Kellie Green.comOnline health & Wellbeing magazine

Women and finances …. 

Women these days are more in control of their finances and future plans than ever. We are increasingly a main, equal or sole family income earner. Women make important decisions daily; we are mothers, wives, friends, daughters – we multi-task we are the heart of our families and networks. It is much more accepted that women are professionals as well as mothers and carers and can hold their own in the finance/working world.  Women invest for futures be it their own or that of their children we do this with our time and our money and our hearts. We are learning more and more to rely on ourselves and each other. Women mean business. 
 

Women today are just as likely to buy property for living in or for investment as men.  They and their income are treated equally as important. You can do this your way .. you can purchase with friends or family or simply alone.  
 

A 25- or 30- year home loan can be a daunting thought … but it is important to be planning ahead. Find out what you need to be able to get what you want. 
 

There are a host of mortgage products available today some of them designed to attract different’ demographics in life.  All products have their benefits and sorting through which one will suit you can be a difficult task.  You need to ensure you take the time and have the assistance of a professional to explore the current and future needs of you and your family. 

First home buyers qualify for assistance from the government and have some fees and charges reduced to make entering the market place a little easier.  

There are packaged loans that generally involve 3 core products such as a mortgage, deposit account and a credit card. There are no-frills products and introductory products.

There are fixed and variable products. 
 
 
 

My personal favourite, Cash Flow Equaliser, this will allow you to choose your own loan repayments for up to three years. (With the option to roll it over and do it again if you like)  You can use this to reduce your mortgage payments in times such as upcoming maternity leave, for education expenses or consolidation of debt and home improvements.  This product is a wonderful tool for reducing monthly commitments and giving you back some lifestyle and taking away some worries.  
 

Please feel free to email me anytime on mailto:rebecca@fbcgroup.com.au and visit our website at www.financialbrokingconsultants.com.au for further information.  I am always more than happy to assist with any questions you may have on mortgages and property.  My service is of no charge to you. 

I am, after all just like you, doing the best I can with children to raise, bills to pay, friends and family to cherish along with coffee and wine to be drank ….    : )

It’s true. Scientists at universities have proven you can lose weight safely without pills, without exercise, without extra costs and without low-calorie diets!

But you have to trick your brain into telling your body when you’re full so you don’t overeat. That’s done with potent foods that make you feel full while burning fat and tasting great.

In 36 Potent Foods to Lose Weight & Live Healthy, you will discover:

a fruit that melts away the fat and leaves you feeling satisfied longer
Michigan State University found certain types of bread actually reduces your appetite
University of Florida found this fruit helps dissolve fat and cholesterol
people think this vegetable puts on the pounds but St. Helena Hospital found you can achieve rapid weight loss
this miracle from Asia makes your metabolism run on high and even lowers cholesterol
what the Roman gladiators ate for strength – it wasn’t meat!
these sweet tiny fruits will satisfy the “sweet tooth” in all of us so we don’t eat empty calories
and more…

And best of all, you can find all the 36 Potent Foods in your grocery store.

No crazy over-priced supplements
No starving yourself
No stressing over weight loss because these work naturally

Here is the first part of the first chapter to let you know more about the book.

If you’re overweight, you are not a bad person. You’re simply overweight. But it’s important to lose the extra pounds so you’ll look good, feel healthier and develop a sense of pride and self-esteem. Once you’ve lost the fat, you’ll need to maintain your weight.

In this booklet, you’ll discover how to lose 10 pounds a month – a nice, safe loss of about two or two-and-a-half pounds a week – painlessly. You’ll feel satisfied and more energetic than in the past without feeling deprived.

Most Americans pack on those extra pounds by eating the wrong things. Changing these poor eating habits is the key to long-term success. Knowledge – along with the right food – is the key.

When humans lived in caves, they didn’t know anything about preserving and storing food. They spent all their waking time and energy hunting and gathering food. When they had it, they gobbled it down fast. Instead of storing food in pantries or cupboards, they stored energy in their bodies in the form of fat to burn during periods when there was little or nothing to eat.

Each year, it was absolutely vital for them to put on a good layer of fat during the warm sprint and summer months. That was the only way they could guarantee their survival during the lean and mean winter months.

And since women bore the young, they needed more energy to sustain themselves and their babies, and that meant they were usually heavier.

Even though we no longer live in caves, we have inherited and maintained this basic mechanism for fat storage from our hunting and gathering ancestors.

Each one of us is born with a certain number of fat cells. How many of these fat cells you possess depends on genetics. If you have a lot of fat cells, maybe your ancestors were the biggest people in the tribe, which was a good thing because they had the best chances of survival.

You can never get rid of fat cells, but – unfortunately – you can add to them. Depending upon what you eat, your body will manufacture new far cells. And like those you were born with, they never go away.

That doesn’t mean you’re doomed to be fat once you put on extra pounds. It is possible to shrink fat cells. That’s what happens when you lose weight. You burn up the fat stored in those big fat cells. Think of them as balloons. Burning off the fat inside them has the save effect as letting the air out of a balloon.

A good weight loss program requires a certain amount of intake restriction – the consumption of fewer calories. You burn off the fat by eating less fat and becoming more active.

To guarantee a lifetime of weight-control success, you have to change the type of foods you eat, so that you ingest less fat and still get the vitamins, minerals, trace elements, protein, fat and carbohydrates your body needs to thrive.

Extremely low-calorie diets may help you shed pounds quickly, but they’ll lead to failure in the long run.

That’s because humans are genetically protected against starvation. During food shortages, our bodies slow down our metabolisms and burn less energy so we can stay alive.

Download the rest of the book here for free next week when you become a part of our membership site.
Best of all you can try the membership for 1 month for free.
See you on 20 May when the membership site goes live.

Tougher economic conditions are seeing many women get tough with their finances.

A recent report from Citi shows women are making impressive progress with their financial well-being. Among the 200 women surveyed for Citi’s Fin-Q report, 50 percent were paying their credit card off in full each month, compared with 34 percent a year ago.

Over one in four women (28 percent) are sticking to a budget, up from 18 percent last year.

Tania Browne, investment specialist and advice coach for Citi, says: “In the past women may have relied heavily on men to handle their financial affairs, often putting money matters in the ‘too hard’ basket.

The Citi Fin-Q shows females taking practical steps in preparation for bad times ahead.”

Concerns over rising unemployment may be driving women to take money matters in hand, but the fairer sex can get a raw deal when it comes to personal finances. A separate report from AMP/NATSEM shows women still way behind men when it comes to lifetime earnings.

A 25 year old man is likely to earn a total of $2.4 million over the next 40 years, more than 1.5-times the $1.5 million prospective earnings of a 25-year-old woman.

www.understandingmoney.gov.au.

For more info .. go here and click on women understanding money …..

Author
Bec Jeal
Finance & Lending Expert

If you suffer from…

* Palpitations

* a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate

* Sweating

* Trembling or shaking

* Shortness of breath

* A choking sensation

* Chest pain or discomfort

* Nausea or stomach cramps

* Derealization (a feeling of unreality)

* Fear of losing control or going crazy

* Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation

* Chills or hot flashes

(Source: American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) 2000 Washington, DC.)

…then you’ve experienced firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to understand or help, it’s hard to appreciate what they go through.

Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.

Here is a typical example:

Standing in a supermarket queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.”

A quick scan of the territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.

There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.

Okay, coping technique 2:

Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.

Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it’s just a regular day and another frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.

You are out of options. Time for Plan C.

The most basic coping skill of all is “fleeing.” Excuse yourself from the queue; you are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no time for excuses—you need to be alone. You leave the supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone. Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later the panic subsides.

It’s 10:30 a.m. How are you going to make it through the rest of the day?

If you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks, the above scenerio probably sounds very familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and panic just reading it. The particular situations that trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or even at home, while doing nothing in particular.

If you have ever had what has become known as a “panic attack,” take comfort in the fact that you are by no means alone.

A panic attack always comes with the acute sense of impending doom. You feel you are either about to lose your mind or one of your vital bodily functions is about to cease functioning and you will end your days right there among the canned goods and frozen food.

You are by no means alone; you’re not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an “anxiety disorder.”

One of the first steps to regaining control of your life is getting helpful information. This site will give you that, and more.

The beginning of your recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from “panic” or “anxiety attacks” is at hand.

This site demonstrates that the panic and anxiety that you have experienced will be the very key to your courage and success.

Begin the road to recovery by browsing through the site. While many of you may have read almost everything you can possibly read relating to panic and anxiety I assure you this site offers something very effective.

Did you know…?

The key difference between someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not is really very simple. The people who are cured no longer fear panic attacks. I’ll try to show you how to be one of these people as well.

What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me explain.

The trick to panic attacks is wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you have a panic attack in this very second? No!

You know the saying that “what you resist, persists.” Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting–you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.

In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control.

Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff’s edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge.

To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.

How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.

Your real safety is the fact that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical fact. You are safe, the sensations are wild but no harm will come to you. Your heart is racing but no harm will come to you. The jump becomes nothing more than a two foot drop! Perfectly safe.

Learn more

http://www.panicportal.com

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here:http://www.panicportal.com

Making candles is a great hobby or business endeavor. Once you get the hang of it, the process is quite simple. For those who have the basics down cold, consider experimenting with the art of making hand dipped candles. While these lovely creations take more time, they are stunning. You can use several colors on each candle giving it a unique color scheme. 

There are basic tools you will need to make hand dipped candles. Most of them you already use if you have experience in making candles. You will need a large amount of paraffin wax, wick, and a double boiler to melt it in. Other utensils include wooden spoons, bowls, and a good quality thermometer. The colors available for hand dipped candles are too many to name. These colors come in various forms including cakes, chips, powder, or liquid. If you choose to add scents to your hand dipped candles you need to make sure it is pure oil that does not have a water or alcohol base to it. 

You will prepare your wax for hand dipped candles that same as you do for regular candles. Let it continue to heat until it reaches a temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it does, turn the heat down very low to keep the wax in liquid form. Add the color to the wax, using a small amount at a time until your reach the color you want. Add a small amount of scent the mix at this time if you desire. Use scents moderately as you don’t want to have too powerful of a smell. Using too much fragrance can also result in the candle not burning properly. 

Next, cut the wick for your candles, keeping it just a bit longer than the candle length you want. If you are making sets of the candles, it is important to cut the wicks exactly the same length. You will want to dip the wicks into the candle wax making sure to coat it properly. This is how you will “build” your candle. After the wicks cool, dip them again. Each time you do, the candle will grow in size. If you want different areas of the candles to be different colors, you will be able to do so by simply having more than one color of wax ready to use. Once your candle is close to the desired thickness you want, shave it with a soft blade, giving the top a pointed look. Dip your candles a few more times to give them a smooth finish. 

Creating hand dipped candles is a great hobby or business venture. The process is time consuming, but the creations are beautiful. Learning to make hand dipped candles can be tricky. This is not a good type of candle for beginners to try to learn with. They will quickly become frustrated. To practice without wasting supplies, melt down the wax from the candles you are building and use it over and over again until you have the process perfected. 

To make particular designs on hand dipped candles, consider purchasing a book. Most will offer you great color photos with step by step directions for making each hand dipped candle. You will also be able to obtain great color charts for obtaining the best color for your candles. The internet is also a great place to get ideas for the colors of your hand dipped candles.