©Lyn Lomasi; Owner|Ordained Shaman atIntent-sive Nature &Brand Shamans Content Community LLC

Did you know that the magic of nature holds the key to banishing tea stains effortlessly? Whether it's your favorite outfit, cherished countertops, or beloved furniture, tea stains don't have to be a permanent mark. Embrace an eco-friendly approach, just like I do in my natural, harmonious lifestyle, and explore the potent yet gentle methods Mother Nature offers for tea stain removal.

Naturally Banish Tea Stains from Clothing: Begin with a simple cold water rinse for fresh tea stains on clothing. If that doesn't suffice, turn to the wisdom of vinegar. Mix equal parts vinegar and water in a sink, and let your garment soak in this natural elixir. Add eco-friendly liquid detergent for stubborn stains, and use a touch of gentle scrubbing if needed. For the most persistent tea marks, invoke the power of baking soda under a layer of vinegar, dabbing the tea stain into submission, and finishing with a cold rinse.

Easily remove tea stains from your favorite outfits with these simple steps:

1. Cold Water Rinse: Quickly run the tea-stained area under cold water. Often, this quick action is all you need.
2. Vinegar Rinse Magic: For persistent tea stains, prepare a sink with equal parts vinegar and water. Submerge the garment, swirling it gently. A rinse in cold water usually does the trick!
3. Eco-Friendly Detergent Boost: For tougher tea stains, add some green liquid detergent to the mix. Gently rub it into the stain and repeat the rinsing process until the stain vanishes.
4. Baking Soda & Vinegar Duo: For the most challenging tea stains, place a dry cloth under the stained area, sprinkle baking soda, and add a touch of vinegar. Dab with another dry cloth – watch the tea stain transfer!
   

Eco-Friendly Remedies for Carpet and Furniture Tea Stains: Carpet and furniture tea stains meet their match with a blend of vinegar, baking soda, and the power of natural solutions. Create a half vinegar, half water mix in a spray bottle, and apply it over a sprinkle of baking soda on the tea-stained area. Witness the tea stain lift as you dab with a dry cloth, repeating as necessary. Finish with a dab of cold water and dry thoroughly.

Remove tea from your carpets and furniture with these eco-friendly steps:

1. Mix vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
2. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain, then spray the vinegar solution. 
3. As it bubbles, dab the stain away with dry cloths. 
4. Repeat as needed, then rinse with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.
   

Revitalize Kitchen Surfaces Naturally: For kitchen counters, stove tops, and floors, the same vinegar-water potion works wonders for removing tea stains naturally. Begin with a simple spray and wipe. If the stain persists, summon the effervescent power of baking soda combined with your vinegar solution. Remember, swift action is key on hardwood surfaces to prevent water damage.

Remove tea and keep your kitchen surfaces spotless with these natural methods:

1. Floor Care Solution: Use the same vinegar-water solution. Spray and wipe the tea away with a dry cloth for initial treatment.
2. Baking Soda Lift: For persistent tea stains, add baking soda, then spray again. Dab away the lifted tea stain.
3. Quick Hardwood Care: If you have hardwood floors, act fast and dry thoroughly to prevent water damage.

In every step, remember that you're not just cleaning up spilled tea - you're aligning with the rhythms of nature, infusing your surroundings with eco-conscious care, and preserving the planet for future generations. Follow these shaman-guided steps and transform your space with the wisdom of the earth.

byLyn Lomasi; Owner & Ordained Shaman atIntent-sive Nature &Brand Shamans Content Community LLC

Are you tired of the same old backyard setup? Ready to transform your outdoor space into a stylish and functional oasis? Look no further! In this guide, we will empower you with all the knowledge you need to create a stunning outdoor kitchen that leaves your guests in awe.

5. Materials Matter: Unveiling the Best for Outdoor Kitchen Construction

Choosing the right materials is paramount to ensure your outdoor kitchen stands the test of time. From weather-resistant countertops to durable flooring, our guide will help you make the right decisions to guarantee your kitchen's longevity.

6. DIY with Confidence: The Art of Building Your Outdoor Kitchen

For the ambitious DIY enthusiasts, we present a step-by-step guide to building your outdoor kitchen with confidence. From laying the foundation to installing appliances, this section will empower you to take on the challenge like a pro.

7. Contractor’s Touch: Benefits of Seeking Professional Expertise

Entrusting your outdoor kitchen construction to a professional yields numerous advantages. Discover the benefits of hiring a seasoned contractor, from reducing construction time to accessing superior craftsmanship.

8. Safety First: Ensuring a Secure and Enjoyable Outdoor Kitchen

Prioritize safety without compromising style. Learn how to implement safety measures such as proper ventilation, fire-resistant materials, and smart appliance placements to guarantee a worry-free cooking experience.

9. Personalize and Enhance: Tailoring Your Outdoor Kitchen Experience

Go the extra mile by personalizing your outdoor kitchen with unique touches. Incorporate seating arrangements, decorative elements, and functional add-ons that bring out your personality and create a welcoming ambiance for your guests.

10. Time to Take Action: Embark on Your Outdoor Kitchen Journey

The journey to creating a functional and stylish outdoor kitchen starts now. With the knowledge and confidence gained from this guide, take immediate action and make your dream outdoor kitchen a reality!

In conclusion, a remarkable outdoor kitchen is within your grasp. By combining functionality with style and leveraging the expertise of professionals or your DIY prowess, you'll create a space that elevates your home and enhances your lifestyle. So, are you ready to unlock the true potential of your backyard? Embrace the transformation and let your outdoor kitchen become the talk of the town!

Remember, the key to success lies in planning, taking action, and never settling for less. A bold and powerful outdoor kitchen awaits - seize the opportunity today!

byLyn Lomasi; Owner & Ordained Shaman atIntent-sive Nature &Brand Shamans Content Community LLC

Did you know that salt and pepper shakers can be magical and fun? I took a  little online trip to Amazon and found these 3 magical duo shakers that will wow your guests. From star fairy to Gothic or fantasy dragon, your table settings will forever be enchanting once you grab these duo shaker sets!

If you're looking for a way to refresh your room and upgrade to a more healing experience, this Blue Spiritual Wisdom home decor collection can help you vibrate higher.

When you buy a new mattress, you need to ensure you are getting the right fit for a good night’s sleep. A mattress size chart can help you make the right choice. Here are some benefits of using a mattress size chart, as well as tips on choosing a mattress from an online mattress delivery website.

Importance of Choosing the Right Size Mattress

When buying a mattress online, you can’t measure it yourself. However, that’s not really an issue if you use a mattress size chart and look at the dimensions of the mattress you are considering. Choosing the right size mattress can be the difference between a mattress fitting in your frame or in the room intended. It’s also important to be sure the person or couple it’s intended for can fit comfortably.

Measurements Tell You How a Mattress Will Fit Your Frame

Knowing the exact length, height, and width will help you choose the correct mattress for an existing frame. If you are unaware of your frame’s size, measure the section of your frame that holds the mattress. Then, you check the mattress size chart on the mattress delivery website to see which size would fit best. For instance, if your mattress needs to be twin sized, do you know whether it should be a regular twin or a twin XL? This is where the chart can help.

Is Your Frame and Mattress the Correct Size for the Room or Area?

Combining your needs for the mattress with your needs for the room could prove challenging if you are unsure of exact measurements. A mattress size chart can be helpful in this area. Consider how many people will be using the mattress as well as the space. Then, use the mattress size chart to determine the right fit.

Are you tired of people voicing their opinion about how you should live your life? Do they constantly jump to conclusions about every aspect of your life, yet they don’t call or come by your home on a regular basis? These foolish people assume that you waste your money on foolish things or you are doing drugs, instead of paying your bills. Ask yourself, have you been in a stable home, which has lights and running water that you pay for?

Remind yourself that they have no idea what your finances are or what you life is like now that you have become sober. However, these people will make hurtful comments, but you must remember who the hell you are now not who you were.

Unfortunately, these cruel people may cause you to feel, as if you cannot do anything right. Let their words bounce right off your newly developed thick skin. Never let anyone in your life make you feel this way, because you deserve better as a recovering addict.

The way you choose to live your life is no one else’s business. Furthermore, they have absolutely no right jumping into your financial business or jumping to conclusions about what your money is spent on.

Sometimes you have to separate yourself from people, who will destroy the progress you have made in your journey to recovery.

You can still love them but you don’t have to listen to or speak to them. Be sure to tell them in a loud a clear voice to “Kick Rocks” and you remember that you are a beast, who is rocking sobriety!

Copyright 2019

A good book teaser should pull in readers both from search and via the fun and interesting text.

The Brand Shamans will write you a quality book teaser, no matter the usage. Length choices are short enough for Twitter or Facebook and even long enough for things like blog posts or landing pages.

by Lizzie Weakley, Contributing Writer

The best and cheapest way to keep the winter chill away from your house is a crackling fire in your fireplace or wood-burning stove. But you can’t have a fire without wood, and the question of where and how to store all that fire fuel may be on your mind. Follow these four tips for storing your firewood.

Where to Store Your Firewood

You may wonder where, relative to your house, you ought to store your firewood. Too many people place the wood beside their house because it stacks so well there. That is a huge mistake! That dead wood is a magnet for termites. The last thing you want to do is give termites an invitation into your house! If you already have termites or have been storing your wood against the house, you might want to contact a pest exterminator professional, like PermaTreat Pest and Termite Control. 

Rather than stacking the wood next to your house, store it far away, but in an area where you have easy access, especially if you live in snow country. Don't place it against any structure, not even a plastic shed. Why? You want that stack of wood to breathe. If it does not, the moisture will make it no longer usable for firewood. That wood needs to breathe on both of the long sides. 

Proper Stacking

Since firewood needs to breathe, then it won't do to just throw the wood in a pile. Also, you need to keep the wood from falling. Use treated 2X4s on the ground to keep the wood from touching the wet ground. On each end of the pile, build a log cabin-style end that will keep your pile from falling down. Stack the pile no more than four feet high and have each pile be only one stove-length deep. 

Protecting Wood Against the Elements

For optimal burning, it’s essential to protect your firewood. A tarp will keep the wood from getting rained and snowed on. Since the wood pile has to breathe, the tarp needs to allow the wood to be exposed along the sides. You don't want the rain to be able to fall on the sides, but you do want the pile to breathe and not get moldy and decay. You can also store the wood in a shed or barn, as long as there is plenty of air flow. Don’t keep the door closed.

Storing Some Wood Inside

You will obviously come to the conclusion that you don't want to venture out in the rain and snow every time the fire gets low in the wood stove. You can get a fancy log holder, a cheap one, or even a heavy wooden box to store your night's supply of wood inside the house. This way, you can feed the fire while staying warm and dry.

A good wood pile is your best investment towards winter warmth. Just keep the pile away from structures and cover it with a tarp, so it can breathe. Use log cabin-style ends to hold you pile of stacked wood in place, keeping it off of the ground. Bring in a night's worth of wood when you come home from work.

Author Bio

Lizzie Weakley is a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys the outdoors and walks in the park with her three-year-old husky, Snowball.

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

When I was growing up we didn’t own any backyard games. We had to invent them with what we found in the house. Here are a few of the games I used to play as a child.


1. Broom Ball

What You Need:

• Two household Brooms. Straw brooms work the best, but you can also use synthetic brooms.
• Almost any type of sports or recreation ball except a basketball. Volleyballs, soccer balls, and those cheap plastic blow up balls work best.
  

How to Play:

Pick two ends of the yard to use as out-of-bounds. I was lucky enough growing up that my best friend had a small backyard. We used the back of the house as one end and the fence as another. Points are made when the ball goes into the out-of-bounds. Only the brooms are allowed to touch the ball. If any part of the player’s body touches the ball, the ball immediately reverts to the other player and they get a point.


2. Water Balloon Dodgeball

What You Need:

Balloons and a water faucet.

How to Play:

Fill up the water balloons and head outside. The goal is to stay dry. You can pick teams, but my favorite is every man for himself. Each person takes their balloon and aims it at another person (randomly). The goal for the thrower is to hit the person. The goal for the person about to be hit is to dodge the water balloon. If you get hit, you’re out. Play until only one person is left standing and dry.


3. Squirt Bottle Squirt Guns

What You Need:

Empty spray bottles. They can be purchased at the dollar store.

You can also use old shampoo, conditioner and dish soap bottles. Really anything that holds water and squirts with enough added pressure. Though, with old soap bottles, you’ll want to make sure that they are thoroughly rinsed and that no soap residue is left inside the bottle. No one wants a face full of soap.

How to Play:

Fill up the bottles with water and head outside. Don’t forget to set the spray bottles on squirt. This game, like Water Balloon Dodgeball, is played until one person is left standing and dry, or someone decides the spray bottle isn’t good enough and pulls out the hose for a mass attack.


4. Bean Bag Toss

What You Need:

• Two buckets. They can be five gallon buckets or open top mop buckets.
• Several packages of beans.
• Six old socks.

How to Play:

Fill the socks with beans and knot closed. Set a distance and place the buckets. Each person tosses a sock at the bucket. The person with the most socks in the bucket wins.


5. Backyard / Driveway Bowling

What You Need:

• Enough two liter bottles to make a pyramid (3, 6, 10). These will be used at the “pins.”
• A basketball, or another durable sports ball.
  

How to Play:

Fill the 2 liters with enough water to keep them standing upright. Line the two liters up just like in bowling and throw or roll the ball at the two liters. Points are kept by how many 2 liters each person knocks down.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Piper Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
  
• AVIA Memories
  

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

This apartment living horror story is from 2011, but there are still plenty of people living this rental nightmare. Here is my story.

From the time I got up this morning to right now, my neighbors have been absolute terrors. Their child started screaming at 8am this morning. They started slamming doors at 8:30am this morning. At 1pm they threw a bucket off the porch and into the yard. Two hours later, they moved it back onto the porch.

Currently, their kindergarten aged child is screaming his head off. He probably got slapped. In between the child’s screams are his father’s and mother’s telling him to shut the F up.

This is by far the worst apartment complex I have ever lived in. If I didn’t know better I’d swear it was in the inner city. It’s not. It’s in a small town. The buildings look nice on the drive in, the grass is mowed, and maintenance is all right.


Apartment Living At Its Worst Doesn't Usually Start Off That Bad...

Prior to moving into this building I met with the office lady, talked to her about the complex, and asked some very important questions. I also told her my needs. I told her I was a writer, and that I am in constant need of complete and utter silence. I don’t have kids. I don’t want to hear anyone else’s kids.

She assured me that the building was quiet and that all the kids played at the back of the complex. Most importantly, she told me there were no kids in my building. The latter was a lie. I found out two weeks after moving into the building that every other unit had at least one child and the unit below me had a screaming, whining toddler. The parents played music way too loud, and on occasion I could hear every word from their TV.

I told the office. I repeatedly told the office. Eventually, I was told that the loud occupants would be moving soon. That was six months ago or longer. They have not moved, and I still have days like today where I can’t get anything done because their child’s incessant screaming has put me in a murderous mood.

It is beyond frustrating. The worst part about it is that today is Sunday and the office is closed. Even if I wanted to talk to the office today, I can’t. It’s days like today when I really wished I had picked another complex, rented a house, done anything but moved in here.

Do you have a story about apartment living at its worst you'd like to share?

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Piper Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

In current times, it is no longer cheaper to eat out than it is to eat at home for the single person. A typical fast food combo can cost as much as eight dollars. Eating at a sit down restaurant can cost as much as $20. Multiply that by five days a week and we have $100 spent simply on eating out.

The trick is learning how to cook quickly and healthy for one. Meats can be purchased in bulk along with a box of ziplock freezer bags. Roasts are between $8.00 and $14.00 a piece. However, if you cut them into two and three ounce portions. you can freeze enough meat for well over a week. The same can be done for chicken. Simply cut the breast in half and freeze them in their own ziplock bags. Vegetables can also be bought frozen for between .99 cents and $2.59 for larger bags. Add in a bag of rice and you have enough meals for eight to ten days for about $35 to $40.

Once you have your meat portioned and frozen, preparing meals in 30 minutes or less is a breeze. To cook, put some water in a pan and take out a freezer bag of meat. Drop it into the water. Boil for 10 minutes or long enough to thaw the meat, then add your vegetables and rice. You should have a healthy and filling meal in about thirty minutes with no leftovers to put in the refrigerator.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Piper Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

America’s workforce is highly educated, highly productive, and eager to succeed. We strive for the American Dream – get an education, a good job or a career, and make a difference. Those values and goals are ingrained into us from a young age, but sometimes the positions we accept are toxic to our well-being.

Here are five reasons it’s time to quit your job:

You Don’t Get Along with Your Manager

When you started the job, your relationship with your manager was one of mutual respect, ideas, and the betterment of both of you and the company. You were listened to, and you listened to your manager. However, over time, your manager stopped listening, started berating you, and doesn’t treat you like the educated human being you are. You would rather keep your ideas to yourself then get into another argument. You avoid your boss at all costs.

The Job Hurts Your Self Esteem

All the conversations about how badly you perform your job, and what a worthless employee you are begin to take their toll on your self esteem. You now question everything you do on the job and off the job. Your self-esteem is at an all time low.

You Can't Motivate Yourself to Go to the Job

You have never had a tardiness problem prior to your current position, but now you can’t seem to get out of bed. You’re chronically late. The thought of going to work fills you with dread and anxiety until you call in sick. You would rather be anywhere but work.

You Always Feel Angry at Work

You have never been an angry person, but now you are consumed with anger. You find yourself starting arguments with your coworkers, boss, and even your family members. You are prone to violent outbursts.

You No Longer Care About the Job

You show up because they pay you, but even the paycheck doesn’t matter. You don’t care if the work gets completed on time or at all. You do just enough work to keep your job.

I had a position where I could check off all of these. I was berated and belittled every time I walked through the door. The constant harassment took a toll on my self esteem. I became angry. I became sick – chronic headaches, stomach problems, high blood pressure.

Eventually, I just didn’t care. I showed up for the paycheck, but even the paycheck wasn’t worth the destruction to my mental and physical well-being. I knew it was time to leave.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Piper Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

Don't get caught in a rental agreement where you will end up unhappy and can't wait for the end of your lease to come. Oftentimes, renters won't tell you a lot of important things up front. That's why it's important to ask these 5 questions before renting anywhere.

What is included with the rent?

Some properties include water, sewer, trash, heat, and gas or some variation. At the very least they should include water, sewer and trash. Properties that include nothing can add $50.00 or more to your rent bill every month. I rented an apartment that included nothing. The base rent was $574.00. Once they included water, sewer, and trash, it became $630.00 and sometimes higher. Can you afford it?

How is the rent paid? What types of payment do they accept?

Most properties accept cash, money order, and check. A few accept on-line payments, credit cards, and sometimes even PayPal. Many properties don't accept cash, including one that I've rented. It often has to be a money order or personal check. There is a drop box for after hours rent payments.

Another of my rental properties accepted cash, money order, and personal checks, but there was no drop box. She came around on the first of the month and physically picked up the checks. It meant I had to be at home every first of the month.

Find out what the grace period is for rent. Most apartment complexes give you until the fifth of the month. One of my last complexes had no grace period.

Who does the maintenance? What are you responsible for?

In one of my last apartments, we had one maintenance guy. I ended up doing or starting a lot of my maintenance myself. If I spend my own money; new faucet filter, toilet kit, paint, knobs, I do not get reimbursed via a rent reduction.

Figure out who does the maintenance and how much of it you are responsible for. Find out what they consider to be “normal wear and tear”. Otherwise, you could find yourself fixing a lot of someone else's property.

What types of people live in the community? Are they well-behaved? Are their children well behaved?

Get honest answers on who your neighbors are before you sign that lease. I was very clear with one landlord when I told her I was a writer, single, childless, and needed endless amounts of quiet. She assured me that there were no children in the building I was moving in to.

A week after I moved in I started hearing “Woohoo’s!” and a screaming toddler. It turns out almost every apartment in that building has a child. The other tenants are loud, slam doors, and stomp feet. The walls and floors are paper thin. That meant I was outright lied to. So, sometimes you may even have to ask around to find out the truth.

Is there a lot of crime, theft in the complex or surrounding area?

Contact the police department and ask about criminal activity on the block and surrounding neighborhood. Visit the complex at night and see how many people are outside. Observe their activities. After 11pm, you should not see people loitering unless it’s on their porches.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

In this modern era, we are forced to spend money to live. We need money for rent, food, gas, etc. Every day we spend money on something even if it's just rent and electricity. So, what do we really need to live?

Rent or a Mortgage

We can't get out of this one unless we have a family member willing to let us stay for free. Since that doesn't happen very often, we're forced to either pay rent or a mortgage. This is a fixed expense. However, we can limit how much we spend on our housing.

I try not to spend more than one week's salary on housing. If the salary is too low to allow for that, I choose the cheapest apartment I can find in a safe area. Typically, that's no more than $550.

Electricity

We need it for running our computers, phones, lights, stoves, coffee makers and a whole host of other appliances. This is also a fixed expense, but the monthly amount often varies. To keep electricity costs at a minimum, open the windows, keep the lights off during the day.

If you work, turn the A/C or heat to a higher or lower setting while you are gone. Typically, I turn my A/C to 80 in the summer and my heat to 65 in the winter. It doesn't matter how cold or hot it is in my apartment if I'm not there.

Phone

We need a phone to take and receive calls and communicate with friends, family, coworkers, and potential employers. Most of us own cell phones that never leave our sides. In 2005, I moved into my first apartment. I had a cell phone. I never activated a land line. It was an expense I couldn't afford and couldn't justify. The only reason I'd ever need a land line is if I had to do a lot of faxes at home.

Internet

We need the internet for a lot of the same reasons we need the phone; to apply for jobs, to communicate with friends and family, to research, and to keep up on current events and happenings in the world. I also use mine to watch TV and movies. I purchased the minimum plan from my internet provider.

Car

The United States doesn't have a good mass transit system in place outside of most major metropolitan areas. This means that we need cars. Cars come with semi-hidden expenses such as gas, insurance and maintenance costs. I purchased a used car in 2001 for $1000.

For the past 10 years I haven't had a car payment and my maintenance and gas per month doesn't equal a car payment. I spend on average a thousand dollars a year in oil changes and car repairs. About every three years that increases to $2000, but it's still not a car payment. Over the last 10 years, I've saved a minimum of $20,000 by not having a car payment.

I try to keep my living expenses at a minimum. I try not to pay more than $550 for an apartment. I try to make sure that my electricity is no more than $100 a month. I don't have a car payment. I don't have a landline phone. I purchase minimum speed internet connections, and I don't change regardless of how much my job pays.

If I'm making more money than I need, I save more or I get more massages and facials, but if I'm at a low paying job, I'm not worried about where my next meal is coming from. The trick is to always be prepared for the worst and to always keep living expenses at an affordable minimum.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories
  

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

Work/Life Balance is not as cut as dry as one would think. Our gut instincts tell us that it should be an even mix between working and living. We should have enough time to go to work, come home, spend time with our families, go on vacation, pay bills, and relax.

Anyone who’s ever had a job knows that this is not always the case. Most times we’re scrambling between household duties, work and bills. There just never seems to be enough time.

Who’s responsible for Work/Life Balance? Most publications state that it is the individual’s responsibility to achieve a balance. Yet, we look to our workplaces to help us with that goal; flex-time, personal time, vacation and holiday pay. These are simply tools for us to use in order to achieve our work/life balance.

ASTD Press has a pamphlet entitled “Fundamentals of Work Life Balance” by Erica D. Chuck. On the first page she states how “recent decades have seen an increase dual income households.” This means that more of us are working, leaving us with less time for a home-life.

How do we achieve the balance? We should all start with a few basic questions before we ever apply for a job let alone walk into the interview.

How much money do I need to make?

This is by far the most important question. We need enough money to pay our bills and save a little bit for emergencies and retirement. For me, that’s between $15.00 and $16.00 an hour. I can live comfortably off that working fulltime. If I wanted to work part-time, it’d need to be more like $20.00 to $23.00 an hour. The latter probably isn’t feasible. So, remember, the hourly goal also has to be realistic.

Once that question is answered, we have an hourly wage objective and can pursue jobs in that wage range.

What do I want out of my career?

This question is also important. If you want to advance and achieve promotions, using a lot of flextime and work/life balancing options may not be a good idea. There can be a stigma to using such balancing options. If all of your coworkers work 40+ hours a week, and you work 35, there may be some resentment.

It’s always best to talk to your supervisor about options and a plan for your career. Learn directly what the impact will be if you use a lot of flex-time, opt to work at home, or take a lot of personal days. It may affect your advancement. Know what the consequences are beforehand.

What do I want out of the Company I work for?

Do you want a fun, friendly atmosphere? Do you want to make a difference? Do you want to feel useful and productive. Examine yourself before applying for that next job. Know exactly what you want out of the company before you even apply and especially before you walk into the interview.

What are my long term goals both personal and professional?

Where do you want to be in five years? 10 years? Write it all down for both your personal and professional lives. Then, make a plan on how you want to achieve those goals.

What are my personal and professional short term goals?

Where do you want to be both professionally and personally in three months? Six months? 12 months? Write them all down as you did for your long term goals.

Do these personal and professional goals mesh?

For the professional goals, it would be wise to talk to your supervisor and get a plan and agenda from them. If your job is notorious for long hours, and you want to be at the gym every night at 6pm or your child has numerous extracurricular activities after school, find out if you can leave work early without dire consequences.

Then, take those professional suggestions and agendas and pit them against your personal goals. Figure out if they mesh or if they are in direct conflict with what you really want to do.

By answering these questions, and examining both your personal and professional lives, you will be well on your way to helping yourself create an acceptable work/life balance.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories
  

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

In lean times, it makes sense to reevaluate how we spend our money. The best rule of thumb is to spend no more than 60 percent of your net monthly income which creates a 40 percent buffer. A 40 percent buffer should cover all the unexpected expenses we typically incur during the month without having to dip into credit cards or savings accounts on a regular basis.

Base Income, Gross Income, and Net Income

First we start out with a base income. Let’s say we make $15 an hour and work 40 hours a week. This gives us a gross amount of $2400. We can’t do our calculations on gross income because we don’t physically see all that money. Taxes, medical insurance, and other deductions come out of our pay before we ever see it.

For simplicity's sake, let’s assume that the taxes are 25% and insurance is $70. every two weeks. We have to subtract this from $2400 which gives us a total of $2260. Now we need to multiply this by .75 to get our net monthly income of $1695. This is the figure that we will work our calculations on.

Rent and Mortgage Payments

The largest expense for most of us is our rent or mortgage payments. Typically, realtors allow you to spend up to 33% of your gross income or $733 in this scenario. That’s almost half of the net income we just calculated. A better way to do this is to spend no more than 25% to 28% of your net monthly income. This gives us a housing cost range of $423 to $474.60.

Now, we need to figure out how much 60% of $1695. $1695 * .60 = $1017. Next, subtract the estimated rent amount: $1017 - $474.60 = $542.40. That’s $542 for everything else, groceries, electric, cell phones, car payments, and entertainment.

Utilities and Other Expenses

Let’s take this a step further and assume no car payment, no cable TV, and no landline phone. This leaves a basic set of utilities: cell phone, cable internet, electricity, car insurance, gym membership. A basic cell phone plan runs about $40, gym membership $45, car insurance $60, electricity $100, and the cheapest cable internet about $32. Subtracting all these bills leaves us with $265 for groceries and miscellaneous expenses for the rest of the month.

When done successfully, this plan would leave just about $600 per month extra for unforeseen expenses and saving. By the end of the year, someone following this plan would have a max buffer of $7200.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

When I was in my 20s, I was not concerned about saving for my retirement. I figured I had forty-five years to work and worry about retirement, and that’s if I even got there. In my family, most of us work until the day we die. The only person I knew who was saving for retirement was my dad. My mom was not saving for retirement.

I didn’t start thinking about retirement until I entered my 30’s, and still then it wasn’t a fully formed thought. It was a question. Do I really want to work every day for the rest of my life? The answer was a fast no. How to start saving for retirement was a more complex question.

IRA CD

The first thing I did was open an IRA CD. My reasoning was simple. The interest earned was more than my savings account, and I only needed $100 dollars to open the account. The catch was that I had to auto draft $50 dollars into the CD every month. It wouldn’t amount to a lot of money by the end of the CD’s term, but it was a start.

401k

The next thing I signed up for was my company’s 401k. I decided to put 10% of my income into the 401k. My company would match it dollar per dollar until I reached a certain level. I never hit that level, and I never missed the 10% coming out of my check.

The only hindrance was what to do with the 401k when I left the company. I knew if I took a withdraw, I would lose the company match, and I would be taxed as if it were income. I didn’t want to do that. Luckily, I had my IRA CD. When the time came, I made two phone calls; one to the company managing the 401k, and one to my bank. The transition was seamless. The company managing my 401k wrote a check and mailed it to my bank. The money went into the IRA CD. I kept the match, and I didn’t get taxed.

Stocks

I lucked out when it came to stocks. I bought near the end of the 2008 crash, but I had been waiting for it. History told me that there would be a stock market crash during my lifetime. I took about a thousand dollars, and bought as many stocks as that would buy. In the time that I’ve owned them, they’ve gone up and down significantly, but I’m still ahead. I’ve still earned more money on my stocks than I would have had I left the money in my savings account.

My goal for retirement is to not touch this money until I need it for retirement. I know at this point that it is no where near what I need to retire. But, it is a start, and it is more money than my mom ever saved for her retirement.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

I got lucky in 2008. I was working a good job after years of struggling to make ends meet. I was able to save between $300 and $600 a month on a regular basis, and since the job included bonuses, I banked my bonuses. This left me with more money in my bank accounts than I had ever seen, and that includes my college years when I was getting two loan disbursements a year.

Once I realized I had extra money, I had some very serious choices to make. I could keep the money and ignore my delinquent debts, or I could get a copy of my credit report and start making phone calls.

The first thing I did was talk to my dad, who is a certified CPA, and a friend who had gone through the same debt issues I was dealing with. They both told me to make the phone calls and see if I could negotiate a settlement amount to pay off the debts. I owed about $6000 to various credit cards and financial institutions. I wanted to spend about $2000 to pay off that debt.

I was warned, however, not to give too much information. The only thing they needed was the payment information. They didn't need to know where I worked, how much I made, my bank account information, or where I lived. If they had that information, they might try to garnish my wages to spite my willingness to pay off the entire debt right now. My dad even told me a horror story from his past when he went to pay off a delinquent debt. They didn't want his money right then, they wanted his employer information so they could garnish his wages. Needless to say, he didn't give them the information and kept calling until he found someone willing to take the payment.

I started making phone calls. The first creditor I called related to an old phone bill from 2001 when I thought I needed a landline. They settled the $100 bill for $60 dollars. The next creditor I called held an account related to my cell phone from when I changed phone numbers and tried to help out a friend by letting her get a cell phone on my account. Cell phone companies are notorious for double billing when you change your phone number. The collection agency was willing to settle the $500 bill for a little over $200. In my first two phone calls, I had saved $340. I was ecstatic.

The next creditor I called held the account of a credit card I had gotten in college. The bill was significant at $3250. I offered $1000 to settle the bill. They countered with $2700. I increased to $1500 if they would settle the debt right now. They refused to settle. I ended the call and looked at my credit report for the next creditor. While I was deciding who to call next, a debt collection agency called me and wanted to settle. It was a $2300 bill. They were willing to settle for 60%. I had just saved another $920.

After some quick math, I realized I still had $320 left out of my $2000 debt paying budget. I found an eye doctor that I owed $160. He was willing to settle for $100.

With $220  left, I was a little leery about calling another collection agency, but I found another credit card with a balance of $800. They were willing to settle for $400. It was over my limit, but I agreed.

All in all for a day's worth of phone calls, I paid off almost $4000 worth of debt for a little over $2000. It was well worth the time and money spent, and the increase to my credit score was astounding. I was no longer a terrible credit risk.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories
  

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

I’m always careful when I rent an apartment. I don’t want anything too big. I want water, sewer, and at least trash included. If I can get gas or heat included, I do that, as well. I want central air conditioning and washer/dryer hookups. I don’t care if the complex has a pool, gym, Jacuzzi, tennis courts or any other frills. I won’t use them, and it means higher overall rent payments.


Rent

The first thing I do before I choose any apartment is figure out the rent I can afford. Typically, this is 25% of my net income, or roughly one week of net pay. I do net pay because I never see gross pay. I can’t base my rent off an amount I never see.

This means that if I am making $35,000 a year, I can expect to take home $26,250 a year. That’s $505 a week. That’s the rent amount I start with because it’s guaranteed that I will have no problems paying it.


Location

Next, I look at locations. I generally want an area that has been historically safe. In Indianapolis that means living outside of the beltline or in the Northern part of the city. Since I know I can’t afford the rents North, I looked South and West and East outside the beltline. I know that living outside the beltline is more expensive than inside the beltline. Inside the beltline I can find rent for $350 - $400 a month, but I also know that I’ll sacrifice safety and security if I do. With that in mind, I’d rather pay a little more and have peace of mind.


Water, Sewer, Trash, and Heat

When I look at apartments, I look to see what’s included in the rent. I had the misfortune of living in an a la cart complex once where water, sewer and trash were not included. The base rent was $574 a month, but after they added water, sewer and trash to the bill, it was closer to $630 a month. Those extra fees put the apartment well out of my price range, and I struggled with the payments for the entirety of the lease. Needless to say, I will never do that again. My rent has to include at a bare minimum water, sewer and trash. I don’t want any hidden fees, and I don’t want to guess what next month’s rent is going to be.

Unfortunately, I was unable to find an apartment of any size for $505/month. The apartment I did find included water, sewer and trash for $550 a month with a $10 discount for paying rent before the first of the month. Being that it was only $35 more than my budget, I decided to take it. If it had been $50 or $75 more than my budget, I would have kept looking until I found a better deal.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

Having someone come in and periodically do all the deep cleaning is awesome. They typically clean everything I haven’t touched in six months or longer like behind the toilet, the blinds, the cabinets, and the hood over the oven. They’re also going to have better cleaning chemicals that remove stains and hard water from sinks and bathtubs. It’s something I really appreciate, but it’s also something I have to budget for. Here’s how I save money on house cleaning services.

Hire Local

I typically hire local. I want to know who’s going to be cleaning my home, and I want to meet with them prior. A lot of time this isn’t possible with a large cleaning service. You’ll meet with the manager and discuss a price. Then, another person will come in and clean. They’re also bound by price limitations. They have to charge so much for each service. A local cleaning service will be more willing to negotiate services and prices.


Do The Light Cleaning

If you’re like me, you want the cleaning service to do the heavy cleaning not the light cleaning. This means that I typically pick up all my things and clear off the counters. The faster they’re able to move through the wipe down and stain removal of the counters and surfaces, the cheaper the price will be. This was a negotiating point with the lady I hired. She was willing to pick up all my dirty clothes, shoes, trash, and do my laundry, but the cost increased by $100 dollars. I told her I’d pick up my own stuff and do all my dishes.

This has a dual goal. By picking up and organizing your own stuff, you know what you’ve got and you can put away any sensitive documents. I found a tax statement and a W-2 while cleaning up a pile of papers. Those are things that I do not want the cleaning lady to have access to.


Ovens, Refrigerators, and Dishwashers

I opted out of having the lady clean the inside of the refrigerator, oven, and dishwasher. I can do those things myself, or I can have her come back at a later date and just do those things. Either way, they weren’t on my must do list for this cleaning session. Also, if you have a self cleaning oven, it’s pointless to pay someone to clean it. They’re just going to twist the knob to clean, let it run, and then wipe out the bottom.

It took me two days to pick up, organize, and take out the trash. My apartment is ready for the cleaning lady to come in and do the deep cleaning. The result was a $200 savings on my cleaning bill which is well worth the time spent cleaning and organizing my own stuff. Plus, she won’t be asking me where things go. It saved me time and effort, and it saves her time and effort.

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

Cookouts are awesome. I loved grilled hamburgers and hotdogs, potato chips, dip, and everything else that goes along with a cookout. However, cookouts can become an expensive endeavor if you’re not careful. Here’s how I make sure to stay within budget and have my grilled hotdogs.


Have the guests pitch in

Having the guests pitch in doesn’t mean having them spend money. The last cookout I attended, I brought things I already had; including ketchup, an onion, a tomato, and a roll of paper towels. It didn’t cost me a thing, and it saved the hosts about $5.00.

With the advent of facebook and other social media, it’s even easier to announce the event and post the things needed to your potential guests. For the next cookout, we plan to invite all our family and have them each bring a dish. In addition to the social media invitation, we could include a list of things for them to bring such as foil, paper towels, plates, napkins, and plasticware. The guests that have those things on hand would be welcome to bring them, and able to update their offerings via a comment.


Only buy what you need

The biggest issue I see at cookouts involves bringing and having too much food. That’s wasted money and wasted food. If you’re inviting 20 guests, 40 hotdogs, 20 hamburgers, and two packs of bratwursts should do it for the meat. Add two bags of chips, some baked beans, and potato salad and your set. Anything else can be brought by the guests. I know I always bring my own drinks and a dessert. No one in my family drinks Diet Coke, and I’m a real grump if there’s no cake.


Shop the grocery store ads the week prior

Grocery stores generally have meat, coke, on sale during any given week. The trick is to shop all the ads for all the local grocery stores and figure out where you can get hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad, Coke, and ice for the least amount of money. Doing this can save $10 to $20 dollars on cookout essentials.

In short, a tiny bit of preplanning for every cookout could save you a tremendous amount of cash. It’s fun to get together and eat grilled hotdogs and socialize with the family. But, if you’re like me, you don’t want to break the bank doing it.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories

by Stacey Carroll, Contributing Writer

I love vacations. I love them because I can get away and destress and detox from my busy work-life. However, I’m not in the habit of spending a lot of money during my vacations. I want to have fun, but I also want to get the best price possible.


Packages

I am a big fan of vacation packages. In 2008, I took a Halloween vacation to Kings Mill Resort. It was a three day vacation over Halloween weekend and included tickets to Busch Gardens for each day I was there. The weekend package was $400 dollars. I have since signed up for emails from Kings Mill Resort, and every holiday, they have an inexpensive weekend holiday package. They even price the packages according to how many people are visiting. Because I was the only one visiting, I received a $100 discount on the package price.


Driving

The question of how to get somewhere is always controversial: fly or drive. I will almost always choose to drive. It’s almost always cheaper to drive, especially on short notice. I have found that it doesn’t take that much more time to drive than fly when I add in the layovers, arriving two hours early, delays, and car rental. Plus, I can bring as much luggage as I want if I drive my car. There’s no shopping for throw-away clothes once I get to my destination. Driving instead of flying typically saves me $200.


Travel Sites

If I have to fly, I always visit one of the many travel sites. My favorite is Priceline. I have also gone with Expedia and Travelocity. Right now, I could fly round trip from Indianapolis to Houston for $250 if I book the flight on Priceline. If I go to the airline’s website, I’m going to pay $350 or more which is a savings of at least $100, and if I book a flight and hotel package, I save even more money.


Lodging

It’s always cheaper to stay with family or friends than it is to stay in a hotel, so if I’m traveling to a city where I have family and friends, I try to make plans to stay with them. It saves me between $50 and $100 dollars a night. If I can’t stay with a family member or a friend, then I book a flight and hotel package.


Food

Instead of eating out, once I get to my destination, I check into the hotel room and assess what it has to offer. If it only offers a microwave and a coffee maker, than I take that into consideration. If it has a full kitchen, then I take that into consideration. Either way, one of my first stops is a grocery store. Eating out can cost $10 or more per meal, and I can cook my own food for less than $10 dollars a day.

I regularly save between $500 and $1000 per vacation by using these tips. The saved money means I can buy more souvenirs or save the money for my next vacation.

Author Bio:

Stacey Carroll is the author of the thriller series - Avia.  She also authors the paranormal erotica series - The Blooddoll Factory. Stacey grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. she went to college at Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in aerospace in the professional pilot program. She has flown Cessna 152s, Cessna 172s, the Pipe Seneca and the King Air. She also graduated with a minor in computer science that specialized in web design.

She has always been interested in reading and writing, and the first book she was ever read was the Grimms Brother's Fairy tales. From the ages of 6 to 11, she read the Nancy Drew series. By the age of 11, she had graduated to Stephen King novels. A few of her favorites include Carrie, Tommyknockers, The Dark Tower Series up to book 3 (That's where it stopped in the late 80s/ early 90s), Pet Semetary, The Shining, Night Shift, The Stand, It, Cujo, Christine, The Eyes of the Dragon and Thinner (Richard Bachman). In her teen years, she moved on to Anne Rice and got through about four of those books before they degraded. If you've ever read Anne Rice, you know book 5 isn't readable. Stacey has read a couple Harry Potter books as she was introduced to them in the early 2000s, and she's never read or watched anything Twilight or 50 Shades. Sorry. I'm a vampire purist, and nothing needs to be said about the latter. You already know.

She is currently an author and freelance writer. She received an honorable mention in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine in 2008 for a short story entitled The Field. In 2014, she was published in 13 Stories by Us by MacKenzie Publishing.

Other books by Stacey

• AVIA II
• AVIA Memories