Sign up for an iPod

For those of you out there looking for a great deal and some fun you should visit ChristianPF's site and sign up for a contest to win an iPod touch. It's simple and free, there is really no reason why you shouldn't!

Update:

Bush throws a lifeline to the auto industry. It will be to the tune of roughly $17.4 Billion. This will only be able to keep the big three afloat for a short period of time, however. There is no way that these companies can keep their sales alive with this funding. In fact it can probably only get them through early next year.

President Bush, however is pushing for tough oversight to be put upon these companies and the uses of the tax payers money.

OPEC to cut 2.2 Million Barrels/day

As oil levels are beginning to drop drastically Americans are taking back to the open road. But that won’t last much longer especially as OPEC begins to cut their production. Being the largest supplier of crude oil, it will significantly affect the market in general and overwhelmingly increase prices, within the next few days.

This happens every year. This isn’t something new. In fact it is surprisingly late this year. Oil will rise usually in October or November and increase substantially, due to the increase in demand. Due to the financial crisis and new innovation looking to replace gas, it is reaching record lows and becoming a little less gouging on the U.S. consumers.

What does this mean for the consumer? This means we are facing more steep prices all the way into and most likely through summer. Even though oil prices are back down it is only temporary. It is most likely that oil will begin to drive back up now that consumers are used to spending so little for gas. It’s great to be an oil tycoon, isn’t it?

Holiday Gift and Decoration Ideas

It's that time of the year again when Christmas is just around the corner. Pull out that Christmas tree and put the lights up. I have found a great site on how to make some inexpensive gifts for the holidays on your own.

With such a tight squeeze this holiday season it is important to save every penny. I thought this site had some great ideas for holiday decorations and gift wrapping. Just thought I would pass it on to everyone else out there.

On another note, if anyone has any suggestions on how to fix a problematic mortgage and keep me out of debt and bankruptcy it would be greatly appreciated

Get your site's name out there

Everything on the internet now seems to have an advertising purpose placed behind it. Everything from Financial sites praising you to spend less, with little advertisements for deals and specials that you could spend your money on, to pop under and pop over advertisements. Monetizing a website has become a great feat especially now that everyone and their mother has a website (including my mother). So how can you monetize your site to give you the best return on investment?

Pull in users with great content

This one is very important and usually overlooked by most bloggers. I am guilty of it too. I usually go off on random topics talking about offbeat subjects, but this is one important tool to bring consumers to your site. You might also want to look at getting something called “link bait” for your site. Getting other blogs to pick up on some creative topics that you have come up with can be extremely important and very beneficial in the long run.

Don’t over advertise

This is something that many sites are beginning to do. They are trying to find any way to monetize their site and get advertising that their viewers would want, however it is almost overwhelming. Good advertising is one that a user will want to click on. Make sure you don’t cram your site with unnecessary advertisements. It can just be costly and money that can be used during your payday.

Be a go getter

Go out and create a blog or a news feed and keep people up to date on current topics about your site. An interesting trick that I have found is to keep contact with people through mailers. Keep records of individuals names and email addresses. Keep them updated on where you are and what you’ve been doing. It’s an easy way to keep light contact with people and keep them coming back to your site if they have strayed away for a while.

These all could add to your bottom line and help you become a better site manager. Getting out and advertising is hard, but the correct structure to your site and PR will give you the best possible ROI. Getting out of your shell and doing it is the hardest part.

Amanpour Reports on Genocide

I was hoping to get a little off topic today. The economy is depressing, but I thought I would help put you down a little bit more. I watched an absolutely amazing article by Christian Amanpour last night on genocide around the world, called “Scream Bloody Murder”.

This was a very striking article because it highlighted several recent hotspots around the world. It included genocide in Cambodia, Darfur and Yugoslavia. A scary look at what catastrophes can be done to other human beings.

I have always been fascinated with hotspot reporting. Journalists that risk their lives to find the news that others seem to miss out on. Genocide has always been a serious issue, and our hatred for someone different than we are. It is hard for me to put myself in someone else’s shoes and look into this, but for that brief period of the news special, I was completely immersed in what Amanpour had to say about the world. My admiration for being able to take on such a challenge goes out to her.

I think that this is the only way to fight such an issue and have it be publicly recognized. Many of us don’t realize how serious the situation is at times and to have it portrayed in such a way is really eye opening.

Donate for the Holiday!

Now that all of my turkey leftovers have been devoured it is time to put up my lights and focus on the rest of the holiday season. The best part about this holiday season is thinking about others close to you for most of you that is your closest family and friends. While I love to see my family and friends as well, even if I just want to see them for a short time, I also enjoy spending time with my two dogs.

I love spoiling them and I think I have as much fun playing with them as they do with me. That is why I always contribute to PetSmart’s homeless charity. You can contribute as little as $1 to save an animal in need of attention. Several animals are put down each day, because they don’t have a home and they simply cost too much to maintain. PetSmart takes in needy animals and takes care of them, as well as finding a home that cares for them.

Not only do pets get a great home, food and shelter for the holidays, but also for a $5 contribution you will receive a T-shirt with the charity logo, an iPod skin or a mouse pad for your donation! I usually feel guilty for giving and getting something back other than feeling good about myself. You can shell out some extra Christmas Cash for this.

Also remember that you can take a new pet in for the holidays. You can find a pet that is great with kids or just a good friend to huddle up with by the fire this holiday season. PetSmart’s adoption program is very quick and they have hundreds of dogs to provide you with a great selection (so good that you might want to take them all home for the holidays).

Have a great holiday season this year!

It's official, We are in a Recession...

It's official! We are in a recession so the government says, as if most of the U.S. economy didn't already know this. The problem is that, even though we are in a recession and it took over a year to finally admit it, we should focus on fighting off the recession. I just hope that it doesn't take a year to begin fighting it, especially all of these bailout dollars that we've put into the economy.

So what does this mean for you the consumer? Well, let's face it not a whole lot, the average consumer has been feeling the crunch for quite a while. In fact sales during November at retail stores have gone down even though sales during black Friday went up. This means that credit is tight and consumers are looking for the best deals out there. I don't blame them.

My suggestion is to not wait until Christmas eve this year to pick up Christmas gifts (Guys I know we are all guilty of this). I have the hardest time avoiding this and the biggest reason for this is that I tend to procrastinate, but this year I'm looking early for some great deals. I'm scouring the sunday papers to find coupons and ads for deals. I feel much better about myself for taking the initiative and getting out there.

Best wishes for everyone this year... Just remember that I am there with you.