This recipe will make about 40 cookies to share with friends and family
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/8 teaspoons baking soda
• 7/8 cup packed brown sugar
• 5/8 cup butter, softened
• 5/8 cup shortening
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 (4 1/2 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
• 1 1/8 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/4 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/4 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350 degrees.
2. Combine flour and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl beat brown sugar, sugar, butter, shortening, pudding mix, vanilla, and almond extract.
4. Mix until well blended.
5. Add eggs and mix well.
6. Beat in the flour mixture.
7. Stir in chocolate chips.
8. Drop by rounded teaspoonful and bake 10-12 minutes.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Christmas
With Christmas coming up a lot of people out there wonder how they will afford to get all their co-workers, friends and family presents and still afford their regular bills. Last year I made everyone gifts. This doesn't have to be hours spent hand making items wondering if you will ever be done. I made gift bags of food. People love sweets (as long as they aren't diabetic). I made several different kinds of fudge, cookies and Muddy Buddies and placed them into tins I bought. You could also get festive colored cellophane or gift bags, which would probably be cheaper than the rout I went. If you are a crafty person you could also try to make handmade candles, soaps, or jewelery. Just be sure to price items you will need in order to hand make your gifts. If your cost will be just as much or more than buying new items it's probably not worth all the hassle. When you are finished with your product you will find that people enjoy how much thought and love went into your work it won't matter that you didn't spend a fortune. I will post recipes for some of the things I have made in the past to give ideas throughout the month. Good luck and have fun!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Improve your credit score
Improving your credit score takes time and a lot of hard work. There are no quick fixes to improve it immediately. You will need to get a copy of your credit report, and thoroughly look it over. Be sure to dispute any information listed on your report incorrectly.
Your payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. Make sure you make your payments on time. If you are not current on your payments or have a late payment be sure to get current and stay current.
Amount owed accounts for 30% of your credit score. Keep all your revolving account balances low. Keeping credit cards around 15% or below your credit limit will help significantly. Pay off your debt rather than moving it around. Don’t get more credit cards to raise your credit limit, doing this will most likely backfire.
Re-establish your credit history if you have had problems.
Opening new accounts responsibly and paying them off on time will raise your credit score in the long term. However don’t open too many new accounts in a short period of time, as this will hurt your credit score.
The longer an account is open and paid on time the more it will raise your score.
Good luck, and be patient
Your payment history accounts for 35% of your credit score. Make sure you make your payments on time. If you are not current on your payments or have a late payment be sure to get current and stay current.
Amount owed accounts for 30% of your credit score. Keep all your revolving account balances low. Keeping credit cards around 15% or below your credit limit will help significantly. Pay off your debt rather than moving it around. Don’t get more credit cards to raise your credit limit, doing this will most likely backfire.
Re-establish your credit history if you have had problems.
Opening new accounts responsibly and paying them off on time will raise your credit score in the long term. However don’t open too many new accounts in a short period of time, as this will hurt your credit score.
The longer an account is open and paid on time the more it will raise your score.
Good luck, and be patient
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Low risk investing
With today's economy and the way the stock market is you may wonder where you can invest your money with little to no risk. These are a few options for you.
Savings bonds – usually offer a low return however very low risk
Certificates of Deposit – CD’s have set maturity dates, but are locked into a set interest rate at the time of investment.
Treasuries - T-bills are issued by the U.S. government. They are very low risk investments, being fully backed by the government. You can choose the maturity date for your investment. Short-term T-bills are the safest investments with maturity dates of 13 or 26 weeks.
Open money market / high interest savings accounts – Money market accounts yield ranges from .5 – 4.00. They are FDIC insured and a great way to quickly turn around your money. Only down fall is most require a minimum balance which can be high.
401k Plans – It is wise to invest in your company’s 401k plan if they offer one. Your funds are put in on a pretax basis.
Savings bonds – usually offer a low return however very low risk
Certificates of Deposit – CD’s have set maturity dates, but are locked into a set interest rate at the time of investment.
Treasuries - T-bills are issued by the U.S. government. They are very low risk investments, being fully backed by the government. You can choose the maturity date for your investment. Short-term T-bills are the safest investments with maturity dates of 13 or 26 weeks.
Open money market / high interest savings accounts – Money market accounts yield ranges from .5 – 4.00. They are FDIC insured and a great way to quickly turn around your money. Only down fall is most require a minimum balance which can be high.
401k Plans – It is wise to invest in your company’s 401k plan if they offer one. Your funds are put in on a pretax basis.
Investing in Bonds
Investing in bonds- A bond is basically a loan you give a financial institution in exchange for interest. A financial institution will take your money for a bond, and at maturity of the bond is obligated to pay you the borrowed money along with the interest accrued on the bond.
You will want to start your investing in your 20’s and 30’s. Although it is hard to imagine needing money for retirement this early, your best chance for a carefree retirement is to start saving now. I know everyone has different things they are saving for be it for a family, house, cars, or travel, keep in mind you will need money later in life. This stage is the best stage in life to maximize your capital. You can invest for longer periods of time (30-40 years).
Your ability to reach your goals and achieve financial security, however, depends in part on maximizing your current income through investments. You now have the opportunity to create the important habits of saving and strategically investing now so you can enjoy its benefits when you grow old.
Since you have a longer time frame investing, before you will need to access your money, you are in a better position to consider investing in higher-yield, higher-risk instruments. There are higher-risk bonds that carry high coupons (interest rates). Keep in mind, however, that while your higher-yield investments can appear more exciting (because of their potential to earn more interest), it’s important to round out your portfolio with some strategically chosen lower- and medium-risk investments as well, including bonds.
When you are in your 40’s and 50’s you can still invest for long periods of time (20-30 years), however your risk tolerance is slightly different now. You will want to choose less risky investments, low and medium. If you didn’t or couldn’t invest earlier in life you need to begin making up for lost time. You are probably living a little more comfortably than when you were younger, so you may have more money for investing. However since your investment horizon is somewhat shorter now, you will want to rebalance your portfolio to make sure that you have allocated your assets appropriately. It’s usually recommended by financial advisers that at this point in your investment life it would be prudent to shift your investments to focus more on medium-risk and low-risk instruments, while still maintaining a smaller percentage of investments in higher-risk instruments. Remember that the key is spreading, or allocating, your assets across investments of varying degrees of risk to blend the risk you’re taking and to maximize your interest-earning potential. Be sure to consult a financial advisor for investment recommendations.
Hopefully by the time you reach retirement you have appropriately invested and can have a comfortable healthy retirement.
You will want to start your investing in your 20’s and 30’s. Although it is hard to imagine needing money for retirement this early, your best chance for a carefree retirement is to start saving now. I know everyone has different things they are saving for be it for a family, house, cars, or travel, keep in mind you will need money later in life. This stage is the best stage in life to maximize your capital. You can invest for longer periods of time (30-40 years).
Your ability to reach your goals and achieve financial security, however, depends in part on maximizing your current income through investments. You now have the opportunity to create the important habits of saving and strategically investing now so you can enjoy its benefits when you grow old.
Since you have a longer time frame investing, before you will need to access your money, you are in a better position to consider investing in higher-yield, higher-risk instruments. There are higher-risk bonds that carry high coupons (interest rates). Keep in mind, however, that while your higher-yield investments can appear more exciting (because of their potential to earn more interest), it’s important to round out your portfolio with some strategically chosen lower- and medium-risk investments as well, including bonds.
When you are in your 40’s and 50’s you can still invest for long periods of time (20-30 years), however your risk tolerance is slightly different now. You will want to choose less risky investments, low and medium. If you didn’t or couldn’t invest earlier in life you need to begin making up for lost time. You are probably living a little more comfortably than when you were younger, so you may have more money for investing. However since your investment horizon is somewhat shorter now, you will want to rebalance your portfolio to make sure that you have allocated your assets appropriately. It’s usually recommended by financial advisers that at this point in your investment life it would be prudent to shift your investments to focus more on medium-risk and low-risk instruments, while still maintaining a smaller percentage of investments in higher-risk instruments. Remember that the key is spreading, or allocating, your assets across investments of varying degrees of risk to blend the risk you’re taking and to maximize your interest-earning potential. Be sure to consult a financial advisor for investment recommendations.
Hopefully by the time you reach retirement you have appropriately invested and can have a comfortable healthy retirement.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Parmesan Chicken
I found an inexpensive recipe that my family loves, and it costs less than $9.00 to feed a family of four. Serve with some rice, and your choice of veggies.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Dijon or coarse ground mustard
1/8 cup apple juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cups fresh soft bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Preparation:
To make Chicken Parmesan, Line a 13x9" pan with heavy duty foil and add a wire rack. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In shallow pan, mix mustard, apple juice, garlic, and 2 Tbsp. melted butter. In other pan, mix the crumbs, Parmesan cheese, almonds, 3 Tbsp. melted butter, salt, pepper, and dried basil. Toss until evenly mixed.
Coat chicken in the mustard mixture, then roll it in the Parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture until thoroughly coated.
Place Chicken Parmesan on rack on top of the foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and thoroughly cooked.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
1/4 cup Dijon or coarse ground mustard
1/8 cup apple juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 cups fresh soft bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dried basil leaves
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Preparation:
To make Chicken Parmesan, Line a 13x9" pan with heavy duty foil and add a wire rack. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In shallow pan, mix mustard, apple juice, garlic, and 2 Tbsp. melted butter. In other pan, mix the crumbs, Parmesan cheese, almonds, 3 Tbsp. melted butter, salt, pepper, and dried basil. Toss until evenly mixed.
Coat chicken in the mustard mixture, then roll it in the Parmesan cheese and bread crumb mixture until thoroughly coated.
Place Chicken Parmesan on rack on top of the foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown and thoroughly cooked.
Saving money on grocery shopping
We all spend hundreds of dollars a month on food. The best way to save money is to clip coupons on products you buy regularly. I always buy Sunday and Wednesday newspapers every week. On Sundays paper will have general merchandise ads along with coupons. The Wednesday newspaper has grocery ads. I generally look through the ads to find products I use often. If you shop at Walmart they will honor most advertised prices (with the exception of buy one get one free, and percentages off). I have found that Walmart is generally less expensive on most grocery and general merchandise than other stores are. Ad matching and using coupons can saves hundreds of dollars every month. It also helps for you to know you got the best price possible. I’m not talking about extreme couponing, just getting good deals. It will only take you about 30 minutes a week to get a better price, not the hours a day extreme couponing takes people.
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About Me
- Cynical720
- I love gaming, drinking a few beer's and laughing about society's downfalls. I often wish the world would go thru a global cleansing for the greater good. Hopefully I would survive to see it! People are just plain fucking dumb. I'd Rather not be around them. I have a few ppl I chose to kick it around, and that's all I need.