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Saving dollars with sense. I'm hoping to help the masses save their pennies by providing information, links and by sharing my experiences...no matter how embarrassing they may be....and also hoping you'll share yours.

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Hiatus

February 21st 2009 01:25
Due to personal circumstances I am taking a short hiatus from blogging. I hope you will all understand and that I don't lose my lovely audience. I'll be back to it as soon as I can.



Cheers to you all.

Cheryl J



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This Valentine's Day Give to The Bushfire Appeal

February 10th 2009 05:34
Each year millions of dollars are spent by lovers' giving the gift of flowers, chocolates and expensive dinners on Valentine's Day. This year I'm asking people to give a gift of real and unselfish love - donate to the Australian Red Cross Bushfire Appeal.



The latest news puts the death toll of the Victorian bushfires at over 160 people but warn that it could reach in excess of 230.


Although many people have been generous in donating food and clothing, the Red Cross is now saying that they cannot take any more of these supplies and are asking instead for cash donations. Australians have been very generous in support of the families involved. As at 3pm on the 10th February, the Fund had received $25.7 million from over 139,000 website and phone donations, with governments including the Victorian Government and Federal Government and corporates pledging additional sums. Donations are still continuing to flow in but much more is needed, so this year, why not make a donation in your loved one's name or make a joint donation in leiu of a Valentine's gift.

I know many people who read this blog are on a budget but every one of us, no matter how broke we are can afford something. Every dollar helps. Don't forget all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Show your love this Valentine's Day by doing something really meaningful - reach into your pocket and give to those who have lost so much. If you cannot afford to give money then please donate blood.

Donations can be made using the Red Cross secure online donations form or by phoning 1800 811 700. If you cannot get through on the first attempt please do not give up! They are being inundated with callers not only offering assistance but people calling the incorrect line to find out news about loved ones.

From the Red Cross Website:

Red Cross response (9am, 10 February)

Over 160 lives lost with the number expected to increase as authorities access more homes and discover vehicles in which people attempted to escape the fires.

Two centres in the Beechworth area were re-opened during the night with fires and ember strikes threatening the area.

The Red Cross enquiry centre is continuing to receive a large volume of calls from people concerned about family and friends and we are seeing an increase in calls from overseas as international news services relay the news.

There are still significant numbers of people registering with us so that family and friends can check on their wellbeing. One whole community that was surrounded by fire but spared, has late yesterday come forward to register with us so their loved ones know they are OK.

Over 400 volunteers and staff continue to work in shifts, Red Cross call centres in WA, ACT and NSW have opened to help deal with the volume of calls from people checking on the welfare of evacuees.

Image reproduced from touchpodium.com

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Want To Make Easy Money? Just Focus...

November 5th 2008 09:01
Have you ever participated in a ‘Focus Group’?

A focus group is a form of research in which a group of people, in an informal setting, is asked about their attitude toward products, services, concepts, advertising ideas and product packaging, The groups are interactive and usually have between between 6 to 12 people where participants are free to talk with other group members and air their views – the more honest the better.



The best part of a focus group is that anyone can register for them and they pay well for a couple of hours of your time and your opinions. Plus as an extra they generally provide refreshements. As subjects vary from advertising and testing of products ranging from washing powder to wine to insurance to holidays and even children’s television habits, there is something for everyone.

The best thing as they are held worldwide, mostly in the larger cities and it’s free and very easy to register.

I have done a number of them myself over the years, had some fun, been bored out of my skull and once was paid $80 to walk in and walk out again. Score! Apparently that sometimes happens. If they have overbooked (which they sometimes do to ensure numbers) first in will sometimes be given the option to stay and participate or leave with the cash. No-brainer really, I was out the door in five seconds flat calling a girlfriend to see if she wanted to have coffee as I had an hour and a half up my sleeve and some moolah.

Although you usually sign an agreement stating that you won’t talk about the group especially until after a product launch I’ll spill the beans on some I’ve been to without giving away any secrets.

I have participated in:

• A group where we had to give our opinions on the direction a winemaker was taking with the new branding of their products to see which demographic they had the best results with. They sucked. All of those bottles and all we got was OJ and a few bad sandwiches but after 90 minutes I was $70 richer.

• A laundry detergent which had been modified and modernised. They gave us all free unmarked bottles of the stuff to take home and use for a month and then go back for a 5 minute interview to tell them what we thought and to see if we could guess the brand. Not that it mattered, they just basically wanted to now if it was recognisable in its new form. I got $80 and didn’t have to buy laundry liquid for 3 months.

• APEC – Now that was funny. It wasn’t what we thought about security or the fiasco of having the city locked down. It was to see what we thought of the advertising leading up to it! Great food and drinks served and pocketed $80.

• A bank (who shall remain nameless) who played us four different advertising campaigns, filled us up with the most delicious food and wine and beer. I had so much fun the two hours flew by and they were by far the best payer at $100.

• Taste testing cereals. I actually got paid to tell people if I felt their cereals still tasted crunchy or had a nice texture. We only had to take a spoonfull of each but I did it in the afternoon so some people may find that weird. That’s the normal time I have breakfast so that was an easy one.

The least I’ve been paid was $50 and the most was $100 but I spoke to another woman in one group who had once been flown from Sydney to Melbourne and back to check an airline’s service and spent the day down there shopping…and they paid her. Damn, where was I when that one was handed out?

Anyway, the point is anyone can register; they will call or email you when people in your demographic are needed and there are few simpler ways to make money. But beware, every group has a complete know-it-all who tries to monopolise the whole thing and is usually a giant pain in the arse. It can be fun shooting them down in flames, especially when everyone starts to feel the same about them. In our wine group we had a wine ‘connoisseur’ who had a ‘cellar’ and knew everything there was to know about wine…except how to actually pronounce the varieties which had us all in fits of giggles when he kept referring to Pinot with a hard ‘T’ and Sauvignon with a hard ‘G’. Easy mistakes to make…but not for a self proclaimed ‘expert’.

What have you got to lose? Sign up and you may just make some easy cash and actually have a say in something.

Here is a directory for Aussie Market Research sites that present focus groups.

For other countries I suggest that you do a Google search in your using the terms Market Research and Focus Groups. I couldn’t find similar directories for other countries but there were so many companies all over the world that you can register with it won’t take much effort for you to find a few wherever you may be.

Get out there and have your opinions heard and line your pockets at the same time.
Have fun!


Picture from Really Long Link
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