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It’s increasingly difficult to come up with family activities which would not cost an arm and a leg which is why I’m so thrilled to learn that starting April 21, and stretching all the way through the following weekend, entrance fees are being waived at all national parks that usually charge for admission.
The occasion is what’s become an annual event, National Park Week, which in 2012 is scheduled for April 21 to 29. It’s one of several periods during the year when normal admissions fees are waived. Other no-fee dates include Get Outdoors Day (June 9), National Public Lands Day (September 29), and Veteran’s Day (November 10 to 12 this year).
How much you’d save on entrance fees depends, of course, on which park you’re visiting. Normal admissions fees range from $25 (Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Glacier), to $20 (Yosemite), to $15 (Badlands), to free all year-round (Great Smoky Mountains, Redwood National Park). The Parks Department likes to point out that 397 national parks and monuments, in fact, never charge admission.
So what are you waiting for? Pack your sleeping bags and go explore your wild side. 🙂
A piece of good advice from the elders: Do Not Start the New Year in Debt.
Unfortunately, for many people, that just was not the case. Most just did not know where to start. Well, David Bach is coming to the rescue. This best-selling author is on a mission to get America (and the world) out of debt and has been it is his personal mission in 2011 to “help one million people pay down a billion dollars in debt and start a new, debt-free life.” He has just completed his 12th book ‘Debt Free For Life’ which is out in stores now.
For a limited 24-hour window, you can download a free copy of David’s new book straight to your desktop. Then, you can read it at your leisure and let his tips work for you! This offer is only available for 24 hours and ends at 11:59pm EST tonight. (January 5, 2011). Just click on this link and you’re on your way. Pass this piece of great news to friends and family members.
For more information on David Bach, please visit his website.
A few days ago, Howie shared a site called http://hotguysreadingbooks.tumblr.com/
Let me set the record straight… I am NOT emotionally prepared for the little giant to be considered “hot”. =)
That being said, I love the fact that his face lights up and he literally dances whenever I mention that we’ll be going to Borders, Prologue, or Kinokuniya. In his book, reading is cool.
Looking for ways to get your child to read when school’s not in session? iVillage has partnered with PBS Parents to bring you a free, four-week reading challenge that will help you make reading a fun, easy part of everyday life for your kids. Sign up today and starting on Monday, July 5, you’ll get daily ideas to help you turn everyday activities with your kids into adventures that build reading skills.
What I really like about the site is that it also includes great reading guides:
In response to the travel chaos caused by Iceland’s Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which has covered northwest Europe in a massive cloud of ash, Lonely Planet is offering 13 of its European iPhone city guides free to stranded travellers.
With a lot of travellers stuck in unfamiliar places, these city guides will provide much-needed, practical information as well as suggestions on what to do whilst stranded.
The 13 apps are available for free now until 11.59pm (GMT+12) Thursday 22nd April 2010.
The guides can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store at the links below:
Here’s a great money-saving, family/friend bonding tip:
Bank of America cardholders can get into select museums, zoos, science centers, botanical gardens and more for free with the Museums on Us program. All you need is your Bank of America ATM, credit or debit card and a photo ID.
Get the full list of participating locations, as well as eligible weekends through September 2010, here: http://museums.bankofamerica.com/
“A recession is a terrible thing to waste–so don’t waste this one! Use it instead to get rich.”
— David Bach
I have personally declared 2010 as the year in which I get my financial house in order. Financial expert David Bach explains that this year will be the best opportunity for building wealth we have seen in decades. And, as the economy recovers, you must be set up to recover with it. David’s easy, take-action plan will show you how.
His latest book, Start Over, Finish Rich supplies the ten crucial moves you must make in 2010 to get back on track and recapture your dreams of a richer future. Learn how to:
* Get out of debt
* Fix your credit
* Rebuild and improve your retirement plans
* Take smart risks
* Reorganize your financial life for the high tech age
* Update your real estate plan
* Change your thinking about money
* Recommit to wealth
Now here’s the special offer: David has partnered with AOL and their Personal Finance site, Walletpop to make this book free TODAY ONLY.
Just click on this link to download your copy now.
So what are you waiting for? Hurry and learn how you can make 2010 your best year (financially) ever!
In today’s look-obsessed world, Michelle Obama gives the best advice to all those searching for Mr/Ms Perfect.
“Cute’s good. But cute only lasts for so long, and then it’s, Who are you as a person? Don’t look at the bankbook or the title. Look at the heart. Look at the soul … When you’re dating a man, you should always feel good … You shouldn’t be in a relationship with somebody who doesn’t make you completely happy and make you feel whole.”
Money Matters for Kids: Earn it, Save it, Spend it, Share It! Traveling Exhibit and Workbook Launch * Nov. 7, 10 AM
It is never too early to teach our children to be financially literate. When we start young, we can be wise savers, careful spenders and smart consumers! Through a sponsorship grant by Citi Foundation, Museo Pambata presents a traveling exhibit and workbook on financial literacy for children. The traveling exhibit and workbook feature information, puzzles, games and ways to understand money and how significant it is in our lives. Similarly, a box of activity cards which comes with the workbook provide ideas for a child to further inquire about the meaning of money in their lives.
I was shocked to learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a vortex of over 3.5 million tons of plastic spanning 10 million square miles. 80% of the garbage comes from land-based sources, and 20% from ships at sea.
It’s a horrifying twist to the saying “Don’t shit in your own backyard.”
Charles Moore, the sailor who discovered the Northern Pacific Garbage Patch in 1997, warns that unless consumers cut back on their use of disposable plastics, this plastic soup would double in size over the next decade.
Plastic has become an indispensable part of our everyday lives. At the moment, it’s virtually impossible to spend a single day without touching the stuff. However it IS possible to avoid creating MORE plastic waste. Here are just 2 actions that you and your family can start implementing TODAY.
1. Ditch the straw
Think of how many thousands of plastic straws you have used, wasted and thrown away. Did you know that it takes centuries for each one to biodegrade! The next time you dine outside, do think twice before accepting that straw. For those operating food joints, make that paradigm shift: makes straws an option, not the default.
2. Bag the Bag
Seriously, do you really need that plastic bag when you buy something at the local 7-11 or Ministop?
Let’s try to reduce our habit of using plastic bags when we don’t need them.
I discovered this pocket bag at the check-out counter of my favourite shopping centre – Daiso (aka the $2 store). I usually have it folded into a tiny square and tucked into my bag organizer. I whip it out whenever I grab a bite at 7-11, buy office supplies, pay a visit to the Library, use my umbrella on a rainy day… etc etc.
We are now also taking a conscious effort to reduce our collection of plastic bags when buying groceries. Those cloth bag giveaways at trade fairs & bazaars are discovering a second life.
It’s Blog Action Day today, focusing on Climate Change. How exactly does the reduction of plastic relate to tackling climate change? Everything is interconnected — manufacturing plastic depends on consuming oil so the indiscrimate use of plastic literally fuels global warming. Getting rid of them (plastic) in incinerators also adds a little bit more to the amount of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere.
As our family has found, it’s not that hard to make that shift to a greener life. Just take it one plastic bag/straw at a time and make the world a better, cleaner place.
Stumble It!
Money Matters for Kids: Earn it, Save it, Spend it, Share It! Traveling Exhibit and Workbook Launch * Nov. 7, 10 AM
Mommy Banker 