Times are still tough. I’m reading more and more about online classes. There could be great benefits to enrolling in online degree programs, one of the biggest being the ability to keep or take on a job while pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree. This type of education may help your money go farther as well. Western Governors is a non-profit online university, making tuition lower than it would be at many local schools. They offer scholarships and student loans too. The school is fully accredited and offers coursework in fields including teaching, business, health and information technology. A big difference it has from local schools is that students can start at any time of the year. If you’re wanting to continue your education but aren’t sure youhave the time a program like this might be just for you.

With the economy the way it is people have to work. Folks that didn’t work are returning to the work force and part timers are looking to increase their hours. All of this with the dream of financial freedom in mind. Some folks dream of a better job but don’t have the education needed to get it. What does a busy person do? One answer is consider an online degree. an interesting possibility is Western Governor. This is a non-profit school, which makes the tuition considerably lower than local schools. Both scholarships and student loans are available as well. The school is fully accredited and offers coursework in fields including teaching, business, health and information technology. One of the neatest features is that students can start at any time of the year. Whether you’re just starting or considering pursuing a masters degree online, if you have a busy schedule this might be a program you want to cehck into.

Hubby was looking for work for several months. I had to explain to him that looking for work now is not the same as it was years ago. The days when you could just walk in, interview and leave with a job are over for the most part. Today a thorough and effective job search should include personal and online efforts. Putting your resume online is a great tool. It’s quite helpful to have one there, it will keep your memory fresh when updating your paper resume. You’ll need your paper resume for your local job hunt efforts such as the opportunities you find in the classifieds. Just remember – looking for work online is convenient but you have to get out and put yourself out there too. Good luck!

Lots of people, like myself, hate cleaning the bathroom. I’d put it off because I disliked it so much and then it would be really gross. here’s how you can clean your bathroom in under fifteen minutes – five minutes to clean the floor and ten minutes for everything else. Buy yourself a container of cleaning wipes and clean your surfaces above the floor every morning before you leave the bathroom. Once a week take five minutes to mop. that’s it. You won’t dread cleaning the bathroom so much anymore.

There are numerous ways for family and friends to stay in touch, no matter what distance apart they are. There’s always the telephone but sometimes that can be expensive, depending on where you’re calling. Other alternatives to consider are email (obviously), webcams, instant messaging, bulletin boards and live chat software. Don’t forget the good old mail as well – sometimes it’s nice to get a surprise in the mail. How do you keep in touch with your family and friends?

The best thing I ever decided to do in regards to sending mail is to use self sticking stamps. They’re the best thing the Post Office ever came out with. I hated licking stamps, they tasted awful. Once the stamps were dealt with all I had to worry about was addressing envelopes. What a pain it is to keep writing your return address. I tried address labels, which worked fine but got tedious if I was sending a lot of mail (like when I was paying a lot of bills). That’s when I decided to get one of those rubber stamps. They’re not that expensive, especially when you consider how long you can use them for and how much time they save. Try it, you’ll be glad you did!

We have wood floors. Wood flooring look awesome when it’s clean and shiny. Sadly, mine doesn’t look clean or shiny, even after being washed. I learned something I never thought of today on the Murphy’s Oil soap website – that dust particles are abrasive and can be ground into the finish on wood floors which makes it weaker as time passes. Their suggestion is to regularly sweep, dust or vacuum wood floors to pick up the dust particles before mopping. I’m going to give it a try but I really think our floors need to be stripped and refinished completely. Our floors haven’t been redone in about fifteen years. how do you care for your wood floors?

My Mom or I have almost always been the ones to take my youngest son to any doctor’s appointments he had until earlier this year when hubby lost his job. After the first appointment with a doctor I don’t usually need directions because I remember where I’m going. I do still print them out anyway, just in case I lose my bearings. I don’t have  GPS but my hubby does, he got it as a Christmas gift last year. The reason I think removable GPS units are better than the ones built into a car is because a couple can share the unit and move it from car to car. Now no matter which one of us takes our son to the first doctor’s appointment, whoever goes in the future can just take the GPS and stick it to the windshield and have no worries of not knowing where to go. Do you have a GPS? Is it built in to your car or is it the removable kind?

Over the past few months I’ve noticed some makeup in the Avon book that accepts refills. At first I didn’t really understand why, which says something about the text and description in the book. This week I realized that these refillable products are basically a partially green product, because the packaging gets reused. Consider the countless amounts of people that use cosmetics daily for all sorts of reasons – beauty, work, even an alternative to acne scarring treatment. Imagine the impact this could have if all cosmetics companies did it. Some companies like MAC offer a free product when you turn in six used ones. So next time you’re buying cosmetics, look for something with a container you can refill.

Many people don’t really know how many ways there are to be green and help the environment. Here are tips to a greener house.

• Turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth.
• Rearrange your furniture to make better use of natural light.
• Switch to compact fluorescent lightbulbs and keep them dust free to increase efficiency and output.
• Keep heating and air vents clean so that systems run efficiently.
• Make sure gaps are caulked and rooms are insulated to make sure you aren’t wasting the heat and air you use.
• Wash clothes in cold water.
• Use a clothesline to dry clothes whenever possible.
• Keep the dryer’s lint filter clean.
• Refrigerators are more efficient full than empty because they hold the cold better. Keep your refrigerator full without overpacking it, which causes poor circulation and makes it hard to control humidity.
• Store your food in glass or porcelain containers instead of plastic. It’s less recycling and chemicals don’t adhere to those surfaces as easily as they do to plastic.