Life Insurance - Do You Need It?

In my opinion, the only purpose of life insurance is to provide for those who would be financially devastated in the event of your death. I realize that this is not an attitude life insurance companies appreciate and it may be foreign to many people, as well. But think about it - why do you actually need life insurance if you have no dependants relying on you financially?

That said, there are many instances when life insurance makes sense - families with children or retired couples who must rely on both incomes to make ends meet, for example. So life insurance does have a place and term life insurance is usually the best bet. With term life, the contract is for a specified time period and the rates are usually much lower than whole life insurance. Also, you get to pick the term and coverage level that makes sense based on your circumstances. So consider whether any type of life insurance coverage is needed and then shop around for the term life insurance policy that best meets your needs.


Please note: This is a sponsored post. I have taken a look around the linked website, however, and it appears to offer a variety of good info on insurance.

Is the Chi Blocked in Your Bedroom?

According to the principles of feng shui, the free flow of Chi (energy) in the home is essential to health, happiness and prosperity. In the bedroom, it is believed to be especially important to allow Chi to flow freely beneath the bed. Guess what this means? That’s right – clear out everything from under the bed.

What? No more storage? Can that be right? Actually, yes. And for reasons unrelated to feng shui. Whether or not you adhere to these ancient Chinese principles, keeping the space beneath the bed free of clutter is a good idea for a t least two other reasons:

• You can more easily keep that area clean, reducing a build up of potential allergens.
• If you want to rearrange the room, or just need to move the bed temporarily, doing so is a snap!

I've been reading Essential Feng Shui by Simon Brown and yesterday was inspired to do some deep cleaning, starting in the bedroom. First I stood the mattress, box spring and frame up against the wall. This gave me easy access to all the stuff store underneath and allowed me to vacuum the carpeting really well. What did I find there? A few under-bed boxes with extra linens and card-making supplies, some free weights, a box of paperwork and the electric blanket controller. Not too bad, actually.

What did I do with it all? Not much yet – some of it is actually stacked in another room for now. The card-making supplies will go to my craft room, the paperwork has been filed away and I’ll make room for the linens in a closet. As for the free weights? Not sure.

Did we sleep better last night with our freshly freed Chi? Well, we both slept fine. I was actually up a couple of hours early but felt refreshed so must have slept well prior to awakening, right? Anyway, I’m on a quest to declutter and I like empty space so this is a win-win for me. Will I become a total feng shui convert? Likely not beings the free flow of Chi under the bed is about the only thing I’m doing right in that room according to the principles. But it makes cleaning and decluttering fun and it can’t hurt, right?

So how about it? Are you ready to release the Chi in your bedroom?

Here are Amazon affiliate links for a few other Feng Shui books that look interesting.

Early Lesson Learned as a New Demand Studios Writer

In my new gig as an eHow turned Demand Studios writer, I’ve submitted five how-to articles with sewing and quilting related titles. It’s been fun and I’m definitely getting better at thinking step-by-step and figuring out how to explain things without the benefit of photos as backup. But I’ve just experienced my first rejection!

Yes, my How to Make Rag Quilted Curtains article was rejected for an erroneous formula and sewing steps that “are difficult to visualise for someone who does not know how to rag quilt.” Fair enough. Upon telling my sweetie all about it, I realized that I said “add” when what I meant was “multiply” and in checking the article – yep – that’s what I wrote, as well. So indeed, the formula for calculating the needed number of squares was in error.

As for the steps being “difficult to visualise” (my editor must be British), I guess that’s why it would be nice if we were able to include photos. But DS only allows photos from their library and the pickings are pretty slim when looking for specific shots. And considering that the photos attached to my already published articles aren’t showing up on eHow anyway, I guess it’s a moot point. So it is what it is.

And what is that? Why, an opportunity, of course! I have a good article and a digital camera. I could:

• Post the article on another how-to site with an modified title and appropriate photos.
• Post the article on one of my blogs or websites.
• Develop it into a pdf pattern to sell.
• Use it as part of a rag-quilting eBook.

So basically I have several options to consider and I’m sure there are more. And I’m not limited to just one! An article rejection transformed into a variety of opportunities – how cool is that?


For those who might be interested in giving rag quilting a try, be sure to invest in rag snips if you plan to make more than one or two - especially if you're using denim or other heavy fabric.

Grandma's Little Black Book for Freelance Writers

Grandma is a well-known name among Textbroker writers old and new. On the No Job for Mom blog, she's the go-to person when questions of any kind come up about Textbroker. I've been writing for Textbroker about 9 months and am really grateful for all the advice she so generously shares. And now she written an eBook called "Grandma's Little Black Book - How to Make Money Freelance Writing for Textbroker."

I ordered a copy as soon as I found out about the book on NJFM. It's 19 pages chock-full of valuable info including tips from Grandma based on her vast experience there. Although I thought I was totally familiar with the Textbroker site and process, I learned several new things. Sure would have been nice to have this resource when I first started! The guide is written specifically about Textbroker but a lot of the info would be of use to any budding freelance online writer. So if your interested in starting or furthering an online freelance writing career, get yourself a copy - especially if you're interested in writing for Textbroker or are already writing there.