I don’t know about you, but I love movies. There are so many ways to get them these days (DVD rental places, DVD rental services, etc) but that’s not always convenient.

For instance, what if I want to watch a movie on my laptop, but I don’t want to carry all of my movies around with me?  That’s where a good DVD Ripper comes in.  ImTOO makes a great one, and one called DVD Ripper Mac.

In addition to those two products, ImTOO also makes a Video Converter for Mac.  This allows for ripping DVD to AVI, DVD to MPEG and more.  Check out their website because they have a lot of other great programs to make your movies portable.

Three years ago we lived in a teensy apartment in town.  Two people could barely fit in the kitchen at the same time.  As for closet space, there wasn’t any.  We longed for something bigger.

We eventually moved out to the country, into a house that, at first glance, is quite ugly and plain.  Those are the words I thought when I first saw it.  I figured if we did rent it, it was going to need work.

We haven’t done much to the outside yet, but I’m thinking our boring little house could use some window flower boxes in the front, facing the street.  I’d also like some window plant boxes on the end windows (where they would catch the most rainfall) and a window box right outside the kitchen window for herbs.

Written by Sherri Hicks

I am one of those guys that’s huge into sports. I could watch football, basketball or baseball all day long. I have never been one to sit down and watch the discovery channel or anything like that but lately I have been watching a show called River Monsters. We recently switched to Direct TV and it was one of the channels I had to have so I could watch the discovery channel. The guys name is Jeremy Wade and he travels around the world looking for the most deadly fish. Many times the fish that he is hunting have killed people. Some of these fish weigh upwards or 150 pounds. He also gives you info on the people that inhabit the areas that he is in which I also find pretty interesting. Some of the ways the people in the village fish and live everyday life makes me very happy to be living in the United states. The show makes me want to go fishing in to river to see what I can find. I just can’t get enough of the show, I hope they make season after season of it. The show is on in the evening, you can usually catch a episode or two around 8 or 9. If you miss it just check your local listings cause the show is on a lot.

A few years ago my monstrosity of a digital camera was stolen when my house was broken into.  The camera was one of those cameras that used a 3.5″ floppy disk as film.  It was very old school.

With the insurance money I got a brand new digital camera, and I love it.  It still works great, and I love that it can change from color to black and white, and will even record video.

A year ago I found myself looking at digital cameras again.  This time I was buying one for my husband’s birthday, so he would stop borrowing mine!  Where did I go?  Buy.com, of course.

Read these words: term life insurance no medical exam. That’s right, you can get life insurance without having to go through a long, painful and sometimes humiliating medical exam.

Term life insurance is the answer if you have been looking for life insurance protection for your family and your assets.  It’s less expensive than whole life insurance, and it’s easier to qualify for.

My husband decided to go back to college last year after being at his job for several years.  He has an Associates Degree, but to get a license in his field he needs a Bachelor’s Degree.

Unfortunately, his employer won’t pay for his college classes.  We’re lucky he still has a job!  I told him he should look for college scholarships and college grants, since we can’t afford the tuition ourselves.  It’s just too bad he’s not in a minority so he could qualify for all of the wonderful minority scholarships out there.

He had to pay for a few classes on his own, but since his income has gone down so much, qualifying next year will be easier.  Once he has his degree he can make more money.

The best thing you can do for yourself in these tough economic times is increase your education.  Professionals with degrees have better opportunities and make more money than those without degrees.

The Chronicle is a website devoted to higher education in the United States and all around the world.  This website mentions Walden University (among others) as a possible option for an online degree for working professionals.

Another website to help you get educated would be the U.S. Department of Education.  Here you can find out grants and scholarships for those wishing to go college.

Take it from someone who knows (me): dealing with alcohol and drug problems are not easy.  I’m not an addict, but I know several people who are, including my own family members.

I have one family member who is currently in alcohol rehab.  Her alcohol treatment program has gone well, but only time will tell.  A good alcohol treatment center can make all the difference in the world.

I also have sibling who could benefit from drug rehab.  I don’t believe he’s ever had drug treatment before, but I know he could use it now.

If you or a family member are struggling with these problems, get help.  Your loved ones will thank you for it.

Credit is such a big deal, especially in today’s economy.  While my payments haven’t changed and my income hasn’t changed, my credit card companies have lowered my limits, increased my APR and this has lowered my credit score.  Nothing’s changed except the credit card company rules.

I found a couple of sites that might be able to help.  One is The Credit People, and the other is Repair Your Bad Credit.  I wonder if a credit repair service could help me?

I’m going to do some more research and find out.  Things can only get better, right?

When I was in college I used to clean houses for extra spending money.  Most of the houses I cleaned were large houses in great neighborhoods.  The work wasn’t too hard and the money was good, so I did it for several years.

I was just looking at takeashower.com and looking at their shower heads.  It reminded me that I always loved the fancy bathrooms in those big houses because they had the best showers!

This morning I was shaving my legs in the bathtub in our hall bathroom.  The water pressure in there is so bad we don’t use it for anything except to bathe the cat or leg-shaving.  I think I need to get one of those Fire Hydrant Spa shower heads.  Those are supposed to take care of low water pressure problems for good.

Welcome

There has to be a better way to insert this on a web page, right?

Physical fitness is something people have always been into.  Biking is a great activity for people wanting to lose weight.  It’s also a great way to find commute to work and do other activities without spending money on gas or spewing harmful emissions.

I’ve written about shopping sites before.  My favorite is ShopWiki because they show you every online shopping site, not just the ones that have paid to be listed.  They have information buying guides about every product under the sun.

If cycling is your thing, the UK version of ShopWiki can guide you.  Whether you’re looking for a mountain bike or a comfort bike (or bikes for the kids), this is the place to find out more information.  You can even find helpful information on cycling accessories from bike shoes to bike shorts.

I work an office job and the one thing I hate is trying to figure out what to wear every day. It has to look professional, but still be comfortable. That’s often a tall order. I’m just thankful we aren’t required to wear pantyhose, because I would revolt.

I’m not much for uniforms, but I do have to say that one thing I would love to wear to work would be scrubs.  They look so comfortable, and yet so official.  What’s not to like about drawstring pants?

A friend of mine was in nursing school and she used to take me to those shops that sold all sorts of nursing scrubs.  These included scrub tops and pants with cutesy things like bears holding balloons on them.  I always preferred the solid colored ones, or the ones that had stitched patterns in them.  Maybe I should have been a nurse?

When it’s chilly out, is there anything better than a roaring fire?  I don’t think so.  Believe it or not, it gets cold in Florida, too!

Fireplaces are nice, but there are a lot of drawbacks. Who wants to haul wood and deal with ashes and soot? I know I don’t. That’s why I think Gas Logs are the answer.

Hansen Wholesale only sells one brand of gas logs, R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs.  Why only one brand?  Because R. H. Peterson Real Fyre Gas Logs are the best.

R. H. Peterson gas logs can be purchased as both Vented Gas Logs and Ventless Gas Logs.  There are even fireplace gas logs for indoors and Outdoor Gas Logs.

R. H. Peterson gas logs are currently on a summer special: $75 off, plus free shipping on a complete gas logs set under 36″.  To be ready for winter, take advantage of this summer special from the gas logs specialist.

When you are marketing on the internet, the only things you ever seem to hear about are ways to get traffic to your site. Get more hits, get more pageviews, get more people to your site so you can make more money.

Did you know that in most cases it actually costs more to get a new customer than it does to retain an cusstomer? Those hits and initial orders are nice, but there is no better order than a second order, unless it’s a third one or a fourth one. That’s where retargeting comes in.

So what is retargeting?  Well, essentially it is remarketing to those customers who have been to your site before. Retargeting companies say that 90% is a pretty common abandonment rate for a website. If I shop there once, what will get me back there again? Retargeting.

A few years ago I bought a new (to me) car.  I bought it about 3 weeks before we left on our annual trip to Mississippi to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  It’s a nice car, and it was meant to be used for when we had children.  It’s four doors, dependable and comfortable.

My brother, his wife, and my nephew (then just a baby) came to visit as well, and we all decided to go for a drive up the coast to see what Hurricane Katrina had done to the place.  We decided to all go in my car since it was larger, and my brother discovered that it had a restraint system to hook up the baby car seat.  I had no idea when I bought the car that it had this.

When it comes to keeping babies safe, a car seat is so important.  Whether you are looking for a car seat that converts into a stroller, or you just want to know more about car seats and other items for babies and toddlers, you really should check out ShopWiki.

ShopWiki has a huge listing of all online stores – not just the ones who paid to be listed.  That’s a big selection.  They also have buying guides for almost everything to make your decisions, and your shopping, easier.

Things in Florida grow like, well, weeds!  It’s not hard to grow things here, even for someone like me who has a black thumb.

Given my plant-killer status, you would think that I would stay far away from plants, and usually I do.  However, my husband is a plant magician, so I’m constantly bringing home things for him to take care of.

We’ve got indoor planters full of flowers and beautiful greenery.  We’ve got outdoor planters full of herbs so that I can make some wonderful homemade foods.   Now I would like a window box planter for each of the front windows, and maybe a nice decorative planter by the front door to really spruce the place up.

I’m a Myrtle Beach kind of girl.  I like fried foods and sweet tea, and the people there are just so friendly.  What’s not to like about a place with beaches and other beautiful scenery?

The fall is the best time to go for the best weather and the best golfing.  It’s cool enough for golfing but still warm enoug to enjoy the beaches.

So what’s the best Myrtle Beach hotel?  I couldn’t tell you for sure, but when I go to http://www.grandeshores.com I immediately want to know about their Myrtle Beach vacation deals.  This hotel looks wonderful.

There are a million ways to make money online, and one of the best ways to do that is to sell things you own and no longer need.   There are the usual classified sites and auction sites for your knickknacks and tchotkes and used clothing.

What about those piles of books you have everywhere?  To sell used books you just need to go to Sell Back Your Book and tell them what you’ve got, ship it to them, and get your money. They even buy used textbooks.

As the economy continues to tighten, people stop buying nice things. Of course, now is the time to consider buying things that might cost a little more, but will last longer.

For instance, I like shoes.  I usually buy shoes from one of a number of cost-conscious stores, but they don’t always last that long.  Cute, yes.  Sturdy, no.

The first word in classic style and quality is Ecco shoes.

I’m definitely getting excited about possibly taking a trip to Myrtle Beach for vacation. Now’s the perfect time, before it gets too cold to enjoy the beach!

Now how to find a Myrtle Beach hotel? I could start searching individual hotel websites, but that’s going to take a lot of time. Plus, I want to golf! Most hotel sites don’t tell you about golf because they aren’t connected to a golf course.

I’m going to check out http://avistaresort.com to find out more about resorts in Myrtle Beach. Then I’m booking my plane ticket!

I don’t know about you, but I hate making a big purchase without having all of the necessary information.  I think I must have checked 14 different resources before I bought my chest freezer, and it was less than $200!  The one I got was exactly what I needed and has been a great freezer.

That’s why I’m such a big believer in research.  It’s important to understand all of the bells and whistles, and the limitations of what you are buying.

For instance, cars are a complicated piece of machinery.  Do you just go to the lot and look for the prettiest, shiniest one, sign on the dotted line, get in and drive away?  Probably not.  If you’re a smart consumer you do your research.  That way you can go in knowing what you want, what you need, and how much it should cost.

When you are thinking about buying a Jeep Commander or a BMW 3 Series, where do you go for more information?  Do you rely on friends and family?  Do you read car magazines and watch car shows?  Do you check a million websites before buying?

It’s always nice to get everything you need to know about something in one place: news, information, reviews, pictures, pricing and more.  TheCarConnection.com has information and reviews on everything from the BMW 7 Series to the Toyota Avalon and everything in between.  Find out what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s ugly about every car.  They even have an iPhone app so you can research your purchase on the go.

I can’t help it.  Everytime I go shopping at a department store I always end up in women’s apparel.

It’s not like I don’t have enough clothes, because I do.  I just love to try on new things (especially since I’m losing weight) and finding new styles and colors to add to my wardrobe.

Right now my work wardrobe needs the most help.  I’m tired of wearing the same outfits all the time.  Time to go shopping.

I grew up in a large family that didn’t have money for fancy things.  It made me a bit of a spendthrift as a young adult, something I am trying to get over now.

I still love to go into stores and look at luxury items.  Beautiful leather purses, cashmere sweaters, and pretty,shiny jewels are my favorite things to ooh and ahh over.  One day I will have these things.

In this economy more people are starting businesses than ever before.  These new businesses are born out of the need for a job, or feeling that there is something missing in the marketplace.

These days you can’t have a business without a web presence.  That’s why it’s important to choose the best web hosting available for your money.

Superb.net wants to be your solution for web hosting, managed web hosting and managed hosting so you can focus on your business.  If your web based business needs a colocation solution, check out superb.net.