Quik Tip Tuesday: Tips to Make Every Day Earth Day
April 21, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
There are things you can do year-round to help save the environment. It is common knowledge that reducing the amount of paper used and the amount of time we spend in our cars is important, but many don’t know how easy and inexpensive these steps can be.
According to http://www.TheDailyGreen.com, Americans consume about 700 pounds of paper per person per year-everything from napkins and take-out boxes to gift wrapping and cardboard. So how can we reduce our impact on the environment? One way is through technology.
Although some people go so far as to advocate e-mailing wedding invitations or Christmas cards instead of sending paper ones, there are some more subtle ways you can help reduce your environmental impact and still save time and money. Here are a few ways technology can help:
Help your team go paperless. Many companies use expensive technology to manage the amount of paper they use but there are free options available for everyone. Free online storage sites like Microsoft Office Live Workspace can help your team go paperless. They provide an easy way to keep track of your Little League schedule or the car-pool rotation and give you the ability to update items in real time. There is no need to print out schedules, because everyone can log on to see if there are updates.
Online research saves time and money. In today’s economy, everyone is looking for a deal, and getting the most out of your money often requires research. With the prevalence of retail Web sites, you can now research online instead of driving around town to compare prices. Researching online saves you time and money and reduces the amount of time you spend in your car.
Download software instead of buying a box. Advances in technology and improved Internet speed have made it easier to download software for your computer than to drive to a store to buy the same thing in a box. This helps reduce packaging waste.
One popular software download is Microsoft Office 2007 (www.store.microsoft.com). According to research, one digital download of Microsoft Office is equivalent to saving the emissions from one gallon of gas; 10 million digital downloads are equivalent to 13,008 cars not driven for one year.
Use your computer’s power management tools. Use the power management tools in your computer’s control panel to select energy-reducing settings. If you and nine of your friends do this, it becomes the equivalent of taking one car off the road. Another way to reduce your computer’s energy consumption is to stop using screen savers and instead blank your screen. This will save energy and extend the life of your monitor.
These are just some of the ways technology can help reduce your impact on the environment. If we all do our part, together, we can make every day Earth Day.
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Did it provide you with a new insight or resource? If so, buy me a cup of coffee, or send me a tip. Any amount you select is greatly appreciated -- just select what you feel this post was worth to you. Cheers!Quik Tip Tuesday: Save Time and Money
October 21, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
A company has developed a new approach to small-business lending. The company-On Deck Capital-looks at the performance of the business, its bank activity, transaction data, business credit and other data to evaluate its overall health. To learn more, visit www.ondeckcapital.com.
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) offers savings and tax benefits to Americans in the military. For more information, visit www.SaveAndInvest.org or www. tsp.gov or call the government’s Thriftline at (877) 968-3778.
To offer small businesses and office professionals more variety and selection, Staples recently introduced “Post-it Brand Shops” in all of its 1,400 U.S. stores. These shops provide one of the widest assortments, with over 150 Post-it products. For more tips, visit www.StaplesPostItShop.com.
Submit your favorite tool and resource links to us for posting on Quik Tip Tuesday – if we use your tip, we’ll publish your suggestion, along with a link to your website.
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Did it provide you with a new insight or resource? If so, buy me a cup of coffee, or send me a tip. Any amount you select is greatly appreciated -- just select what you feel this post was worth to you. Cheers!Finance Guru Helps Americans Save $1 at a Time
October 20, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
When Eric Solis was 13 years old, he returned home from school to find his mother, a small business owner, curled up and sobbing on the floor. Her husband was gone, her business was failing – she couldn’t feed her children, much less pay off her debts.
That painful moment lead Solis to seek a career in finance. As a broker, he made the rich richer and earned more than enough money for himself. Until one day in 1998, when Solis, while flying over the Grand Canyon, suddenly remembered the promise he had made to his mother – “Everything will be okay.”
In 1998, Americans were already spending more money than they earned. That money was going overseas, padding the pockets of foreigners while preventing middle America from securing financial stability. Solis decided then to help the average person save money. He started a company, Save252.com, an online piggybank that helps users save as little as a dollar a day, 252 days a year.
Ten years later, as the House and Senate struggled to put together a financial rescue plan, money guru Solis came up with another solution. In September 2008, Solis sent a proposal to executive and Congressional leaders, asking them to give 3.5 trillion dollars – to the American people.
“If the government gave each household $15,000 to pay off consumer debt or to put into an IRA, they would reward good behavior and channel money into the banking system,” said Solis. “Giving money to Wall Street – the same institutions who have manipulated and abused middle America for decades now – won’t relieve pressure at the consumer level.”
Solis believes that economic stability starts with the middle class. If Americans have a financial cushion in their bank accounts, they won’t borrow money that they cannot pay back. Financial institutions won’t find themselves strapped for cash because of defaulted loans, so they won’t have to borrow money from abroad.
“As Americans save, they will become less dependent on borrowing from large institutions, and those large institutions and the government will become less dependent on foreign capital,” says Solis. “We can buy back America one dollar at a time.”
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