Archive for July, 2007

Also Known As “Plan B”

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007

I bought a life insurance policy not too long ago. I’d been worrying for a long time about how my mother would be taken care of if something happened to me. Really, I don’t know why the solution didn’t hit me sooner. Buying life insurance took a huge load off my mind.

I chose a distant relative as the beneficiary because my mother is not mentally competent to act on her own behalf. And I trust this person to use the insurance for its intended purpose.

Funny thing is, if I die then my mother will be quite well off. It hasn’t escaped my notice that I’m worth more dead than alive. But in terms of my quest to make money, let’s call that Plan B, shall we?

If you have kids, or a spouse, or anyone in your life who might conceivably depend on you for support in the future, I strongly recommend buying life insurance. Do your homework, compare plans and premium costs, and take the plunge. And do it while you’re relatively young and healthy, if possible. Later on, you might pay higher premiums or even be ineligible.

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I Love Cafepress

Monday, July 16th, 2007

One of the things I’m doing to earn money is run a Cafepress shop. In case you don’t know, Cafepress is a print-on-demand company that produces t-shirts, cards, and many other gift items. You create the designs and build your own store, and Cafepress produces the items and looks after customer service.

Anyway, it’s a heck of a lot of work creating new designs and adding products to my shop. However, it’s fun because I get to be creative and learn new things. I’ve had to develop some minimal skills in Fireworks, Paint Shop Pro, and Painter. The learning curve slows things down, but I’m creating my own systems and techniques.

Some shopkeepers make a living just off their shop. I can only dream of that. My shop is in a small niche, catering to certain dog owners. It may be too small of a niche, I don’t know. I have to keep adding designs and products and hope that my shop reaches critical mass – the point where it contains enough selection and appeal to generate lots of sales.

And don’t forget promotion, you’re not going to get customers without promoting your shop. I’m on the first page of Google for several of my keywords, but that’s only a portion of the available traffic. Social bookmarking and video are on my promotion to-do list. And blogging (of course!).

Sometimes I think I should put all this effort into creating an information product instead. I want to do both things. My cafepress shop makes me happy and my products make other people happy.

The smart shopkeepers are already preparing for the holiday season with new products. Cafepress is adding a new line of notecards and will also be able to produce single cards as well as packages of ten. These will be wonderful additions to our shops.

Anyway, that’s one of my money-making projects. If you happen to be a fan of the Bichon Frise, come see The BichonStyle Shop!

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Are Elderly Drivers Safe on the Road?

Saturday, July 14th, 2007

You’ve seen them.

They toodle along the street at considerably under the speed limit. They veer from one side of the lane to the other but never manage to drive straight down the middle. They hesitate when they should go, and go when they should wait. And they wear funny hats in the car.

Elderly drivers. Many seniors are experienced and careful drivers. Some have failing eyesight, dangerously slow reaction time, and impaired reasoning abilities due to dementia or other illnesses.

If you’re a relative or friend of an elderly person, you may be wondering if he or she should continue to drive. How do you know whether this person is still capable of driving safely? And how do you suggest that the person hang up his or her car keys?

I had these questions a few years ago about my mother. While searching for information, I came across a document on the web site of the New York State Office for the Aging. It’s called “When You Are Concerned” and it’s described as a “handbook for families, friends, and caregivers worried about the safety of an aging driver.”

It tells you what to look for when trying to decide if an elderly person can drive safely. It also offers strategies for convincing an unsafe driver to give up driving.

If this is a issue in your life, go to the web site now and get a copy of the PDF. It’s an excellent handbook, and I highly recommend it.

Here’s the link: When You Are Concerned

It could save the life of your relative or the lives of other road users.

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