How to Be Classy and Elegant Without Money

You do not have to be well dressed or have a lot of money to look and be classy. Class is what comes from the inside. It is your actions, reactions, facial expressions, ability to take a compliment, decline an invitation and overall how you carry yourself in life. I've met many women that are brash, rough around the edges and often just downright rude and not 'lady-like'. On the other hand I've had the pleasure of meeting many women who are polite, kind, helpful, are respectful of others, have pleasant facial expressions and certainly do know how to accept a compliment. These rare breeds of women simply make the decision to be classy, ​​with or without without money. In my observations and own personal upbringing this is what I have learned ...

1. SMILE! Smiling creates a more pleasant environment for those around you and keeps your spirits up too, no matter what life is throwing at you each day.

2. Learn how to take a Compliment. Too many women shrug off another person's well meaning comments either on their accomplishments, work, beauty, wardrobe, home and the list goes on. They do this with the "it's no big deal" response and attitude. You work hard every day and commit yourself just like Hollywood celebrities do but they accept their Oscars and Emmy Awards for all of their dedication and accomplishment. Smile, politely say thank you and just feel good about yourself.

3. Nobody likes a Fishwife. If you have not heard the expression, I'll fill you in. The fishwife is the woman who yells for her husband at dinner, screams at her kids and rants until everyone and everything is in order. This is so unappealing. Replace anger, yelling and rage with softness and grace. Calmly ask your children, spouse or friends to do something for you in a polite tone. I'm not suggesting you fake who you are but simply move in a direction that exudes class and respect for those around you.

4. Answer the phone like you would if a hunk was calling. Be polite and simply say "Good afternoon, Jane Smith speaking". You have granted the person on the other end and let them know who is speaking. I never like to hear "Hello ?!" in an exasperated tone or one that reeks "you called at a bad time, what do you want?" If it is really a bad time, simply do not answer the phone. Let the machine get it and call back at a more suitable time. You may be liable to say something you would not otherwise and will likely regret later.

5. Profanity is a No-No. Classy women do not swear and sound like a drunken sailor, it just does not work. They use creative vocabulary or tone down their thought of something terrible. Example: Someone cuts you off in a parking lot and soon causes a huge accident. Do not stick your head out the window and say "What the *% $ # were you thinking ?!" and give them the finger, rather keep it to yourself. No matter how mad you are or how panicked you feel do not lose your temper and cuss. Not only is this not lady-like (nor is it man-like, just plain rude) and if you had your kids in the car they're likely to repeat it.

6. Do not get drunk. Celebrating with friends and family with a couple of glasses of wine is not a sin, if you can handle it. Getting drunk at a party then dancing on the table singing is just so trashy. You will not like what people say about you and what they recall later. It just is not worth it! Classy women know their limits, drink within them and when they reach their limit they drink sparkling water, soda water with lime etc. to mingle with the crowd but not cause an accident on the way home.

7. Your Wardrobe Matters. You do not need to have a lot of money, or any for that matter to be a classy woman. Simply always take pride in what you do own, put on your best face and go out into the world. If your clothes have threads hanging and a stain you could not get out and a tear in the seam of your pants it is obvious that you lack the pride that others take. Always wear clean clothes, freshly pressed with no threads, rips, stains or fading. Instead neatly put together an outfit that you know looks good and throw on a few basics: mascara, lipstick (or gloss), and a bit of blush.

8. Speak Eloquently. There is no need to speak in slang. Learn the English language properly and try your best to use it and your best vocabulary daily. You were given a brain and have had education, let your words exude that too. Form your words fully. Accent or no accent people want to understand what you are saying. Speak clearly and form your words fully.

9. Turning down a request. There are times in life where we are simply too tired, not interested or do not have the financial wherewithal to take part in an upcoming event or in someone's request. Most women just say okay, I'll do it or I'll be there because they do not want to be perceived as rude. There is nothing wrong with taking time for yourself, just ensure you express it the right way. Example: Your grandmother asks you to take some items she has stored for you as she knows she is moving to a retirement home soon and you just do not have the room and do not like them anyway. Simply say "Grandma, these are definitely some neat treasures. This does not leave room for discussion on how big your apartment is, or what taste you have. If she asks again, repeat the same words. "I would love to but I simply can not".

10. Walk Proudly. Whether you are entering or leaving a room, grabbing some quick groceries or pumping gas, hold you head up high. I'm not kidding. Hold you head up high, shoulders back, lengthen your spell and tuck your tummy in. Gracefully walk to your destination always with purpose. Classy women always appear as though they have just landed in from Paris and are only in town for 2 days to grace you with their presence. You have completed a lot to date. You need to show yourself strong, confident and proud. You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel about yourself and how many heads will turn.

11. Nail your Nails. There is nothing worse than seeing someone with dirty fingernails. It says a lot about their health and personal hygiene and how much they care about themselves. Yellowing, chipped and ragged nails at any length are not good. People see your face and hands no matter how much of the rest of you is covered up. Keep your nails at a short, neatly kept length. Seeing the whites of the nails is important, so keep those! Invest in a pair of nail clippers and keep them cut regularly. Keep a file on hand in your purse should a nail break. Avoid the yellowing nails get by leaving nail polish off your nails for periods of time, use baking soda and lemon juice and soak them if you have this problem. Once filed and given a basic buff, use 2 coats of neutral polish like a natural pale pink. My favorite is Mademoiselle by Essie. Use a topcoat to prevent chipping and off you go. French manicure is most classy if you can afford to have it done professionally. Thankfully after painting my nails for 20 years I've mastered the art of doing my own perfect French manicure. If you have dark chipping nail polish you are better to take it off completely and wear nothing or a coat of clear or neutral then go out like that. The same holds true for toe nails and pedicures. Your toes will hold polish for 3-4x as long so you can leave this longer and do some spot touch ups when necessary.

12. Be clean and Hygienic. There are too many women making time for TV, shopping, cleaning and everything under the sun but who do not properly care for themselves. Classy women are not dirty. They do not sleep with all their makeup on at night and they brush and floss regularly, and take care of their health. Firstly, showering daily is a must. Being clean is not for everyone else who smells you but it is so that you feel clean and fresh and ready to give your best. Secondly, you should wash you hair bare minimum every other day. If you are leaving it longer than that your hair will start to get greasy and clumpy looking (usually at the back of your head where YOU do not look). I see it all the time in the workplace, a woman dressed well and her makeup looks pretty but her hair is dirty, it ruins the whole thing. There are some times where you can not prevent it as you woke up late, no worries, just wear your hair up so it is less conspicuous.

Proper Order For Painting Interiors, Doors, and Windows

Of course, the question is what do you paint first, after all other work is done and everything is cleaned up and dust removed. The obvious answer is that you begin by painting that which is higher and which can drip down, such as the ceiling. The trouble is that obvious answers are not always right.

It all depends on your plans for the trim. If you're going to be painting your trim (with latex or oil-base paint), then the proper order is as follows:

When Painting Trim

1. Paint ceiling
2. Paint walls
3. Paint doors and windows
4. Paint trims around doors, windows, and baseboards.

If, however, you're going to be staining your trim, then a different plan of action is in order. It looks like this:

When Staining Trim

1. Stain all trim, preferably before installing it. Use sanding sealer to raise the grain; then sand and varnish the trim.
2. If trim is already in place, stain as above, allow the stain to dry, and mask the trim.
3. Paint ceiling
4. Paint walls
5. Paint doors and windows
6. When all the paint is dry, either put in trim or remove masking from existing trim and touch up as necessary.
Remember that, if you get paint on the trim, you will have to sand it carefully-a tedious job-before you can restain it. Therefore, you want to do the painting and the staining separately.

What's the Proper Procedure for Painting Doors and Windows?

For doors, start at a top corner and work your way across and down. Use a brush and be sure that you work quickly to avoid having the paint dry. It's much harder to paint a glossy acrylic latex on a door than a glossy oil paint.

Beware of backpainting a door with acrylic latex. This common practice involves painting the entire door with a roller, then using a brush to smooth out the paint and give it "brush marks." The problem is that acrylic latex dries quickly and without you work fast, the bottom of the door (the last place you'll be working) will be dry before you get to it, leaving brush or roller marks.

For windows, particularly French windows (with lots of small panes of glass), painting can be a real hassle. You'll need to use a small (1-inch) trim brush for the dividers. You can try masking the glass, but that will take longer than the actual painting. Instead, use a plastic putty knife, found in paint stores, as a shield. Hold it against the surface you are painting to keep the paint away from the glass.

If you use a shield, you'll have to clean it off with a rag after each use, else some paint will get behind it and onto subsequent panes. Usually a little paint will not hurt. You can clean it off quickly with a rag, or come back later on and remove it with a razor blade. Beware of window glass that has a rough surface. It will be almost impossible to remove any drawn paint from the glass.

Wear eye protection when painting. Getting a drop of paint in the eye, particularly oil-base paint, can be very painful and could damage the eye.

Gold Bullion Price, 10 Cogent Issues

Universally, gold is used as standard of value for treaties; in like manner the price of gold is usually expressed in US dollars. There may be slight fluctuation in the price of gold premised upon the market conditions and the highlighted cogent issues / determinants.

1. Demand and supply. As you are fully aware that the supply of gold scarce and finite. Therefore, the cost of mining gold and precious metals are not cheap, geopolitical instability and unfavorable action of central banks tends toward inflation. Furthermore, the high demand and activities of jewelry and ancillary products manufacturers improbs positively by pushing the price of gold upwards. So the law of demand and supply in reality, the lower the supply, the higher the demand and the greater the price.

2. The cost of gold production. Based on available data, about 2, 500 metric tonnes of gold is mined annually and yearly production cost is not static but rather increasing. The aftermath is the reflection of this cost in the price of buying and selling of gold.

3. Jewelry and ancillary products manufacturers. Gold is a hedge fund and safe haven investment against inflation, based on this fact, there are heavy demand from countries like USA, China, India etc. Assuredly, in these countries, large quality and quantity of gold is used for manufacturing jewelry and components of electronic equipment. The high demand for gold brings about increase in the price of gold.

4. The worth of US dollars. The USD is highly prominently among the provinces of nations and of course the most acceptable currency for international trade. In fact, the price of gold is negatively correlated with the strength of the USD, when the value of gold is stronger, that of USD is weaker and people used to capitalize on stronger USD as due of buying more gold.

5. War and other global crisis. Gold is termed crisis commodity borne on the fact that price of gold typically increased during geopolitical instability and war. During this situation, there will be "gold rush" as people lack confidence in the prevailing economic scenario and gold is the only safe haven as assured assets.

Take for instance, during the geopolitical instability in Russia, there was spike in gold price as the Russians were moving to Ukraine.

6. Unstable monetary policies of central banks. All the nations of the world have their respective central bank that regulates their economic policies. For instance, the Federal Reserve Bank of USA, European Central Bank, Bank of Japan, Swiss National Bank etc.

Any unfavorable monetary policies that improbs negatively on paper currency will lead to gold rush being a safe haven and most preferred physical and tangible assets. The increase in the demand for gold will lead to hike in the price of gold.

7. Inflation. The consequence of unstable monetary policies is inflation and devaluation of treaties. As the currency value fluctuates and eroded, savvy people invest heavily on gold as hedge or insurance against inflation. The good aspect is that gold is valued worldwide and outside the control of any monetary policy.

8. Interest rate. Gold bullion is not subject to interest rate but the increase or decrease in interest rate usually reflect in the demand for and price of gold. When interest rate is increased, investors' sells gold to raise money for other investment and during the period of decreased interest rate, gold actually experienced a boom market in form of "gold rush".

9. Government reserve. Governments of nations through their Central bank have standard practice of keeping a national reserve in form of gold and paper currency. The Federal Reserve of USA, France, Germany, Portugal etc is practical examples. When these countries begin to invest heavily on gold, the price will spike.

10. QE. Quantitative easing is a strategy used by the central banks to ease the flow of money into the economy. These pinnacle banks like Federal Reserve of USA, Bank of England, Bank of Japan etc; will mop-up (buy) the securities from the financial market and money available to commercial banks to lend to the people. This intense supply money will push interest rate down and lower interest rate will propel investors to buy gold by all means.

In view of the above, l hope these revelations will be of great benefit when you are making your next purchase of gold bullion.

US Auto Sales Recovering

We have reached mid year of 2009, but have we reached midway in this great recession?

It does not appear so. Some big name economists feel we have seen the worst. Others feel the worst is yet to come. Even the famous billionaire Warren Buffet recently saved his opinion, and it was far from optimistic. He feels we are years away from a full recovery.

Hundreds of thousands of US jobs are still being lost every month. There are still thousands of jobs that have been farmed out to 3rd world countries. More and more manufacturing is being given to China. Where is that turnaround point, how far away!

How secure is your job, your home, your property, etc! No one can be sure of anything these days. Of course there are some industries not doing as bad as others, but they are the exceptions.

The auto industry has been in probably the worst slump they have ever seen. The US government bailout is starting to help the auto companies, and thenby restoring some confidence to the consumer.

If a new car is in your future, you'll no doubt stay away from the gas guzzlers, and go for the fuel efficient smaller cars, perhaps even an electric car. I am just saying you're going to be more cautious than ever, in making your decision.

You bought to also make sure you get the best auto insurance quote. It is now possible to get free quotes online. You do not have to wait for a quote from the offline agents, because the Internet has made it easy for you and the insurance agents to work together to provide you the best service possible.

Do not underestimate the amount you might possibly save, as it could amount to hundreds of dollars annually. You have absolutely nothing to lose by getting your free auto insurance quote. And it's fast.

Below you will find your free auto insurance quote site, and it's for US residents only.

Go get it and see what you find! I sincerely hope it's in your favor.

Fred Farah

Birthday Cards - Free - Funny - and Happy

Most people enjoy receiving happy birthday cards. When those cards are funny, it can put a big smile in the recipient's day. When they are free, it can put a big smile in the sender's day!

Free, funny, happy birthday cards are plentiful on the Internet. Some sites provide free cards as an incentive to convince you to become a paying member. Others simply provide complimentary cards at no cost. If you are thinking of sending a free, funny, happy birthday card, consider these tips.

Tip # 1 - Consider the Recipient's Sense of Humor

Free, funny, happy birthday cards are not always viewed as "funny" by the recipient. Not everyone has the same idea of ​​what is funny and what is not. While you may think a given birthday card is extremely funny, you should stop and think about the recipient before sending it. It may not be funny to him or her. It may even be offensive. If the card is for your grandmother, think about the things that make her laugh. Would she laugh at the birthday card you are about to send? Is the humor her style, or is it brash and edgy even for your generation? The birthday card should be funny to the recipient.

Tip # 2 - Consider the Recipient's Interests

Free, funny, happy birthday cards, while being humorous to the recipient, may not appeal to their interests. The goal in sending a birthday card is to make the recipient happy. If the birthday card is a funny joke about ballet dancers, a wrestler may wish you had chosen something more in line with his interests. Take time to think about the person to whom you are sending the birthday card, and about the things that interest that person most.

Tip # 3 - Consider the Recipient's Age Sensitivity

In other words, if those free, funny, happy birthday cards mock the old age of a person who is unhappy about getting older, it will be either funny nor happy. A woman who uses anti-wrinkle cream day and night will not enjoy a birthday card that reminds her of increasing wrinkles. A man who gets Botox injections every 5 months will not appreciate a birthday card that shows a furrowed brow. Some people grow old gracefully. Some do not. Learn how the recipient flags about aging and choose a funny birthday card that will not offend those feelings.

Tip # 4 - Consider Your Repression

Some people send funny birthday cards anonymously because they would have been accused to have people know they were sending smut. Stop and consider your reputation. If you are tagged to sign your name, you should not send that birthday card. If you would have been accused to have the recipient learn that it was from you, choose another card. You obviously believe it is not appropriate. Have the courage to do what you know is right.

Tip # 5 - Consider Your Friendship's Value

There is nothing wrong with sending birthday cards that are free. You may be unable to afford anything more. If you can afford more, though, think about why you are choosing a free birthday card. Do you care enough to spend a little money? Do you appreciate that person - and value their friendship or their place in the family enough to invest in helping them enjoy the day? Membership at a greeting card website is not expensive, and you gain access to the best of the cards when you invest. Consider your friend or loved one. Is that person worthy of a birthday card that cost you something?

Tip # 6 - Consider Being Serious

Finally, think about whether the recipient would rather have a serious, thoughtful birthday card. Many people are afraid to send birthday cards that are serious. They are afraid to express their true feelings toward others. They become uncomfortable with anything that is not funny. Ill-at-ease and lacking in self-confidence, they are simply on funny birthday cards. The recipient, however, may treasure a birthday card that expresses your feelings sincerely.

Whatever birthday card you choose to send, make it such that the person celebrating a birthday will sense that you have taken time to think about him or her.