Mad Bananas December 2011

Mad Bananas December 2011

If you happened to catch the “Mad Money” post last month, then you know that Our Banana Moments decided to monetize. Below is how much cash Our Banana Moments raked in last month after trying out a variety of monetizing methods.

Mad Bananas: December 2011

	Escalate Network	$164.31
	Google Adsense	$14.74
	Sponsored Tweets	$4.55
	My Savings Media	$0.00
	Sponsored Reviews	$0.00
	LinkShare	$0.00
	Commission Junction	$0.00
	Brandcaster	$0.00
	Swagbucks	$0.00
	Amazon	$0.00
	Total Bananas in the basket	$183.60

As you have probably noticed, there will be no first class round the world tour in the foreseeable future; however, it was fun and challenging, but, make no mistake, it is not as easy as it may seem.  Additionally, I noticed that figuring out how various methods work, I started neglecting my writing. I hope that January will find that Our Banana Moments makes a few more pennies while having a whole lot of fun.

I look forward to how many bananas will be collected this month.  Please, if you have any tips, I am open, just respond to this post or email me at followthebanana@ourbananamoments.com 

 

Raisin Bran Muffins

Raisin Bran Muffins Recipe

This is the easiest muffin mix ever!  If you are thinking that the recipe is so easy that the muffins taste like cardboard, you are wrong.  With or without a little butter, these muffins are moist and are a delight to eat while sipping a nice cup of hazelnut coffee.

4-cups of Raisin Bran Mix

1-Egg

1-Cup of water

Pre-heat your oven to 400^o.  Grease (or use cooking spray) muffin cups.

Place the muffin mix in a bowl.  Beat the egg and water; stir into mix just until moistened.

Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 (two-thirds) full.

Bake at 400^o for 15 to 17 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

This fast and easy treat makes one batch of 12 muffins that can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Don't forget to preview the upcoming Sunday paper coupon inserts.

My Top Ten Freebies: Tuesday 1/10/2012

Today I was struck with the urge to scour the net looking to see what I could find free.  I was shocked at the sheer numbers of manufacturers offering full or sample sized products.  Rather than sitting on my newly found goldmine of free goodies, below is what I considered the top 10 of the day.  I hope that you are able to find a few, if not all, worthy of a click.

Free Short Stack at IHOP – National Pancake Day is 2/28/12

Send for a free sample of Swerve ALL-Natural Sweetener

Free Sample of Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Hair care

Free 12-ct Box of Green Mountain Cafe Express Hot Cocoa K-Cups

Eucerin Calming Itch Relief Lotion - Free Sample

Secure a Free Shout Color Catcher Sample

L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand Cream – Free with coupon

$250 in Free Gifts from Enfamil

Waffle House - Free Coffee with Coupon

Request a Free Beech-Nut Stage 4 Toddler Kit

Meal Planning: Healthy & Friendly

You may not realize how many food allergies can affect the health of you and your kids. For example, you may have dairy in your diet and it might be causing your body to produce extra mucous, which can then aggravate your sinuses and/or respiratory allergy complaints.  Avoid these with proper meal planning.

When planning a special family meal with invited guests or just menu planning for the kids, it is suggested to make it as healthy as possible. You can plan meals in such a way as to minimize the impact of the meal on the guests’ health, including your own kids, with these tips.

1.      Avoid putting dairy products in the meal. For example, dairy aggravates some people’s food allergies and/or stomach and intestinal complaints. It can also be hard to digest some meals if you use a lot of cheeses or steak.  

2.      If you know about people’s seafood tastes, you can serve up a healthy meal using shrimp, white fish, or even tuna. For example, you might serve up tilapia, which is budget-friendly too, and cook it in an olive oil sauce with garlic.

3.      Use fruit in your dessert plan. Some guests may have diabetes or other diet considerations. If you use fresh fruit, not frozen, canned, or processed, you can whip up something light such as a fruit salad or a fruit topping for a sugar-free cake, and everyone can enjoy it. Hint: A dessert pastry mix should not have dairy products if you are using tip #1.

Budgeting Your Monthly Expenses

Budgeting your monthly expenses by categories is a surefire way to ensure that you will save money in the long run. Let’s talk about exactly what this means. In your household budget, you should have a list of categories. They might be set up on a spreadsheet or on a piece of lined paper.

At the top of the list of categories are the most essential payments that must be made every month. For example, you can place your mortgage payment, rent, groceries, insurance, daycare, and utilities at the top of the list. Underneath these major recurring expenses, you will have spots for other expenses that recur every month. These are secondary expenses that could be cut if you had a sudden change in income, such as a job loss or a reduction in work hours at your job. Examples of secondary expenses are a gym membership, a cell phone plan, a cable bill, and extracurricular activities for the kids.

At the bottom of all of these expenses are discretionary spending categories where you have some flexibility. You don’t have to take the kids to the Chuck E. Cheese every week and spend $30, and you don’t have to send the kids on every field trip with the Cub Scouts or the dance team. Also, sometimes the kids can take their lunch instead of buying school lunch. What you have to do is prioritize so that you have discretionary cash available when needed.

Diabetics have you checked your hemoglobin A1c lately?

A1c, HEMOGLOBIN A1c

The A1c test is used primarily to monitor the glucose control of diabetics over time. The goal of those with diabetes is to keep their blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. This helps to minimize the complications caused by chronically elevated glucose levels, such as progressive damage to body organs like the kidneys, eyes, cardiovascular system, and nerves. The A1c test gives a picture of the average amount of glucose in the blood over the last few months. It can help a patient and his doctor know if the measures they are taking to control the patient's diabetes are successful or need to be adjusted.

Depending on the type of diabetes that you have, how well your diabetes is controlled, and your doctor, your A1c may be measured 2 to 4 times each year. The American DiabetesAssociation (ADA) recommends testing your A1c 4 times each year if you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and use insulin; or 2 times each year if you have type 2 diabetes and do not use insulin. When someone is first diagnosed with diabetes or if control is not good, A1c may be ordered more frequently.

How it works

The A1c blood test checks the average amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood over the last 2 to 3 months. It does this by measuring the concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin. As glucose circulates in the blood, some of it binds to hemoglobin A. This is the main form of hemoglobin in adults. Hemoglobin is a red protein that carries oxygen in the red blood cells (RBC's). Once the glucose is bound to the hemoglobin A, it remains there for the life of the red blood cell (about 120 days). This combination of glucose and hemoglobin A is called A1c (or hemoglobin A1c or glycohemoglobin). Increased glucose in the blood, increases the hemoglobin A1c. A1c levels do not change quickly but will shift as older RBC's die and younger ones take their place.

NORMAL HEMOGLOBIN A1C VALUES

Non diabetic adults: 2.2%-4.8%

Non diabetic child: 1.8%-4.0%

Good diabetic control: 2.5%-5.9%

Fair diabetic control: 6%-8%

Poor diabetic control: greater than 8%

**"Normal" ranges for lab values and other tests may vary among different laboratories and/or hospitals.

Your caregiver will go over the test results with you and discuss the importance and meaning of your results, as well as treatment options and the need for additional tests if necessary.

This post is for informational purposes only.  If you feel that you may have diabetes or need your hemoglobin A1C check, contact your credentialed health care provider.

Mix and Match Fashion Cents

 

If you are on a tight budget during the fall and winter, it can be difficult to feel like you will be able to dress yourself and the kids in your family in the latest fashions during this cold season. What works best is to pick items that you can afford on your budget this year and use them to augment the pieces in your existing wardrobe. This sounds like great advice for you, but you might also be thinking it is less useful for kids because their sizes change often.

Try some of these tips for whomever you must buy for regardless of age. You will be surprised how mixing and matching can save you money.

Here are some ways to get the most out of your fashion dollars without breaking the bank:

1.      Buy one winter coat in a solid color such as black, navy blue, or brown. This can be used for almost any occasion. You can alternate sweaters and other kinds of winter wraps for different occasions.

 

2.      Buy at least one new pair of dress shoes and casual shoes for the season. This will require taking yourself and the kids to actually try shoes on, especially if you are looking for boots or dress shoes, which are difficult to fit without this important step.  

3.      Mix and match solid garments with print garments. For example, if you have some pieces of black in your wardrobe, you can mix them with any print. You can also use some of your fall, spring, and summer clothes to layer during the winter. It is about rotating items in the wardrobe to make fewer clothes count for more outfits.

Networking - Ole Skool Style

If you are thinking of using your blog for professional networking, you should also know that you could use face-to-face marketing tactics to generate more traffic to your blog. One easy idea involves the tried-and-true approach of the business card. You can print the URL for your professional or personal blog on the bottom of your traditional business card.

When you hand the business card to people, discuss the types of content that you post on your blog and why customers and other professional contacts should check it out. If they will just take the time to go online and read your blog and you are sure that you have developed an engaging array of content, you can be sure that you will turn at least some contacts, even friends and family, into trusted blog readers.

You can also use the blog to make special offers to readers. For example, you can offer a discount to customers for each time that they refer a new customer to you. You need a code or another method of tracking referrals.

If you plan to use your blog to make money for your small business, such as by growing the client base, business cards are the way to go. Networking through word of mouth and through the referrals you receive when people share your blog, posts online can help you build a strong following of blog readers.

Remember that you can also update your blog with video, audio, and photographic contents to make the blog site more interesting for the reader. You want to effectively use the blog as a channel for sharing relevant information about yourself and your business.