Sales tax increase

Effective April 1st 2009, the Los Angeles sales tax will increase to 9.75%. It was previously at 8.25%. There was a 1% state increase approved earlier this year, as well as a 0.5% increase for the city of Los Angeles.

So hopefully you are aware of this change and made your big purchases these past couple of weeks. My parents went and bought a car last weekend. We went to Ikea to buy some wall cabinets for Brandon’s room.

Even though the state is in a budget deficit, I am still against this sales tax increase. I feel that this will hurt the economy more than it will help it, especially in these times. There should be other ways to raise the money. People will definitely spend less money especially if they have to pay more tax. Look for more businesses close down and unemployment rate to continue to rise. Stimulus for California? I think not.

How to make money online

Times are tough now. The unemployment rate is skyrocketing. People are losing their homes to foreclosure. And in the state of California, they are raising the sales tax to 9.75%. How do the politicians think this can help the economy? Most people now do not have enough money to spend as it is. How we wish we can make some money on the side. At the maverick money makers fantastic coaching club, they can show you how to make money online right from your own home. Check out their website and their online videos to learn more about this great program.

Luggage shopping

Since many airlines now have a 50 pound limit of luggage, we cannot use a lot of our bigger hard case ones anymore. We took our Samsonite hard case one to Maui, and we were barely under the limit. Our only option now is to purchase soft nylon ones. We have been luggage shopping for the past couple of weeks, but who wants to spend over $100 on luggage?

One place we looked at was membership stores like Sam’s Club and Costco. The sell name brand sets for relative cheap. A 3 piece Samsonite at Sam’s ran for about $150. But the problem with sets is that you really do not use the smaller 20″ one or the bags, so you are basically paying that much for just one bag. Another place that sells sets for cheap is at Sears. You can find good sets there for about $80 on sale.

So we decided to purchase two mid size cases of the same size. The place we went to was Ross. They sell last year models at discounted prices, over 50% off. My wife purchase a 26″Samsonite case for $60, and I got a 25″ Ricardo case for $42. Both were 4 wheel spinner case and retailed over $100. They have a wide selection of name brand cases at prices way below $100. So if you are looking for luggage check out Ross.

Tough times

This past Sunday we decided to go to Ikea to check out their furniture. The store opened at 11, and we got there at 10:30. We were going to do some shopping at the next door Target first. When we got there we noticed a line that wrapped around the store, if you know how big an Ikea is, you know how long the line was. It was really long. I can say about 300 people deep. My wife then told me Ikea was having a free breakfast this morning. People were probably waiting at line early in the morning just for this, no free give-aways or anything else. Here is the sad part, the breakfast only cost 99 cents.

You know times are tough when people are willing to wait over an hour for a 99 cents breakfast. Plus the weather was cold out that day, and the breakfast is not that great tasting too. Well in these economic tough times, anything helps.

TMJ cure

Do you suffer from Temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ? Well if you do you know how painful it is. In the past the only way to get relief of this inflammation is to wear a mouth guard when you go to sleep. At TMJ Help Program, they offer a natural way to cure the pain. With this daily two minute exercise created by therapist Katherine Page, it can help you cure TMJ permanently. Think about it with this small investment, you do not ever have to wear a mouth guard at night again. Check out their website to learn more.

Child pool protector

We have a pool in our backyard. And with an active 3 year old, we have to make sure he does not fall in it. Our son has started opening doors, so we have to be extra careful now. I was browsing the web and found a pool protector by Freedom Security Products. This sensor can detect when a children or pets falls in the water. It will sound an alarm. For pool owners, this will probably be one of the best investments you can make. Check out their website to learn more about this great product. Get yours now.

What is a loan modification?

A better question is, how can a loan modification help me? For the many that purchased a home 3-5 years ago with an adjustable rate mortgage, this probably is the most beneficial for you. Once the 3-5 year ARM end, these homeowners were force to refinance their house from the a low interest rate to an 8% interest. Many of these people were only paying around a 4% interest in the beginning with the ARM, and when the rate jumped this high, many simply could not afford their mortgage payments anymore. Many of these people are force to foreclose their homes or short sale it.

A loan modification can help reduced this 8% interest rate to 6%. Hopefully this can make the monthly mortgage payment more comfortable for homeowners. Also a loan modification can increase the years to pay off a mortgage. Instead of the conventional 30 year loan, a loan modification can create a 40 year loan for you. You will be paying more interest in the end, but your monthly mortgage payments will be lower.

For those struggling to make payments a 40 year loan is not all that bad. Remember you can still always refinance when you are making more money at your job.  You still have to qualify for a loan modification, but most importantly your credit will not be hurt if you do. Check out www.hud.gov for more detail on this program.

Colon Cleansing

Do you feel like you are tired and sluggish most of the time? Well, if you do, then maybe it is the time for a colon cleanser. It does not sound as bad as it seems. All you have to do is take a couple of pills and some fiber a day, and you will immediately see the results. In our fast pace lifestyle now, most of the time we do not have the time to eat healthy. We eat fast food most of the time which consists of burger and fries or pizza. In addition to getting overweight, these foods can also be harmful to our intestinal system. We do not eat enough greens and fruits to keep us regular and healthy. This leads to toxic build up of the intestines, which in turns leads to constipation, gas, bloating, weight gain, fatigue, skin and hair problem. Its main purpose helps cleanse the liver and purifies the colon from harmful substances