Would you pay 15 thousand dollars for a meat pie?

Well I wouldn't, I'm a vegetarian.

In a recent NineMSN Travel article, a number of expensive menu items are detailed - here are the Top 6 Expensive Meals:

#1 $1156 Caviar Omelette (Norma's New York)
I don't care if they use caviar from the rarest fish in the world and dodo eggs.
I can whip up an omelette in about 7 minutes using free-range Victorian grown eggs. Whack in a bit of caviar from the deli if you must but either way you'll save about $1149.

#2 $193 Chicken Club Sandwich (Cliveden, London)
Apparently the kind of meal recommended by Henry IV. A good king by all accounts but rather expensive taste. Made from 30 month air cured ham. Eeew!! Perhaps we are paying by the month for this service...

#3 $15,820 Wagyu Beef Pie (Fence Gate Inn, Lancashire)
Made with $965 per kilo beef. What, did the cows eat gold during their time on this earth? I'm sure it's a nice pie, at almost $2000 per slice it would want to be. If it's anything like the pies I have sampled at the footy at the MCG, I'd rather a nice used car if it's all the same to you.

#4 $1146 Ice Cream Sundae (Serendipidy 3, New York)
And I thought the Pancake Parlour was expensive! Whee!! 23 carat edible gold leaf. From what I've read, gold is the sort of thing you buy and keep in a safe or under your bed - as opposed to stuffing it in your noggin'. Each to his own I suppose.

#5 $289 Truffle Chocolate (Knipschild, Conneticut)
A rare French perigod truffle surrounded by a... chocolate truffle. It's enough to give you a Knippshion (sic)!
Big whoop. Gimme a six pack of Ferrero Rochers and we'll call it even.

#6 $10,000 Diamond Martini (Algonquin Hotel, New York)
I've had expensive nights out. Just last Friday I had $25 in Wild Turkey shots and a lovely hangover to boot. This diamond martini, it appears, hurts your wallet as well as your head. But the bonus? You get a diamond stuffed down the bottom of your glass. Whacko the doodle bang. A real diamond. If I want a martini, I'll buy a martini. If I want a diamond, I'll go to a jeweller's.
Important Note: Don't drink this one too fast.


Sooo, I could either have the most expensive meal in my life...
OR
For $28,604 I could buy a 2005 Volkswagen Golf and have $11,454 left over for a nice holiday in Byron Bay.

Which would you choose?

technorati tags: worlds expensive, most expensive, expensive pie, expensive dining, food,restaurant, meal

My Adsense ads have been successfully set up for some time. The ads have been making a reasonable amount of cash but considering my stats and PR, I thought it could be doing better. So I turned to the experts. On John Chow's blog he suggested that the 300x250 box ad was a more profitable format (eg shown below).






Always ready to try new ideas, I implemented this tried and tested format.

The result?

Nothing.

Nada.

Zip.

Not a sausage.

I have now resumed my previous format 468x16 text links and 468x60 banner and sure enough, the revenue instantly came back.

This is an important lesson. What works for John Chow's blog may not work for yours. There will be hundreds of ideas from various bloggers as to which ad units will work best with your site.

The truth is, your site is unique - a cookie cutter approach will not always be the most successful. If it works for other bloggers, that's great - make sure you don't keep unprofitable ads on your site just because it works for someone else.

Experiment with formats and colour schemes until you find the magic combination for you. The only true way to get the right ads for your site is to test, test and test again.

technorati tags: adsense, advertise, google ads, google adsense, how to make money, makemoney internet, make money online

Online DVD rental convenience delivered to your door. Watch the latest trailers and get free delivery and free return by post. And no late fees.

The idea behind the Australian Government's stimulus package is to increase the cash spent on Australian products, Australian businesses and in Australian communities. "Buy Local" is the catchcry.

According to the NineMSN Managing Money section:

• A $900 bonus will be paid to taxpayers with taxable income up to and including $80,000.
• A $600 bonus will be paid to taxpayers with income exceeding $80,000 to $90,000.
• A $250 bonus will be paid to taxpayers with income exceeding $90,000 to and including $100,000.

Here are some ways you can spend your stimulus money while supporting the local economy:

Book a holiday within Australia.

This is one of the best ways to support the Australian economy. You will be supporting a number of businesses. If you travel by car, you will be supporting petrol stations, roadhouses and restaurants. And lets not forget pubs. The money from your holiday will go to bed & breakfast owners, motels, hotels, pubs and backpackers. If you travel by rail, you will be supporting the rail workers, ticket collectors, drivers and station masters. If you travel by plane, you will be supporting Australian captains, baggage handlers and stewards.

Photo courtesy MaxEphotos.

Local Restaurants and Pubs

This week I have passed a number of restaurants with empty tables and no activity whatsoever. If you want to help the local economy, go to a restaurant and enjoy your meal, knowing that the money goes towards the restaurant staff, owner and manager. Attend a local pub and have a counter meal. See a local band, thus supporting the live music community. In these times, it is a good idea to go out and let one's hair down once in a while.

The People in Your Neighbourhood

Look around your local main street or shopping precinct. You will find hairdressers, beauty salons, clothing shops, bookshops and cafes. Look in your local yellow pages guides. You will find carpenters, window glazers, mechanics, cleaners, gardeners and painters. Enlist some help around the house and help local businesses in the process.

Make Small Changes

If you look around, you can find amazing local produce to replace the generic items you have been buying up until now. Australian made wines and cheeses, vegetables, eggs and delicacies. The Victoria Market has a great selection, or you could try South Melbourne, Chapel St or the equivalent in your state. Visit your local grocer, have fun finding the best produce from local growers. You will be reducing transport costs (good for the environment) and supporting Australian farmers.

Pay off your credit card

Some commentators scoff at this notion. I have two questions. One, what kind of an economy frowns on paying off debt and saving? Two, how did we get into this crisis in the first place? Irresponsible lending by greedy so-and-sos. Another thing that seems to have eluded the critics, if you spend your stimulus money on credit card debt, the bank gets the money. But then your finances are given more freedom. You can use the money you would have spent on credit card repayments on something nice like a road trip or at least a very large pub crawl.

And for those of you who say you don't want the stimulus money? Please donate to this blog using the paypal button and I will promise to spend it in the local community.

technorati tags: stimulus package, stimulus payment, stimulus, Australian Government, TaxOffice, economic stimulus, economic stimulus package

You might also be interested in this offer, it seems that the guys at MyShoppingJobs.com are now paying people to go shopping and giving away a bunch of free stuff as well. The Free E-Guide "Get Your Purchases Free" is now available for download.

On a budget? Of course, everybody is hoarding their money like greedy squirrels collecting nuts for the winter.

But that doesn't mean we can't spend a little? Splurge just once in a while? Decorate the house a bit? Give a gift without breaking a sweat?

How about gifts under $10. That's $10 AUD, not USD, which means its even cheaper due to the exchange rate. Let's celebrate these gorgeous gifts and leave the recession blues behind!!

Magnetic Memo Board Calendar - $9.95*

I love this. It's so simple, yet so practical. Large enough to display your favourite photos and important notes to remember...

Like "Exercise Today - No excuses!"

Soft Family Training Set - $9.95*

I don't quite know why this is called a "Soft Family Training Set". Perhaps it's for soft families...

I would definitely be using the hand weights for my 1-2km walks. I do like the idea of a skipping rope for extra cardio...

Saturday Night Live DVD Box Set $9.95*

If I watch another news bulletin about recession/depression/house prices/banks etc I will throw the damn telly out the window.

I don't know about you but I need more than ever to laugh right now...

Although the way things are going it might be a maniacal cackle rather than a demure giggle...

Buddha Figurine Outdoor Indoor - $7.95*

What do you do when the stock market has gone southwards, the news reports disaster after disaster, and people are starting to fray at the edges? You could go postal but...

Perhaps what we really need is to turn off our fraught brains and reflect...

Turn off the TV, cancel your newspaper subscription, stop watching the stock market on the internet and sit quietly in the garden. How would Buddha approach the current economic crisis? This can be the contemplation for the day...

technorati tags: frugal shopping gifts under $10 special deals


You might also be interested in this offer, it seems that the guys at SurveyDollar are now paying people to take surveys. They are offering two special free bonuses including a copy of "Project Payday" and if you sign up now you can get instant unlimited access to a list of paid survey companies.

Recently I wrote about Freebies4Webmasters. I signed up, submitted 3 web pages for ad placement and gained approval. I was paid 10 pounds (around $20) after the first month and my blog post resulted in 10 referrals.

Then the problems started. My approved referrals should have earned me 100 pounds so far. Instead, my approved web pages mysteriously disappeared from the system around the time Freebies4Webmasters decided they were not accepting any new publishers.

I have been patient and tolerant up to this point but after 5 unanswered emails I am sensing a stone wall of scamminess.

I will keep the ads up for one more week, on the off chance I receive a reply. Kind of like Waiting for Godot. If I don't receive a response by then it will be bye bye Freebies4Webmasters. I feel quite cheated as I know many have received payments larger than the ones owed to me at this time. The exchange rate would have approximated to $233 plus around $10 per month as an automatic payment. Not happy. Needless to say I will not be recommending this site to fellow bloggers.

:-(

technorati tags: freebies4webmasters ads scam

UPDATE: SCAM ALERT!

This turned out to be a nice idea right up until the time they stopped paying me. The website stopped receiving applications, stopped paying people and generally started acting scammy. At the time they closed up shop, they owed me around $250.00 

Avoid like typhoid...

Recently I trialled a passive income stream called freebies4webmasters that seems to have turned out to be profitable. I was skeptical at first - actually, I was skeptical right up until the time that the payment appeared in my account. Now that the money is there I can't argue with it.

The process is simple - you put a code on your blog displaying a rather unobtrusive ad on 3 different pages. If you have a blog with more than 3 posts or a website with more than 3 pages this is very simple. Then the fun begins.

Firstly, you are paid 10 pounds (Oh joy for the exchange rate!) for signing up.

Secondly, you are paid 5 pounds per month for leaving the ad code on your site. You don't have to do anything else.

You can put the code on multiple sites if they are approved, thus doubling your income or tripling it or more!

You have nothing to lose so why not give it a try? It's a good place to start if you have never earned money from your site.

SCAM ALERT!!!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Despite initially making an initial amount money from this company, they have since shut down and hightailed it with around $200 still owed to me. Don't bother!!!

technorati tags: freebies4webmasters earn make money online monetize blog website affiliateads

I made the decision to get some web design qualifications early last year. As a result, I have been able to create websites using CSS, but most importantly I can create with confidence. It is reassuring to know that you have received the best possible training to advance your progress in your chosen area of IT - be it security, voice or wireless. I do not profess to be an expert in these particular areas, but I can see the value in learning and developing these skills.

There is a great demand for all kinds of skills in information technology. So many areas are growing so quickly that it takes some attention and application to keep up. It is important for IT professionals to become the supply that the industry is demanding.

Cisco certification provides all kinds of IT training - from entry level to expert/specialist. The site also provides information on IT careers and what it takes to be a "network security superhero". I am going to try my hand at the binary game, called "having fun with binary". I remember learning about binary as a kid, programming in BASIC and generally learning my way around computers. I must say that I have never used the word "binary" and "fun" in the same sentence but I'm willing to be re-educated. You may have noticed there are many "make money online" sites everywhere you turn on your daily surfing adventures. I'm not criticising these sites in any way, let me make this clear, but it is a well known (and tested) fact that if you update / upgrade your IT training, you can make way more moolah. And that's what we all like to hear!

Take a look at BuyYourCar.co.uk and try one of the searches. It is easy to find the new or used car you are looking for, featuring cars from both private sellers and dealerships. In my case I would be trawling the used car section. Preferably for a large car with lots of storage space. Ah, the freedom to be able to pull out on to the open road and just drive wherever you want... But I digress.

Whether you are looking for a used toyota or a big Chevy station wagon (*sigh*), you can search by preferred make and model and find matching results on the quest for your next set of wheels.

If you are new to buying a car (I bought my first car at night!! True story), you need to get all the advice that is humanly possible so you can avoid making that one regrettable purchase. In this case, check out the Buying Advice section. It contains advice on the best questions you should ask a seller, inspecting the vehicle and a used car buyer's checklist. Most valuable is the section on car buying scams. This advice is worth considering - I have seen many a poor soul on "A Current Affair" bemoaning their gullibility at buying a car online, usually employing Western Union money transfers as their preferred payment method! Had they taken advice on car buying scams perhaps they would be both wealthier and wiser today.

Consider these tips for saving money:

* Make your own lunch - lunches can cost upwards from $8 to $20 (or if you go to one of the swankier restaurants in the city, $35-$50). Bringing your own lunch in a container ensures you have nutritional food every day - especially if your partner is a good cook!! :-)

* Make huge meals and freeze them. I have mentioned this in my posts on Baccarat cookware. The 8L dutch oven can make enough food for a week, sometimes more. It works particularly well on the nights you can't be bothered cooking!!

* Replace every single light in your house with compact fluorescent light bulbs. It will be a bit more expensive at the beginning, but you will thank yourself when your new, smaller energy bills come in.















* Direct your efforts to paying off your credit card or credit cards. Once these are paid off, lower your limit so you don't get in trouble again. If the bank offers you a higher credit limit, say "NO".

* Say "NO" to 24 months easy finance on home goods, store cards, special rewards credit cards, extra personal loans and refinancing mortgages. If you don't have the right advice, refinancing can be devastating. Stop taking out loans. If you are unable to do this, you may have a problem. Seek advice, legal and personal. A compulsion to take out loans can be as damaging as a gambling problem.

* Try to save a small amount each week or month. Try not to touch it and see what happens. You can find a number of good accounts with the main banks - see if you can find a savings account with interest around the 7% mark.

* If you already own your own home, consider installing solar panels. You may be eligible for the solar panel rebate, as discussed on SolarGen's website. The outlay can be expensive but the rebate, plus the decades of free solar power will take the sting out of this purchase.

* Have a cooling off period of 1 day for each purchase you are considering. It will give you time to prioritise and decide whether you absolutely positively need this purchase right now. This is advice I personally follow. If not, I would have so much questionably useful stuff from Ebay and no time to use it.

Until next time, happy shopping and saving!!

technorati tags: shopping saving money

I have become aware of a number of TV programs like "A Current Affair" that are uncovering the discrepancies in grocery prices across Australia. Strangely enough (for those of us naive enough to think all animals are equal*) many of the wealthier suburbs enjoy a better range and cheaper prices for groceries. So if it isn't bad enough for these people to live in a crap part of town, the chain grocery stores further insult them by displaying mouldy tomatoes and charging $7 a kilo.


Tips for saving on groceries:

1. Buy in bulk. If you are constantly buying 50g containers of coffee, why not invest in a 500g or 1kg tin? I tried this once (before I gave up coffee!!) and the tin lasted about six months. When you think of how many 50g tins you would have to buy in that timeframe, you realise the saving.










2. Junk mail is a scourge that should be wiped out however a Coles or Safeway advertising mag can save quite a bit of money if you plan ahead. You can find the specials and buy accordingly when convenient.


3. Shop at local markets and grocers. Not only will you often save money and find better quality, you will also be supporting local businesses. Local grocers often have a better organic range of vegetables for half the price you would pay in the supermarkets.

(click to enlarge)



















After all, where else would you get to buy "wedding sausage"? ....*holds in double entendre compulsion* ... too many jokes....


4. Try shopping on your way home, or near your work. As mentioned earlier, sometimes the prices can vary greatly between suburbs. You may be able to make significant savings on various items.


6. Lay off on buying meat. I do not say this because I am a militant vegetarian (I'm not!!) This weekend I watched a Victorian news story featuring the large chain stores and how traces of metal have recently been found in various meats. Unless you think you don't have enough iron in your diet, steer clear for a while.

technorati tags: grocery shopping save money

*"Animal Farm" - George Orwell

There's a lot of talk about Mortgages these days - the Sub-Prime crisis has affected many countries, interest rates and inflation all contribute to anxiety when choosing a mortgage. It makes it even more important to get a good deal that will put you in the best position to ride out the ups and downs of the global markets and trends. Make sure you visit mortgage comparison sites on the internet, compare bank rates and see how much you can save. You might be surprised. The Reserve Bank has speculated about raising interest rates again so make sure you take these factors into account when choosing a home loan that suits you.

Whether you have a Commercial Mortgage or a residential mortgage you will probably be aware of all the Sub-Prime disasters in the US sending repercussions throughout the world's economies. In this article on mortgage holders debt, Katie Tucker from mortgage brokers Charcoal urges people to cut down now on the amount of money they owe on their mortgages. Interest rates in the UK have been cut so now is clearly the most sensible time to implement such a strategy. She also outlines the importance for those who have "interest only" mortgages to change their mortgage to capital repayment to take a chunk out of mortgage debt.

I have also made another stunning realisation this week - saving money is completely boring. But what is more annoying is having a credit card debt and no savings whatsoever.

The other thing I have noticed is that it is no longer fashionable to save money in a bank. It seems it is more important to look as if you have money rather than actually having it. Which is stupid. Going into debt to look like you are wealthy...er...DUH!!

So what is fashionable? Buying a $500 pair of shoes that you will wear once? Shrewd investment, that one.

I tried to find out the source of the problem. Many people say "TV" or "Magazines" which can be a factor, definitely. But I often laugh at these ads and say "wow, check this new kind of watch out...if you buy it you get a free yacht and bodyguards."

The hardest form of advertising is this kind...

Person 1: "Hey guys, howzit going?"

Person 2: "Hey, I got one of those new iPhone/camera/movie player yesterday."

Person 3: "Me too! I got it for $400."

Person 2: "Hah, I got it for $370."

Person 1 (thinking): "Is my life complete without one of these? Everyone else seems to need one. I'm going to look like I'm not good enough if I don't have one. Sh!t, I don't have $400...or $300 for that matter. I do have a credit card though...."
(insert diabolical laughter here)


The next day Person 1 has a new iPhone/camera/movie player thingy. And a $400 credit card debt. And still no money in the bank. They take it home and unwrap it, waiting for the satisfaction and sense of achievement to sink in.


Person 1: "Err... what do I do with it?

*Thinks hard*

How about that! I don't think I wanted the dang thing anyway.

But it's the latest upgrade...and so and so has one and now I have one and now I can....

Er....

Sh!t."

Technorati Tags: saving money

The nice people at AdBrite sent me this (click to enlarge):



I Love them again. Giving it another go. They are much nicer than their competitors.

xxoxoxoxoxoxoxxo

Technorati Tags: adbrite ad+brite love forgiveness

Oy Veh again.

I have taken all the AdBrite ads off my site. Every time I opened my blog I saw this massive box with "Your Ad Here" glaring back at me.

It told me two things:

1. My site looks unattractive with the massive ad text sticking out
2. Nobody can click on the ads because they aren't there yet

point 2. led me to point 3. I'm not getting paid anything from AdBrite.

Not only that, but due to time limits my previous earnings were disappearing day by day like a wheat field in a locust plague.

Still, AdBrite is the best ad thingy I've used so far. My earnings were 15c from Commission Junction, $2.20 from AdBrite (rapidly decreasing as we speak), and an incredible 1c from Google AdSense (Oops!! listens at door for sound of approaching secret service dudes!)

It's strange, AdBrite used to have ads appear after about 24 hours and then you would always have a full block of ads. But now they have skyscrapers etc. (much like AdSense) but they have rarely been filled with anything except for "YOUR AD HERE" in huge garish letters. I haven't had an ad click since late October 2006.

I'm still researching which are the best ads to use. So far I have found that "click" ads are preferable rather than "click and sign up then buy something then I get paid" ads.

I will put the ads back if I can find out what the problem is. If not, I will continue to search for ads that result in a cheque rather than high blood pressure.

Technorati Tags: adbrite ad+brite google adsense no+ads commission+junction affiliate+ads

I have been visiting the website of Yaro Starak for some time now, gaining tips and valuable information on becoming a successful blogger. I consider myself a successful blogger but Yaro makes over $5000 USD per month from his blog, which is where many bloggers aspire to be right now.

Yaro has just launched a brand new mentoring program for people who want to earn a full time income from blogging part time.

When you consider the number of programs that don't work, use up valuable time and cause frustration, it makes sense to get good advice from someone who has not only been there before, but someone who continues to grow and thrive in the blogging world.

The program is less than $100 a month to become a member and you get direct access to your own blog mentor, plus all kinds of audios, videos and e-lessons to help you make money from your own blog.

You can read more about the program here:

Blog Mastermind Coaching

It''s called Blog Mastermind and I expect there will be a lot of people interested in the program because so many people like the idea of making money from blogs.

Click here to join the Blog Mastermind Mentoring Program

You can find out more about blog monetization by downloading this free ebook:

Click here to download the Blog Profits Blueprint




------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



The SEO Book

A lot of people underestimate the importance of SEO when it comes to promoting your blog. SEO has become more complicated in recent times and as a lot of bloggers know, page rank and alexa traffic are king.

SEO training programs are crucial if you want to make your blog seriously competitive in today's blogging world. This is the difference between bloggers who get the wide readership and those who don't. Aaron Wall's SEO Book is a great way to get serious web visibility.

Here are some free SEO Tools for optimizing your blog:

SEO Tools

Find out more about the training program here:

Learn Search Engine Optimization Today

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



I have noticed that a lot of people create a blog or a website but don't know where to go from there. I struggled with SEO issues and monetizing quandaries for a long time when what I should have been doing was building more content and focusing on my readers. Sound familiar?

These questions may also sound familiar:

• Where is my traffic coming from?



• How do I make sure people notice my site?



• How can I make an income from my website?
  



• How can I get the right start for my blog or website?

It makes it easy for you to create your own website quickly and easily, whether or not you have any technical knowledge whatsoever. Site Build It does the analysis for you to predict the most profitable route.

The concept was designed by Ken Envoy, who has created countless successful websites for many budding site owners.

I learned about this site from Allan Gardyne - a successful affiliate marketer since 1998. Allan is amongst many people who use Site Build It (SBI) for their websites with much success.

The site offers a no-obligation test drive of the program which is the best way to see if Site Build It is right for you.

The affiliate program is another method to make money - this is reported to be the most generous affiliate program by people such as Steve Pavlina and other successful web marketers. Even if you never join Site Build It you can grow your online earnings as an affiliate.

How does an affiliate program work?

• Every person you refer to the Site Build It program earns you a commission ($75)
  



• Get paid annual commissions on renewals
  



• The 5 pillar earnings add up quickly



• Tools provided to help you generate sales more effectively



• $0 cost to join
  

Click here to sign up as an affiliate for Site Build It!

The popularity of Site Build It has grown through the use of video testimonials and the trend seems to be growing. Testimonials can be found here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------