High Costs of Education – Helpful Site

Friday, June 22, 2007

Last December was another milestone in our family when our youngest graduated from college with honors. It has been eight years between our oldest child’s college graduation and the youngest, and the increased costs were very obvious in tuition, books, and room and board. Fortunately, we didn’t have much out of pocket expense, since each received scholarships. However, many students today must take out loans during their college years. After graduating they hope to get a job that would allow for standard living expenses in addition to their loan payment each month. I am not sure there is an answer to these rising costs of obtaining that college degree. My advice would be to encourage a love of learning at an early age. This should lead to the high grades which, in turn, can lead to needed scholarships. Also, search the internet and libraries for any information about grants and scholarships. Talk to counselors and other students for further information on what is available. For example, I heard there was a scholarship that only accepted applications from left-handed people. Obviously, the less people applying for a particular scholarship, increases your chances. When filling out the information requested be sure to read each question carefully and follow through with exactly what they ask for to keep you in the running. Keep in mind, there are also sports scholarships so start early with training and practice if your child has ability or an interest in that area. Some colleges and universities offer classes you can test out of, usually English or Math. This will save you time and money. Be wise about the schools you choose, since there are varying fees to submit each application. Do your research, ask some questions, and check out the campus if possible.

As a grandmother of eighteen month old twins, I would like to do what I can to help in educating them. This site might interest you as well. Please take a few minutes to check it out.   http://www.upromise.com/   When you become a Upromise member, a portion of your everyday spending can be automatically deposited into your friend’s or family member’s Upromise account. It’s easy and there’s no catch!

P.S.  Howdy, you have a granddaughter now….. it’s a great way to save for her education!

~~Betty

Additional Thoughts:

Don’t forget to ask your tax preparer for information on the Education IRA and start saving early.  Funds from this account can be withdrawn tax free for educational purposes. (Coverdell ESA).

Here’s a site to get you started in your search:  http://www.finaid.org/scholarships/

 

Send Them to College, FREE!

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Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 16:46

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Thursday, June 21, 2007

Helpful Links & Tips for Making Life Easier over 40

I found this article while I was trying to cut down on some of my calorie intake. The first picture you see (on the left hand side) when you click on the link is me… hahaaa  Okay, that was a few years ago… well, uh, anyway; whomever it is, he has more time for exercise than I do! Geesh! What is wrong with his stomach, anyway?! ~Howdy

1.  Fit Over 40

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This is some good information for those who have diabetes and are wanting to see improvement!

2. Diabetes Miracle Breakthrough!

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Tags: loose fat, muscle, exercise, fit over 40

Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 11:48 |

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Job Security?

A butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker…does any job have security? After listening to so many relatives, neighbors and friends relate tales of what has happened to them or to their cousin’s sister’s husband’s brother, I am not quite sure. Lay-offs, pink slips, and firings, for one reason or another, seem to be commonplace. Seniority in a company no longer guarantees you will retire from there with the golden, inscribed pocket watch in hand. Some businesses replace the older workers with “newer” ones who receive less pay and fewer benefits. Cutting costs and staying within a budget echoes across America – whether employer or employee. With prices rising for gas, milk, meat, heating costs, and about every other necessary product or service, we all have to “pinch pennies.” It takes two or three or even four incomes to get by. In asking my original question regarding job security, can the answer be found in self-employment? Do we have more job opportunities if we find our own niche, if we do something we are passionate about? There is no denying the fact, the internet has opened up new avenues for those searching. We have so much information at our fingertips and the capability of finding people, places, and things has increased dramatically. Even the computer offers new job-related opportunities such as computer repair, web-design, and program developer, to name a few. Howdy makes a valid point about those over fifty. I have heard of a few cases, while talking to acquaintances, where they have applied for a job, only to find they were turned down and someone younger was picked. Their qualifications were not in question by the employer, but yet “something” got in the way of them being hired. So my thought for those seeking employment is that CREATIVITY is the trump card!      

~~Betty

Additional Thoughts:Here’s a website to get you started in your search for working at home:

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/102807/The-Top-25-Home-Based-Business-Ideas

Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 09:36

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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

No age discrimination? What does this say about America’s Employers?

A few days ago, I received an e-mail from a relative I had not heard from in quite some time. I responded with “where have you been?”

This is the answer I received. The name of the company has been left out…
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      …Where have I been?
Welllllll…..I guess you’d call in ‘in a mad funk’.
Don’t know any other way to describe it. I’d been off work for over a year.

My employer gave me 2 choices for returning with their company:
  1.  Return to the same dept. knowing the heavy lifting could cause major injuries
          or
  2.  Work part-time in different dept. max. 16 hrs, no seniority, no vacations (I had 3 wks. per year) no benefits,
        no insurance, no  benefits of any kind AND almost $4.00 per hour cut in pay.)
Great choices, huh?

Also,  get this……..Because of limited weight restrictions by 2 different doctors, My employer’s H/R placed me on extended medical leave (until May 2007) with the provision that I not work anywhere else.

Now that I have a non-restrictive release from docs, My employer is now offering a position in the SAME DEPARTMENT as a beginning  full time employee.
And what good is that?  Since I had no income, I could not make the payments on the company’s insurance.
So………….since that insurance has lapsed…I am no longer insurable.
 
I have told H/R that I cannot pull and tug and lift like I used to.  Lymphnodes were removed, compromising the muscles under the arm.  Try as hard as I can…but…I can not do it.  You’d be surprised at the stuff I’ve fumbled with, or almost dropped when using the left arm. 
 
I gotta work.. gotta have income of some kind.
Applications
Resume’s
Cover Letters
Phone calls.
Snail mails.
e-mails.
K-Mart   Auto Zone   Hamericks  Goody’s   Cato’s   Sherril’s Catering  CVS Walgreens   Radio Shack    Brett’s Shoes  DollarStore   Family Dollar Market   Dept. of Labor -  These are places I went to physically
 
And the company websites I went to…and online applications and interviews 
Whew!!!!
 
For almost 2 solid months that’s all I did.
My ‘job’ was to find a job.
(spending 4 to 6 hrs. daily running and doing  – - then filling apps. at night)
Any job… Anywhere…
 
Because of age all I have been offered is part-time.
 
And I’ve been angry.
very angry at  My employer and at that stupid cancer.
 
It just hit me about a month ago. 
Here I am…62 yrs. old and working a part-time job at a nursing home, with little to no retirement.
Almost nothing left in 401(k)
Had to flip it over to IRA to get monies to live on while on “Medical Leave”.
 
 
The predicament I’m in after 12 years working for that stupid company.
And you know what…there ain’t a d….. thing I can do about it unless I get a lawyer.
And who wants to work for a company under those conditions?
I don’t.
 
So…I have been so M A D that I’ve been avoiding everybody.
Even my children.

But I think I’m beginning to get over it.
That’s the most grieving I’ve done since the surgery.
About time I got it out of my system.
 
Right now, I think I’m good.
And that’s where I’ve been.
 
Hey…I’ll bet you never ask another ‘open’ question like than.
Boy..did you get an ear full.
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I felt bad, but better about my own problems and trials after reading this. I am so discouraged with America’s employment situation at this time.

I am finding that life over age fifty is tough! What does the person above do? Retirement at 65, or 67? How? Where does this person work until then? How will they even be able to retire? What about you? Were you fortunate enough not to lose your job after fifty through a lay-off or sickness? Has life prepared you for this?

 Please give us your comments… Thanks!  ~Howdy :  )

Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 11:57

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Thoughts become things… choose the good ones! ®

This morning when I woke up, I had a feeling that something good was in store for me. The first thing I do every day is read my e-mail, even before I delete the junk mail.
I had an e-mail from a Spanish friend I met on my last job in Dalton, Georgia. This, along with one from a long time friend in Louisana, a friend in Tennessee and one from the universe got my day off to a great start!

I don’t normally read FORWARDED e-mails unless they have a real interesting title. They don’t make me feel special enough, I suppose.

I know what lies ahead for me in my job today and I get a sick feeling when I think of having to go to work. But, for now, life feels good!

Now, back to The Universe e-mails… This is not a paid advertisement. It is an advertisement that is sent directly to you from the heart of me. Each weekday, I receive in my e-mailbox special words from The Universe. It is definitely one of my first-read of the day! Check it out and sign up for FREE lifting e-mails! It adds a magic touch to most any day for me! I hope it will for you also!   ~Howdy

Thoughts become things… choose the good ones! ®
© www.tut.com ®

Tags: universe, magic, lifting, free, good feelings, happiness, God

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The Day His World Crashed!

Three years ago, a friend of mine had a position at a very large disability company making booklets for small and large employers and their employees. Before this, he was in customer service with the same company. His knowledge of the computer is quite extensive and he has been on the pc since 1992 almost daily. He even won several awards for his work in Excel.

In 2004, he was laid off. He dropped in hourly wages from over $17.00 down to 11.30 per hour. His world has been completely turned around. He has gone from a pretty decent job with air conditioning to working in a plant with fans that mainly blow the hot air around. He is still the same, relatively smart guy he was. He has some college, lots of computer experience – So, what has happened? He has sent out hundreds of resumes with virtually no response. He was laid off at fifty-three years of age. Do you think this could be a reason for him not being able to get a decent position somewhere?

He is having difficulty understanding why this happened. Why has God let something like this happen? He has always (well, mostly always) lived by the Golden Rule and expected things to turn out better than this…

Has anything like this ever happened to you? What are your thoughts on the subject? ~Howdy

Tags: world crashed, devastated, laid-off, starting over at 53

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Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 11:57 |

One of the Best Things About Aging

As a certified, card-carrying member of the baby boomer generation, I wanted my very first blog to have a connection to that particular age-bracket. I decided to give some thought to what makes getting older a little more palatable.  “Palatable”….ummm, makes me think of food, appetizing food, edible food, food in general, the kind that seems to go straight to the hips, stomach, thighs… well you get the idea. It’s so much harder to avoid certain foods as we adjust to being in the baby boomer category.  Prior to this time period, there was not much thought put into what we ate because we knew our activities would burn the calories … you heard phrases like “that girl can eat anything and never gain so much as a pound”.  We were so active, the pounds never materialized – almost like defying the laws of gravity. We were always on the move. Speaking of “move”….umm, makes me think how much more effort goes into it now. Getting out of bed in the morning is still swinging one foot down before the other, but the movement has a little more thought to it. Speaking of “thought” I’m still trying to think about where I placed my keys when I went into the other room to get – what was that again?  Hmmm, that reminds me….the whole point of this blog was to voice my opinion on what makes getting older “the best” and my answer is…….GRANDCHILDREN. Grandchildren have a way of balancing life out – connecting the generations. But most of all, grandchildren are that special ingredient that add zest to your life.          

~~Betty 

Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 11:45

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Monday, June 18, 2007

Doctor Visit

I had to go see the doctor today… blood work & aches and pains. I could hear him whistling up and down the hall. (no doubt, he was happy about all the money he was raking in from other poor stiffs like me).
Finally, he came to my room, shook hands, said hello, and sat down. I began to tell him about my back problems. (It was obvious to me that he was still counting in his head… let’s see… twenty patients per day times 90 plus dollars equal…)

He brushed my self-diagnosis off with a “you probably don’t have that” then wrote me a prescription. I left there with a somewhat angry feeling that his interests were somewhere else besides being a doctor.   ~Howdy

Hey, where is Betty anyway???

Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 14:26

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Sunday, June 17, 2007

Health Insurance and Maintenance Medications

   I am extremely dissatisfied with the way our health benefits are being ignored and/or abused in this country. I have read that many people are dying because they cannot afford the doctors and the life-sustaining meds due to the high costs.

This, to me, should be a number one priority of the President of the United States and Congress. This is the number one issue I will be looking for in our upcoming Presidential elections.

Illegal immigrants are coming to America and using our hospitals and welfare system while we work to pay their bills! (I know that many of them work hard – I exclude these)There should be no amnesty for the illegal immigrants, no matter where they come from or who they are! Send them back and let them reenter again, LEGALLY!

It is high-time we have a National Health Program for all Americans, so that even the poorest can exist without having to worry about being able to afford the high cost of health benefits and maintenance drugs  for their loved ones.  (But, that’s just my thoughts on the subject) ~Howdy

Here Are Thousands Of Little-known Give-aways For People Over 55

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Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 21:57

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HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

This blog will be a combination of facts, fun and just everyday life in General! Betty is from Michigan and Howdy is from Chattanooga, Tennessee. We have been net friends for several years, and, although our views may be different at times, it is our aim for you to find it very interesting!

We are baby boomers and have discovered that it can be fun with the grandkids and all, yet still, there are events in life that are not such fun but still have to be dealt with daily.

E-mail us any time!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Here it is – our first real post!

I would like to say Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there! My wife and I got up and went to church this morning. My older daughter is in Colorado and my youngest had to work. I have two children that I am very proud of. I truly have been blessed! I am also a grandfather now (since September of 2006) and have a lovely granddaughter. For this, I am also thankful.

We hear a lot of negative about teens and young adults these days, so I wanted to share (what I feel is) a touching story with you…
A friend of my younger daughter bought a used, but very nice SUV-type vehicle earlier this year. She traded in another vehicle as down-payment for it. Her dad has been down on his luck for quite some time now and has been riding a motorcycle as his only means of transportation.
Since she was afraid of him having an accident on the motorcycle, she went back to the dealer and bought the car back that she had traded in for her father to drive back and forth to work… Now, if that ain’t love… wow! What a kid!     ~Howdy

Posted by Howdy ‘n Betty at 21:54 |