Lilac City Momma

Lynn

Bitcoin No Challenge To The Remarkable Resilience Of Gold

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For the past year, investors have been asking themselves whether they should be betting on gold or Bitcoin. Whether or not they’ve won depends on their outlook. The meteoric rise of Bitcoin made a lot of people wealthy overnight, but the volatility of Bitcoin plus its immaturity as an asset mean there’s a lot of uncertainty and risk. By comparison, gold has behaved the way it always does – as a reliable store of wealth.

Bitcoin is facing new challenges, though its valuation is still incredible compared to just a year ago. Governments are finally starting to catch up with the rise of cryptocurrencies and are introducing regulations. News that the Japanese FSA had warned Hong Kong-based Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange, about operating in Japan without registration set back Bitcoin prices late in March and more crackdown headlines could adversely affect Bitcoin in the near future. There has also been talk in Washington D.C. of updating U.S. regulations for cryptocurrencies, particularly introducing new anti-fraud measures.

But regulations are short-term concerns and when you take the long view on gold, you have to consider thousands of years of history as a store of wealth. Many investors are concerned that destructive technology is more likely to radically alter Bitcoin in the long future than any technological upheaval occurring that would alter gold. Based in a man-made system, there’s little reason to believe Bitcoin will be relevant in its current form 50 years from now. On the other hand, people have been trying to hack gold for hundreds of years, ever since alchemists first claimed they could make gold out of lead. Gold, which is made in dying stars, has only ever been successfully made on Earth one atom at a time in a supercollider.

Gold isn’t going anywhere and whatever the live price of gold today the precious metal is going to maintain its value centuries from now. Investors should pay attention to the ups and downs of gold. Active investors can trade gold and silver or gold and Bitcoin to gain from day-to-day price changes, but long-term, gold is a forgiving asset.

For the foreseeable future, gold and Bitcoin are likely going to co-exist. It remains to be seen whether Bitcoin will become the kind of store of value that gold has proven itself time and time again. In the meantime, it’s easy to buy gold with Bitcoin thanks to online gold dealers like Silver Gold Bull. They allow you to directly trade gold and Bitcoin the way that you might exchange gold for silver and vice versa. Easily exchanging assets directly, without having to convert to cash, saves you costs and fees. Look into buying gold with Bitcoin through Silver Gold Bull if you’re looking to convert your cryptocurrency funds into an asset that’s known for stability. Every portfolio needs to be rebalanced from time to time. You can avoid overexposure to fluctuating Bitcoin prices by converting that excess Bitcoin directly into gold coins and bars.

Celebrating Mother’s Day As A Family On A Budget

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The woman your kids call ‘Mom’ deserves only the best things on Mother’s Day. There’s only one problem: the best things tend to be expensive. When spoiling the most important woman in your kids’ lives puts a strain on your budget, you need to think outside the box on the big day. If you want to help your children pamper Mom without going over budget, use these smart Mother’s Day tips to your advantage.

Tap into the true spirit of Mother’s Day.

Mother’s Day is one of the biggest shopping days besides the holidays, but it wasn’t always that way. Anna Jarvis, the woman who started it all, created Mother’s Day to celebrate what mothers do for their families. She recommended children spend time with their mothers on the big day.

“You’re thanking your mother for all the sacrifices she has made for you. So if you can’t be at home that day, you send her a handwritten letter,” said Katharine Antolini, a professor at the West Virginia Wesleyan College who wrote her dissertation on Mother’s Day.

Though old-fashioned, this idea of Mother’s Day reflects what mothers want today. According to a Mediabrands survey, nearly half of all responding mothers want to spend time with their family on Mother’s Day, while only four percent looked forward to receiving gifts and treats.

Curate a family experience.

Instead of buying an elaborate gift, clear your schedule so you and the kids can spend time with mom on her day. Some thoughtful ways to spend the day together include:

  • Watching a movie. Let mom finally choose what flick the family watches on Netflix. Cater the movie with all her favorite snacks, making sure there’s enough to share with everyone.
  • Experiencing spring. Mother’s Day arrives at a beautiful time of the year when most flowers are just starting to bloom. Take the family to a local botanical garden or butterfly conservatory and spend the afternoon marvelling at nature’s bounty.
  • Treating her to a homemade meal. Though family dynamics are changing, most families still expect mom to put food on the table. If this holds true for your family, surprise her by cooking her favorite meal with the kids. While everyone is occupied in the kitchen, let her relax in the tub with a bath bomb, a book, and a glass of wine.

Have a backup should things go off track.

Even when spending the day at home, your Mother’s Day plans can end up costing more than you planned. When you go over budget, you’re leaving your family unprepared should other expenses come your way. A loan is a great solution to your cash flow problems, but it can be tough for a young family to secure it through conventional means. When you’re struggling to make ends meet, get a fast installment loan online to help you through your financial crises. Only online lenders like MoneyKey provide financial assistance online. These lenders remove many of the barriers restricting families from getting the help they need with quick and convenient online loans.

You can help your kids pamper their mother without having to bust your budget. Put these tips to the test this Mother’s Day, and keep your expenses low by spending quality time with this special lady.

Getting Serious About Freebies And Coupons To Save Your Household Big Money

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It’s hard to watch news programs and entire TV shows dedicated to couponing and not get excited. How is it that some families can spend less than $20 a month on household goods and groceries? Well, the answer is that they coupon like their lives depend on it – and they’re consistent. Dedicated couponers don’t leave home without their coupon books, and they don’t buy anything unless it is on sale. Going to Myfreedeals.Com yields both money saving coupons as well as free samples on products that your family can use and enjoy. If you want to get serious about reducing your grocery bill, then follow along closely.

Set Up Your Couponing Organization System

Even if you are going to stick to digital coupons in the beginning so you don’t have to create binders and cut out a bunch of coupons, you have to be well organized before you shop. The better your coupon organization system, the less time you’ll need to spend browsing the aisles at grocery stores. You might find that a spreadsheet is really helpful to have printed out and at your disposal before you go to shop. Otherwise, a digital grocery store list with items that you can cross out on your tablet might be the option that helps you to stay best organized.

Collecting Circulars, Coupons, and Newspapers

Finding one money saving coupon will hopefully get you more motivated to keep on couponing, but you might also feel disappointed when you see your limitations. Grocery stores can have restrictions on the number of items that you can get on sale but remember that transactions can be split up. What’s more important is that you have the coupons you need on hand to get excellent savings. Bigger families might need to buy three or four jars of spaghetti sauce to make one dinner, so a single coupon isn’t going to do very much. Get as many newspapers as you can so that you can collect additional coupons, then use them when you’re ready to go major shopping.

Building Your Stockpile

The same items aren’t going to be on sale every week, so if your objective is to save the most money, you have to start stockpiling. Basically, stockpiling is just buying and then collecting products that you know your family uses regularly. You can stockpile toilet paper and bottled water, or diapers and baby products if you are expecting. It would probably take a few months for a family to run through a big stockpile, but that’s pretty much the purpose of buying it for cheap when it’s on sale.

If you avoid going shopping and making impulse purchases, you can track every single dollar that you spend. Additionally, using coupons to shop for necessities will teach you that you don’t have to pay full price for the staples. You might end up trying out different brands and find that generic brands aren’t all that bad either. For the difference in price you’ll pay with couponing versus not couponing, the work will be worth it.

3 Smart Tips To Take Care For Your Reusable Waste Items

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We all know how big of a deal that it can be to try and deal with waste in our daily lives. The problem is, we need to find some ways in order to keep up with all that we need to accomplish to reduce waste. Buying reusable items is a great way to ensure that you’re playing a significant role in helping that to be a reality.

How can you make sure that the reusable items that you have purchased will be in the best condition possible? Are there ways to sort out what makes the most sense for taking care of these items? Here are 3 big tips that you can use to keep your reusable waste items in tip-top shape!

  1. Store Your Reusable Items in a Safe Place. Storage is one of the biggest things that you need to consider when it comes to dealing with your reusable items. Store them in a safe, cool space so that they don’t end up getting damage, mold, or other issues that could occur otherwise. By taking that time to see what can happen and to ensure that your items are in a safe place, you’ll have those items for much longer than you may have otherwise.
  2. Wipe Down or Wash Items Regularly. Places like Custom Earth Promos have a number of different products that they offer to customers, allowing you to have a wide array of options when it comes to reusable items. If you want to make sure that they last a lot longer than they may have otherwise, then you want to be sure that you check out the ways that you can wash or wipe them down. You can find all sorts of tutorials online so that you can keep things looking and smelling good for as long as you can.
  3. Keep Food Bags and Other Item Bags Separate When Possible. If you want to keep your bags clean and in good shape, keep your food bags separate from the bags that you’re using for clothing or other items. This allows you to prevent cross contamination and it will make it easier for you to clean bags as needed. Knowing what you need to do to prevent issues with your bags is vital as you try to make sure that everything stays as neat as possible.

Take a look at what you can do and be sure to keep reusable items as clean as you can. That extra bit of effort can go a long way toward helping you to be as environmentally conscious and friendly as possible. Seek out solutions that make sense for your purposes and see why it’s such a big deal to go ahead and get what it is that you may need in reusable items. Do your research and find the ones that are going to be best for your particular needs and what you’re doing with them on a regular basis.

Rainy Day Activities For Children

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Don’t let a rainy day take the fun away from you and your kids. Instead, why not use it as an excuse to do activities you can only do in the house. If your children can’t entertain themselves, then here are some great ways to have fun as a family.

Board Games

A classic way to have fun in a group is through board games, which are quick to set up and quick to put away with no fuss. There are many board games out there suitable for children and they can often be used to teach them new and interesting things with nearly endless replayability.

Paper Crafts

The term “paper crafts” spans a wide range of activities and can be done in any way you want it to be. It is extremely cheap and all you need are simple household crafting items, sometimes adhesive such as glue and, of course, paper. For example, you can use the resources on Origami Way to make various different little paper shapes and objects, but there is no rule saying you can’t use other objects to accessorize your crafts. Let your children’s imaginations run wild!

Baking & Cooking

One thing all people have in common is that they all like to eat nice food. Why not use this bleak day to make some delicious food with and for the kids? Baking isn’t a very expensive task when done from scratch and can be a great way to teach teamwork and reward patience with a yummy treat. Simply figure out what it is you want to make, gather all the ingredients, and begin teaching your kids how to complete their select tasks. Just prepare for a little mess and remember to have fun whilst looking forward to the finished product!

Drawing

Drawing is one of those activities that can have almost infinite possibilities, so it’s a great way to inspire creativity in your youngsters. Not only that, but it’s incredibly cheap to do and has no real skill requirement other than your imagination. To help them along you can give them small ideas to draw or you can simply let them color in between the lines. Either way, you can get create some nice mementos of the past using this activity and place them around the house to remember. You may even stoke the fires of passion for drawing and watch them grow up as skilled artists.

Movies & Video Games

An activity that most of us do even when it isn’t raining is to watch movies and play games, especially nowadays. Video games are a standard activity for most kids, but they can also be used to educate and promote teamwork if you find the right ones. It’s a good idea to introduce the importance of challenge and competitiveness in the right setting so that you can teach them the limits before it becomes overly competitive. As for movies, why not create a comfortable den with blankets and bedding and watch your favorite movies in luxury.

We hope this article gives you some ideas of how to keep your critters occupied and grants you the opportunity to create some fond memories together. Come rain or sunshine, there is always something you can do, so enjoy yourselves!