(Ryan McGinley Via Virgin Shout Out)

   

Sited Links;
Hasboro | Littlest Pet Shop
Hasboro | MonkeyBarTV

Related Links;
Lego | Pre-School Coloring Pages
Crayola | Giant Printable Coloring Pages
Pudgy Bunny Coloring Pages | Hello Kitty
Disney | Online Coloring Pages
PBS Sprout | Coloring Pages Directory

   

Based on these numbers you could save yourself up to $12,045.60 per year just by keeping your vices in check! That represents a 37.5% of your salary - based on the national average income (which is $32,140 for those age 25 or above)! So listen up Mom’s and Dad’s - here’s the list;

1. Coffee - Average price for brewed coffee is $1.38 a cup. Considering the U.S. average consumption is 3.2 cups a day, we’ll assume one of those cups is purchased on the go. There are 260 weekdays a year - that’s $358.80 a year on a modest Starbucks routine.*BTW - Women indicated that having a cup of coffee was their way of relaxing whereas a cup of “joe” for the guys, was inspiration to get the job done.

2. Cigarettes - Current national average are hovering around $4.54. In NYC they are as high as $8 a pack on the street. Pack-a-day smokers fork over $1,660-$2920 a year! Weekend smoker? Buying a pack once a week adds up, too: $236-$416 annually.

3. Alcohol - Depending on your “poison” and the mark-up of your favorite “watering hole” be-it the local Sports Bar or the VIP Room, we can set an average of $5 per beer including tip, buying two beers per day adds up to around $3,650 annually and you can figure twice that for two mixed drinks a day at the local bar which is a whooping $7,300 a year annually for celebrating the spirits.

4. Bottled Water - A very common vice for soccer moms, kids and dads on the go. A average bottled water costs about $1 at the convenience store. One bottle of water per day costs $365 annually - never mind the negative impact on the environment with all those plastic bottles.

5. Manicures - Surveys found that the average cost of a manicure is about $20. A weekly manicure sets you back about $1,040 per year. And if you indulge in a Mani’ and a Pedi’ expect an annual set-back of $1,560.

6. Car Washes - It is common to get a basic wash once a week here in LA primarily because of all the pollution (sediment) thats about $12 per car or $14 for a SUV — that’s $676 a year. The average cost for a basic auto detailing package is $58, according to Costhelper.com. The tab for getting your car detailed every two months: $348 per year.

7. Weekday Lunches Out - $7-9 will generally cover a decent lunch most work days. If you buy rather than pack a lunch five days a week for one year, you shell out between $1,820-$2,350 annually.

8. Vending Machines Snacks - The average vending machine snack costs $1. Buy a pack of cookies every afternoon at work and pay $260 per year.

9. Interest charges on Credit Card - According to a survey released at the end of May 2007, the median amount of credit card debt carried by Americans is $6,600. Rate tables on Bankrate.com indicate that fixed interest rates on a standard card average 13.44 percent. Making the minimum payment each month, it will take 250 months (almost 21 years) to pay off the debt and cost $4,868 in interest, which is an average annual interest payment of $231.80. Ouch!

10. Unused Memberships - Costhelper.com reports that the monthly service fee at gyms averages between $35 and $40. At $40 per month, an unused gym membership runs $480 per year.

Sited Links;
BankRate.Com | Top 10 Money Drains
Wikipedia | Personal Income In the U.S.
Coffee Statistics

DULY NOTED:
Lists of baby girls names and baby boys names are available online for parents’ guidance. They can also shop baby clothes online with out hectic shopping spree put. Online day care centers and child care services can be searched out in your own area for your convenience. Parents can buy baby slings if they plan to go out for shopping or touring with their little kids.

   

I’m rooting for you. I want you to win this thing, really. No one was able to get last month’s giveaway questions, so we will continue in the category of Children’s Literature — but I am upping the ante. Whoever answers these three questions correctly will win two video game titles.

The Rules: Unfortunately, this give-away only works if you are in the United States - sorry Canada, sorry Mexico, sorry rest of the planet, nothing personal, I’m just not interested in paying too much for the postal. Let’s see how it goes. I am going to ask three questions and the first one to get them right wins the prize. I will post the winner when the contest is over.

The Prize: The Game Titles include: Ultimate Spiderman, Tony Hawk Underground 2, Wolfenstein, Doom III, Call of Duty. This is a friendly give-away and I will not field any questions about the prizes beyond this information. If you win but do not find a game that you like or can play, I will hang onto to it and offer it to the next contest. Just to be clear, the Winner will get to choose two video games and it will be sent it via U.S.P.S.

Best of luck.

The Questions:

1. What was the original name for Curious George?
2. Where did author Ludwig Bemelmans write his first book and what was it?
3. Where did A. A. Milne purchase the stuffed Edward Bear that would soon after become his famous muse?

   

I grew up in a large family by today’s standards — I am the youngest of seven children. Needless to say my mother was a bit frugal and with good reason considering the amount of mouths she fed. She was also very good at assigning each of us duties; one of my many tasks was to be in charge of the coupons. Part of my Sunday ritual was to cut-up the Saver Section of the newspaper and file all the coupons. I would go grocery shopping with my mother and keep track of all the weekly specials and double coupon deals.

So of course, many years later now that I’m grown up and have gone nuclear (married with a house, two kids and a dog) everything has come full circle and my wife and I have become clever scouts for double-coupon deals and track every expiration date on the manufacturer deals and rebates.

Old news to some, but new to me I have recently stumbled upon a whole world of coupon blogs, sites and portals, but a lot of them seem to be baiting you for your personal information. Here are some I feel are hassle free -

BabyCheapSkate.Com - a blog with everything from breast pumps to car seats
CoolStealsAndDealsOnline.Com - another blog with deals listed and links to them
PrintableCoupons.Com - this blog’s not that good looking but a good resource
EverybodyLovesCoupons.Com - well organized portal with coupons and codes
CheapSkatinLA.Com - freebies for Angelinos

   

1. What is Tom Thumbs wife’s name? Tom Thumb appears a few times in stories by Beatrix Potter, his wife — Hunca Munca is his partner in crime in “Two Bad Mice” (Via WiredForBooks.Org)
2. What did Theodore Geisel feel his greatest work was? Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss, of course) once said it was not a book or an illustration, but the Lion Wading Pool at Wild Animal Park in San Diego, which he donated in 1973. (Via BBC News)
3. What Children’s book inspired a video, a ballet and an opera? Maurice Sendak has written more than 80 books. He has won almost every important prize in children’s literature, from the Caldecott Medal, to the Hans Christian Andersen Award, to the American Library Association’s Laura Ingalls Wilder Award. (He calls the National Medal of Arts “my first grown-up award.”) , one of the best-selling children’s books of all time — “Where The Wild Things Are” has spawned not only a video, but an opera, a ballet, countless stuffed toys, and generations of four-year-olds who call themselves Max after the King of All Wild Things. In the last few years, Sendak has branched out to designing sets and costumes, working on videos and a children’s television series, and founding a children’s theater company, The Night Kitchen. (Via FactMonster.Com)

Good guesses. I will be doing one of these a month leading up to the big give-away in December.

   

Oh yeah, that’s right. We made all the mistakes with her. We dropped her on her head a few too many times. We spoiled her, of course. We did a bit too much Attachment Parenting (she still shares the bed with us at night) — the shame, the therapy, the bills, the needless barking when her siblings are trying to nap. And my wife and I are painfully aware of it all. According to my wife she still tries to wear her down for “that” tube top and “those” Ugg boots.

Look at her picture, it’s obvious. She has a certain air about her; a certain sense of self-entitlement. That’s not how we wanted to raise her. We have tried everything. We have scoured the web for answers — to no avail.

Anyway, like all children, she’s a work-in-progress (and yes — we now know, we should have done the braces when she was a teenager; she is very self-conscious of the under-bite). I want to share with you some informative and entertaining links that you may want to consider.

Related Links:
ICanHasCheezburger.Com - No help whatsoever, but fascinating use of grammar
WhatThePets?! - Dogs, Hamsters, & Cats, not necessarily in that order
MuttroSexual - Fabulous, Yes I said the “F” word
PetConnectionBlog - Different Pets
DooLittler - For the medically curious
YourPet’sBestFriend - A small town Vet gives you the facts

   

Yep, that’s right. Here’s the deal. Answer three questions correctly first, win a prize - it’s that easy. In true game show style, I have randomly chosen from the Parent Theme - the category of Children’s Stories. So all the questions fit in the said category.

The Rules: I have a bunch of unopened, never been played before video games that I could sell on Ebay or Craigslist but I am going to try a give-away. Unfortunately, this give-away only works if you are in the continental United States - sorry Alaska, Hawaii and the rest of the planet, nothing personal, I’m just not interested in paying too much for the postal.

Let’s see how it goes. I am going to ask three questions and the first one to get them right wins the prize. I will post the top three winners (correct answers + quickest time) after the contest is over — assuming there are three.

The Prize: The Game Titles include: Ultimate Spiderman, Tony Hawk Underground 2, Wolfenstein, Doom III and Call of Duty. This is a friendly give-away and I will not field any questions about the prizes beyond this information. If you win but do not find a game that you like or can play, I will move down the list to the next person who got the questions correct. Just to be clear, the Winner will get to choose one video game and it will be sent it via U.S.P.S.

Best of luck.

The Questions:

1. What is Tom Thumbs wife’s name?
2. What did Theodore Geisel feel his greatest work was?
3. What Children’s book inspired a video, a ballet and an opera?

You may want to add me to you RSS feed, because if this giveaway is successful (I imagine it will be), I will be doing random giveaways in the coming months.

Good Luck.