Food Labels

You hear it all the time, but do we really spend the time to do it?

I’ve been trying to eat more healthy, lose a couple pounds. I’ve been eating Yoplait yogurt in lieu of the breakfast sandwiches and bread.

I was eating at my desk the other day when someone walked in and said, “I had the same breakfast as you, yogurt and a banana.” He continues to tell me that the yogurt I had contains a lot of sugar. I looked. He was right. 27 or 36 grams of sugar. HUH!?!

A week later I am in the grocery store, specifically in the yogurt section. I’m trying to find a *better* yogurt. I spent about 10-15 minutes reading all the different kinds of yogurt labels. Most of them had at least 20 grams of sugar. The *LITE* option had less sugar but then it had sucralose, saccharin or aspartame in them. Nope, not going there. I ended up getting the Activa brand with 11 or 17 grams of sugar and NO bad artificial sweeteners.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t like it. BUT I will get use to it. I’m sure I’m just use to all the sugar in the Yoplait.

My lesson: Read your food labels.

Sometimes you think you’re eating healthy but you’re really not.

Join the Regal Crown Club and save

Love the movies? Who doesn’t? However going to the actual theatre can get quite pricey with popcorn, soda, and candy. It all adds up. The Regal Crown Club is a membership card that can rack up points on all movie ticket purchases as well as concessions. It’s a great way to receive free tickets, popcorn, and even soda.

And the best part is all the freebies are redeemed on your next visit. The box office will hand you your freebie whenever you have racked up enough points. Its a great way to get a little something back.

Baby Name idea

My husband and I were wondering who is going to be the first to name their child, “Google”.

The Road to 2009

As 2008 is quickly winding down to a close, I have taken some time to sit back and reflect on the year that was one big roller coaster ride. This year was full of ups and downs for me and my friends. So as we countdown to the New Year, I decided to share some of my fondest memories with you. Hopefully I can hear some of your stories as well.

The first thing that comes to mind is moving our offices to Poway, California. I thought I would hear some mixed emotions, but for the most part, everyone was anxious and excited to move. I think we all complained when we actually had to move our desks and cubicles. Man, once we stepped foot into the new office, though, we felt at home. We were like little kids in a new house. “That’s my desk! This one is mine!” All of us were calling out which desk was ours. It was probably three times as big as our old office. You know what’s funny is that now we are back in a small office in Temecula. Yup, we moved again. Being at the Poway office brought us all closer together and taught us all some very memorable lessons. With the economy today, it seems everyone has felt a pinch. What we realized in the Poway office was that we didn’t need a huge office space to make the company. All we needed was us, each other. Spotya! still lives on and we are still in the business of serving you. No matter where the road takes us, we are a family that sticks together. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year. It’s a time when all of my family gets together and even some of my friends. It’s funny because food gets everyone in a good mood. We usually get together around lunchtime and we stay together for the whole night. Usually we just eat and the guys watch football. The girls usually sit around the kitchen table and talk about sales and stuff. After the football game, the guys go back to eating. I think the best part of the whole thing is probably getting the chance to see my cousins that live far from me. We never really get the opportunity to hang out. Although we do our best to keep in touch by telephone and emails, it’s the best of times when we get together.
This year we are getting together at my uncle’s house. Everyone is bringing a dish. I’m in charge of the mashed potatoes. Actually, that’s all I know how to make. The bad part is that I’m not that good at it. They come out a little too thick. This year I’m going to do things just a little bit different. I’m going to make garlic mashed potatoes. I saw the recipe for it online. If you’re in the mood than maybe you can try to make them also. I posted a link for a great recipe site for all of us to give a try. Have fun this weekend, be safe and have a very, very happy Thanksgiving.

Competition is at it’s Best–When Consumers Benefit

Because of the recent economic downturn, some of the biggest names of retailers are chopping down prices. The latest retailer to announce they’re price drop is Target. Reports show that Target earnings have dropped dramatically. So, Target executives plan to take action by matching the prices on products with their rival Wal Mart.

This should be some exciting news for consumers like us. We can now go to Target Walmart and get a great deal on products we’re looking for. Just in time for the holiday season. So no matter where you do your shopping don’t forget you might want to check out Walmart or Target. Sometimes, a little bit of competition is good for all of us!

Don’t forget!

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY! It’s the kickoff for the big celebration of California Coastal Cleanup Day! Do your part and have fun while you’re there. Meet people with the same goals. Here’s my older post with the links for more information, if you missed it the first time.

I’ve noticed they’ve added more days and more places, so that means more opportunities. Don’t miss out!

September 11, 2008

Well, today marks 7 years after that devastating day where so many lives were lost in terrorist attacks against the United States.

It seems like so long ago but in the same breath, it seems like just yesterday.

I would just like to lift up prayers for all of those who suffered a loss(es) and thank all those heroic people who made themselves known that day.

We do remember.

Research, Read & Learn

Oftentimes when I’m researching about money investing, I see Warren Buffett’s name all over the place. After seeing it so many times, I decided to do a little more research on him and not money investing.

I found these facts on Wikipedia.

His net worth is $62 billion. That’s not a typo, $62 billion! As of February of this year, Forbes ranked him the richest person in the world. His 2006 salary was only $100,00. I know, I know $100,000 is a lot of money but for someone who has $62 billion, that’s peanuts, don’t ya think? The fact that stuck out the most was that he is still living in his house in Omaha that he bought in 1958 for $31,500. It’s worth $700,000 today.

The second fact that has stuck out is that he’s not leaving a big inheritance to his kids. “Buffett once commented, ‘I want to give my kids just enough so that they would feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they would feel like doing nothing.’” He won’t have spoiled kids. He understands that there is joy in life when you overcome challenges and reach your successes.

Warren Buffett had a mentor, Benjamin Graham. He followed him, he learned from him and wanted to work for him. Ironic thing is that Buffett offered to work for him for free and Graham refused. With determination, 3 years later, Graham did offer Buffett a partnership opportunity.

Not only does Buffett have a lot of money, he gives a lot away. He gave approximately $30.6 billion worth of shares to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which seeks to globally enhance healthcare and reduce extreme poverty. Pretty awesome!

After getting a tiny glimpse of what Warren Buffet is about, I would say to read and learn about people & their efforts. See how they do life, how they find their joy and see what you can learn about and from them. If you increase your knowledge by just one cool idea, you’ve done your work!

I would have thought that this Warren Buffett was an arrogant, frivolous, money guy….but getting to know him and his story has so much to offer. I’m glad my eyes were open to see it!

What kind of funds do you have?

A friend called me the other day. She told me she was done with Christmas shopping for the day. (WHAT?) It’s August. Christmas shopping?

She’s the same friend that told me that she was planning her daughter’s birthday party. Her daughter’s birthday is in November.

She is the different one, not me, right? I mean, how many of you out there has started Christmas shopping? How many of you are even at the point of thinking about Christmas ideas? And better yet, how many of you have put money aside for these sorts of things?

Well, my friend has a fund for birthdays *and* Christmas.

How many of us are that diligent and disciplined? (HA!)

For those of you (and me) who haven’t begun to think about Christmas and the money involved (yikes!), it is not too late. I know my friend probably starts replenishing her Christmas fund the day after Christmas but us losers can start NOW!

Here’s a scary fact: Tomorrow will mark 18 weeks until Christmas. 18 WEEKS! That’s 9 paydays if you get paid every other week.

To lessen the financial impact, you can start putting aside money for Christmas on your next payday. (Yes, you can!) You figure out what you can manage and estimate what you will spend. If you put $50 away right now, you’ll have $450 that you won’t have to put on your credit card (and accrue interest). Or that’s $450 that won’t leave you broke at Christmas time.

To get a better grasp on how much you need to sock away to cover Christmas expenses, start a list on who you need to buy for, give each person a budget and then add up the cost. Divide that cost by 9 (9 paydays). That’s what you need to put away so that you won’t have to owe after the season ends. If you can’t put that much money aside, put aside what you can. A little will ease the burden.

Do the same things with birthdays. Sock money away. If you have to, get an old jar, glue the cap on and stuff money in it. When the event comes, break the jar. Don’t give yourself a way to open that jar to get to that money. Pretend it’s not there. It sounds simple. Yes, it is. It may not be easy but it is simple.