whether you are using Canon, Dell, HP, Lexmark, etc. the inks will be compatible.

The site encourages you to order more and stock up as you get more discounts. Payment is by MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover or PayPal. Checkout page is secure so your credit card information will not be stolen.

Online shopping has become very popular over the last couple of years because customers can buy what they want in an efficient, quick and safe manner. Of course, it is important to do some research and comparison shop, else you end up overpaying - as I learned through the hard way. I really regret paying about 15% more for a laptop which I found out to be overpriced a few days after buying.

Once bitten, twice shy! But if you like the idea of online shopping, you can try Mpire, a one stop station where you can compares prices, read product reviews and buy the best deals on eBay, Amazon, Best Buy, Shopping, Overstock, or other online market places.

There are many categories available, ranging from digital cameras, fashion, outdoor sports, electronic gadgets, home improvements, and jeweleries. The procedure is easy, let’s say you want to buy a watch, just type in the keyword in the search function, you then get a price trend for that item and several sources will appear with links and prices. You can zoom into each shop and make your decision base on cost, quality, delivery time, etc.

Another outstanding aspect of Mpire is their extensive coupons collection for almost all online shopping locations. Some shoppers will not contemplate any purchases without coupons. I don’t blame them, with inflation sky-high, depending on coupons is the only way to stretch your dollar.

1. Bali

The dollar remained steady against the Indonesian rupiah over the past year, that makes Bali has become one of the best island values in Asia. Luxury bungalows in lush hillsides cost around $100 to $200 a night. Catch shadow-puppet performances for free or a small donation. Half-hour massages typically cost less than $15.

2. Argentina

Buenos Aires is considered the Paris of South America. It was dramatically makeover since the 2001 collapse of the Argentine peso but the tourist attractions are still very affordable. Chic hotel rooms, nights out partying and fabulous food and wine cost half what they do across the Atlantic.

3. Costa Rica

Americans now have about a third more buying power in this natural wonderland than they did five years ago - a dollar equals around 500 Costa Rican colones today vs. 360 then. You can explore beaches good for surfing, then go snorkeling in coral reef-filled bays. Don’t miss the rainforests, which teem with wildlife.

4. Mexico

With the peso/ dollar exchange rate unchanged over the last two years, Mexico remains a prime bargain destination. Mexico City is booming with new museums, a historical architectural revival and a vibrant music and arts scene. Entry to the city’s huge Museum of Modern Art, where you can see works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, is cheap.

If you are in business (whether it is retail, restaurant, phone order or e-commerce), there comes a time when you have to accept credit card payments. This will elevate your company profile and push your sales to the next plateau.

The problem is where to look for a secure, fast, affordable, and user-friendly credit cards machine? I believe Flagship Merchant Services has the answer. They possess a huge market share in credit card processing services, based on their ultra competitive pricing programs, technical expertise, customer service, and reliability.

Using Flagship services, merchants can now accept credit cards, debit card, and checks (basically, any non cash transactions) at the point of sale, over the internet. If you worry about exorbitant set-up fees and believe that a credit card machine is only for big corporations and not your tiny one-man show, you are off the mark.

There no account set-up fee, paperwork or annual fee. You also get for free: shopping cart, credit card terminal program, online sales tracking and reporting and American Express set-up. All merchants will also be assigned an account representative and receive priority customer support 24 hours a day in 150 languages.

See, you are paying almost nothing to get skyrocketing sales and a hassle-free experience.

Before you get all excited, you have not asked the all-important questions when it comes to credit-card payments: chargebacks and fraud. Are merchants being taken seriously on this issue by Flagship Merchant Services? Well, you are in safe hands as they have one of the largest credit card fraud, loss prevention and chargeback departments in the credit card processing industry.

My friend has a small business selling hand-made crafts, maybe I can introduce him to this site. While paypal is convenient, I think he will appreciate getting a merchant account for minimal cost.

Credit cards are a wonderful addition to one’s wallet but if you like to splurge wildly and cannot resist the pitfalls of a credit card, it is a financial tool which can lead you to ruin.

Always spend within your means but if you really need a credit card, do not blindly sign up to any offer which drops into your mail. Sweet promotional words or incentives like free air miles, hotel rooms, etc are tempting but conducting comparison shopping is necessary. This website, Smart Credit Choices, is a useful starting point, you can find out details about various card companies, rate of interest, payment terms and other features.

The site is not just a mishmash directory of online credit card applications - its products are classified by categories (instant approvals, 0 balance transfers, cashback cards, business cards, bad credit offers, etc). Alternatively, search by network (Visa, Discover, etc) or by issuer (Chase, Citi, etc).

For newbies to the world of credit cards, head for the education center first. You will be given a basic grounding on choosing the right credit card and understanding of the different terminology. I am amazed why many people are not bothered by the rate of interest, it is an important criteria to determine the amount we owe these card companies every month and to curb our spending habits once the limit is exceeded.

Though there are many products available, I prefer a 0 apr balance transfer card. Such a card allows you to transfer balances from a high APR credit card to the 0% APR card, after which you have 6-12 months to pay off the new card interest-free. It is great way to reduce debt, or even to borrow money interest-free. Credit card companies use this tactic to gain new customers and hopefully make money off of them in the future.

Smart Credit Choices makes it easy and secure to register credit cards. After your research, just click the link of your choice and your application is processed from the site itself by way of an SSL encrypted platform. By the way, I just signed up one of the 0% APR credit cards to process my no fee balance transfers.

For most people, planning a vacation should be the last thing on their mind right now. But if the air fares and accommodation are cheap, I mean, why not? Go on a relaxing trip and forget all the troubles, I am sure you will come back rejuvenated.

The problem is finding where are the discount deals. There is this website, Lowfares.com, which offers lots of cheap flights, cheap hotels, car rentals and vacation packages. They are not an online travel agency but more of a matchmaker - to source for great deals and link up with prospective travelers.

As an occasional traveler myself, I know the benefits of comparison shopping for travel. Spending some time to do homework for the best possible deal can save money and frustration. To conduct your search, just enter your dream trip once, then compare and purchase from the leading travel sites with a click.

Do not worry about unreliable travel sites on their site as Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Kayak, etc are established merchants in the market already. Since 2002, Lowfares.com have partnered with dozens of these top travel sites to help find cheap flights and hotels online. Getting advice on low fares has never been this easy. If you are a travel fanatic, you can also subscribe to get constant Lowfares.com exclusive hot deals.

My wife has told me of her love for islands of Caribbean and the Mexican Riveria, I have spotted a few good deals already, now I just have to arrange my schedule and then discuss with her on our vacation.