Some of the items are factory refurbished. Some are new and sealed. I would imagine they can offer things at low prices because companies write off excess overstock or items that were returned, but I am not 100% entirely sure. You can check Swizzie on Facebook. If you want to, follow Swizzie at Twitter if Twitter is more your style. It appears that their accounts on both are relatively new.

Have you tried Swizzie or an auction site with a similar concept. Did you have a good experience, or do you have a “wait and see” attitude? Write and tell me what you think.

The two Parisian stores are located at:

Laurel Park Place

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Parisian at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township:
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The dates and times are September 15, 2010 from 8: A.M. through 9:00 P.M. The day is divided into three four hour shifts, and they are asking for two volunteers for each shift. If you are interested, please contact Rose Belzyt at 313-557-8791 (cell 734-795-0214) or email her at rbelzyt @goodwilldetroit. org. Just remove the spaces in the email address. They have been added to prevent spambots from picking up the address.

Someone who is bidding on an online auction or an out of town guest attending a live auction may be reluctant to bid on a gift certificate for a high ticket item when they don’t have access to the local jeweler, or at least not long enough to make an informed decision on what to redeem it on. Pick a watch retailer like Bluedial.com, where the winner can take their time ordering and can get exactly what they want, even if they live miles away.  The charity also has a high ticket or at least intriguing item to promote in their auction catalog. Sounds like a win-win to me.

How does it work? If you have an iPhone or Droid (Blackberry coming soon), you can earn points by “checking in” at local businesses and completing tasks. The task might be to take a photo with the phone of the front of the business to prove you were there. Pretty simple, right? What I need to do more investigation on is if there are enough businesses in my metro area, or along my dog walking route that participate. However, from what I understand, some national chains are involved.

For advertisers, they can get foot traffic.  Granted, taking a shot from outside the building doesn’t mean someone is going to shop, but it etches the business in their mind.  Also, some tasks involve going in and taking photos of a meal they ordered, etcetera. If you play your cards right, you might just make a enough to cover some of the cost of your text package, or possibly your phone bill if you are really involved and as the number of participating businesses increases.

I’ll keep my ear to the ground and let you know what else I hear.

So many pleas for help come into my inbox about someone who is losing their home or someone who trying to rescue different dogs. Often a “friend” will take up a collection. I have mixed feelings about that. Sure, its very grassroots to pool people together and with a few dollars each you can make a difference. On the other hand, we shouldn’t have to panic over someone’s lack of planning. Things happen, but all too often, someone gets stranded with a dog or supplies that someone else was supposed to take and when they get there they realize there was a mis-communication.

If you want to help a family member or someone you just know of, but don’t want to transfer cash, Boost Mobile provides a way to put credit on someone’s phone. They can’t use the funds for anything else, but it will give them additional airtime minutes in an emergency, or can receives texts on their Blackberry with directions and other pertinent info. With the Re-Boost program, you can pay online, in person or by phone. Payments can be a one time deal, or you can set up automatic debits. It may not help with other issues, but you can be sure that your brother on spring break, or a volunteer stranded in the middle of nowhere has enough of a cushion to make the calls they need to make.  It’s also a great idea for Back to School.

What he ended up with was a stainless steel sink with a single basin. While not everything is hooked up with, platters fit with no finagling, not to mention a small dog can be washed without having to straddle the center beam.  They like that idea a lot.  If you’ve got a small space and no stationary tub in the basement or garage, you might want to consider a single basin for the pups or washing your hair.

I was surprised that Zenni Optical on the net is offering tinting on prescription lenses for $4.95. I have been a little flummoxed looking at the decent-grade sunglasses out there for 150+ or more. If you are looking for a safe option for the car, but aren’t looking to pay a lot, check it out.  If you are looking for frames made in the United States, you won’t find them there. However, I noticed that the frames that I have flipped over at the mall, even the high end ones, are made overseas.  This is getting the same thing for less money.

If anyone finds a company that makes frames in the United States, please let me know.  It seems that its a similar quest to finding a unicorn.

A lot of kids in my family have phones and are downloading catchy songs, but to me, while such music may sound pretty harmless sans profanity and questionable sound effects, really listen to what the younger folks in your family are downloading. Her debut song and others of the ilk  are a bit angsty for pre-tweens. Itse is about being extremely sad and lonely with no resolution to it.  There is nothing inherently wrong with that, and it is typical fodder for emo music, but if a 9 year old is consistently choosing tunes about desolation, feeling worthless or similar themes, you may want to brighten up the music repertoire or if they only choose gloom, find out if there is more to it. Don’t send them to a shrink, just actually talk to them once in awhile.

Mission Foods is a proud supporter of Share Our Strength, a movement committed to stamp out childhood hunger.  Share Our Strength reaches out to communities by educating families on how to cook healthy, budget friendly meals, and assists local organizations that assist children and families concerning poverty related hunger issues.

What is the Mission Menus Challenge?  Aspiring chefs submit creative recipes incorporating Mission products. The stipulation? The recipe must include Mission Flour Tortillas, and in the spirit of Share Our Strength, the recipe must feed a family of 4 for $10 or less. With so many cooking challenges revolving around foods that require a large investment or that are not available everywhere geographically, it is refreshing to see. Perhaps the menus will also help families when the winning recipes are released to make a budget friendly nutritious meal for their families, and will choose homemade instead of fast food.

Winners will have a chance to compete in a Los Angeles cooking challenge hosted by Chef Sarah Moulton, whom you may know from the Food Network. Other prizes include a kitchen makeover. Submit your recipes starting TOMORROW, July 28, 2010. Entries must be received by August 9th.  To be eligible, entrants must be 18 years of age or older and be permanent legal residents of the United States, excluding territories.

Off and on I have been continuing to explore the idea of online degrees, only the costs are much high, it seems, than a community college or regular university. Apparently, the cost of materials is figured into the price rather than figuring it separately, so that may be partially why. The bonus is that you pay as you go and don’t accumulate student loans. Credits for online schools can culminate into a degree or can be transferred. Ashworth College, out of Georgia, is one such school where the fees seem to be competitive. Other online schools typically accepts these credits, as do some community colleges and universities.

There are many stay-at-home moms and even folks who run online businesses that are going for degrees because the schedule is flexible, as long as you have the self discipline to set aside time to study. It doesn’t matter what hour of the day or week it is, but it still has to be figured in. An hour or two after bedtimes or before taking photos for your online store is enough time.  I was pretty much trapped in the house a few years back and struggled to keep myself motivated. Tele-learning can help someone who feels a bit isolated feel in control and work towards the next step.

However, before you enroll, think about what you are doing down the road. If you are trying to knock off some classes to get into a degree program elsewhere, make sure that the receiving college does not only accept credits from regionally accredited programs. Schools offering an Online degree are often nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), and their degrees stand on their own. However, some courses of study, institutions and employers requiring continuing education in some states demand coursework from REGIONALLY accredited schools if you intend to transfer into their program.

I am always looking to stretch a few dollars and shave my grocery bill or pet care bills when I can. I want to be a better steward of my money in general, but a few extra dollars means that I can donate to a cause that I care about versus refraining or that can collect interest in the bank for a rainy day. There are some areas where corners just cannot be cut for quality or health reasons.Walletpop offers a list of 10 Products to Always Buy Generic. The list includes:

• Over the counter medications, such as aspirin and cough medicine.
• Cereal
• Pantry items, such as flour and baking needs.
• Soda
• Gas
• Beauty Products
• Batteries
• Cables (computer cables, electronic cables)
• Produce
• Baby formula. Not some mystery label, but store brand formula.

The biggest surprises for me?  Gas and baby formula. I didn’t know that there really was such a thing as generic gasoline. However, its not really generic in the manner that I thought. There is no small family business refining their own oil on a small scale. It just means to simply hit up the Costco or Meijer gas station or try the local single-location place in town. Check prices vigilantly, however.

Baby formula is not something you want to mess around with. I was surprised that store brands have comparable ingredients.  I know, some of my readers will ask me to take the opportunity to promote feeding babies the way nature intended, but some moms don’t have that ability or have medical complications that create separation from baby and preclude them.  Store brands and generics must meet the same FDA health standards and nutrition guidelines as the pricier brands. Also, families using WIC can stretch their dollar farther that way, as it is a WIC item.

For produce, make sure you check the country of origin on conventional produce, and also remember that locally grown items from farm stands support local families.  I have noticed that if you buy the 365 brand, which is the Whole Foods Store brand, you can score some good deals on items that are just as well monitored as juices and crackers made by the big names. I know I have.  In fact, the 365 brand nutrient water is sometimes less expensive than conventional Vitamin Water.

Which one of these items do you always buy generic or store brand? Are there any local small-name companies you buy from that have value instead of boutique pricing. Also, were there things on the list that surprised you that you now are going to check generic’s on?

Good share. I search internet whole day for it. This day is Wednesday.

Then, it was the march of the really, really generic comments.

This is the best article ever. I was saying to may friend the other day that this is the best website ever on such an important subject like the one you write about.

In the past week or two, many comments have actually related somewhat to the article in a very general way.

I really like cats! They are my favorite.

While a legitimate reader may make a general declarative statement, watch the “name” and the homepage of the poster. Some editors and bloggers do not accept comments from folks with keywords for names.  I don’t always abide by this because there are many people that use “handles” or the name of their blog or website as their name.  I do watch when their name is long or quite sploggy, such as ‘buy pharmaceuticals direct on the internet” or their homepage url is long and suspicious.  One other observation is that spam comments often include an asterisk “*” or a dash at the end.  Of course, real people can do this too, but more often than not it denotes spam.  In the past week or so, the symbols has been disappearing. Maybe whatever software spammers use is getting “wise.”

Either way, be careful out there.

From time to time, different chains and organizations give away a night at a hotel as a prize. While its nice, it usually involves a hefty investment as it does not include transportation costs. Winners almost do not want to win, unless they have a trip coming up outside of the blackout dates, or can find someone to watch the kids as the room is only suited for double occupancy.

The Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes goes against the grain by giving away a weekend hotel stay for you and 3 lucky friends every day. Of course, they don’t have to be friends. They can be your kids. The grand prize winner wins 100 hotel rooms for a weekend to reconnect with every single person the know (all most). That sounds like a spontaneous family reunion to me. Or what about a convention?

Several grass roots organizations I am familiar with have volunteers scattered throughout the country. Some have only “met” on the internet or have spoken on the phone and have never met in person, despite having worked together for years. The prize would certainly help everyone come together and meet face to face. The trip could certainly act as a major think tank.

Many Hampton Inns accept pets, but check call the indvidual property first. Each hotel has its own weight requirements and fees.

Real estate agents typically act as independent contractors unless they work solely in-house for a model home manufacturer, for instance.  If they are paid by commission, they source and pay for their own health coverage, just like other small business owners. I do not know her situation, but often Realtors like Zarina and other small business owners do not receive pay for missed time. They do not bank sink days.

Friends are throwing a fundraiser from 4:00-8:00 P.M. Pacific time today in Carlsbad, California, to lend a helping hand. If you cannot make it, donations are accepted made payable to:

The Windermere Foundation, Zarina Rahman
125 Lomas Santa Fe
Solana Beach, CA 92075

Alternately, call Holly at (858) 369-3405.

If you are out and about in Carlsbad, or know someone who is, tickets are $20. Head on over to the Sheraton at 5480 Grand Pacific Drive, Carlsbad CA 92008.  Enjoy music, entertainment by the band the Rip Currents (Who “covers the Rock and Roll you love to hear, but not the stuff you have heard WAY TOO MUCH”), food and a cash bar. Instead of heading to a restaurant or going to buy concert tickets for next weekend, head to the Sheraton and your money will go to help a deserving young lady get back on her feet…hopefully literally.