Getting more bang for our buck...

Research! Education! Ask questions and get answers!! Whether we're buying something to wear, something to eat, some furniture, a vehicle, wrinkle creams or whatever. We owe it to ourselves and to our pocketbooks to be informed.

I really feel that if we all did our homework before we bought anything, the quality of everything that is available today would be affected. By getting information before we buy we insure that we get the best buy for our money. If we all do this, then only the best buy would stand the test and inferior products would slowly fade away.

Old sayings like "you get what you pay for" aren't always valid. The highest price doesn't guarantee that you will have the best product for your money. Sometimes the better buy is the middle priced item. There have been times when the cheapest product we have found to be the best buy and where we got the most bang for our buck.

No matter what you are buying, know what you're getting and insist on getting the best price. You work hard for your money!!

Diet pills, to use them or not use them....

My daughter is on a diet and is using a diet pill that I don't know anything about. In order for me to relax about this, I did some research to find out what I could about it. There are quite a few sites that offer diet pill reviews so I'm reading all I can find on the diet aid products on the market.

Gosh, there are a ton of diet aids, appetite suppressants, metabolism boosters and so on available. As long as they state what is in them, you read the list of ingredients and familiarize yourself with those elements and make sure they are safe, then I say, go ahead and give it a try.

Education is key. We have to be our own physicians when it comes to over the counter medications. Read all that you can before using anything like that. If you are on prescription meds, I can't stress enough the importance of checking with your doctor to make sure that OTC products to interfere with your other meds.

Kindle DX

I love to read. I always have a book that I'm reading and I prefer paperbacks for ease of carrying in my purse to doctor's appointments etc.

My daughter uses her IPhone to read books on, and a friend of mine uses the Kindle by Amazon.com. Both of these devices offer the same thing, a handy way to have your book right there at your fingertips as you go about your daily activities.

I've been reading reviews on the latest version of Kindle, called kindle DX. You can see a picture here in the upper left hand corner. I don't have this device so can't speak to it personally. However, review say the screen is 6 inches, it's flat and easy to use. However, many don't like the quality of the picture saying it lacks the definition that a real paper would have. I need to see it for myself before I comment on that. It appears to be very clear and I do like the new size. It's a bit pricey at almost $500.

It's due to be released this summer. At that price I don't expect to be buying one anytime soon, but will stick with my paperback novels at least until it comes down in price.

If any of you buy the new Kindle or even have one of the older versions I'd like to hear from you about what you think about it. I'd be very interested in hearing from you. Do leave a comment or email me at mary1440@gmail.com. Meanwhile, I'm going to check with my friend to see if she intends to buy the new one when it comes out.

I'd appreciate some feedback.

To buy a new laptop or more memory?

I tried to download software today and was told that I don't have enough memory! Argh!! "How can that be?", I asked myself. It seems just a short time since I added more notebook memory. I guess because my husband and I use the laptop when we travel and share it, running out of memory is to be expected.

Some files take up so much space. I like to take photographs and my husband has to do so for his online business, so I guess that's our biggest problem. Technology changes so fast and our notebook is really becoming a dinosaur, so...... maybe we need to just bite the bullet and purchase a bigger and better one.

I usually check with my kids before I make this kind of purchase. They are all so computer savvy and they help me make a decision on whether to buy new or just upgrade.

We shall see!