Sunday, July 24, 2011

Cooking for one - all week

So I have many friends that are single.  One thing that I have found is that if they cook, most recipes are for couples or families.  They don't want to eat out every night so many of them will cook on the weekend and eat the same thing meal after meal.

My suggestion is this.  Don't cook one big meal - cook three or four.

Buy a small freezer such as the 5 cubic foot.  They typically take up a square yard of space.  They usually run about $150.


Buy some good storage containers.  My preference is lock-n-lock from QVC.  I like them because they are not difficult to open and close and they seal very well.  I bought a 12 piece set on clearance.

Once you have finished your meals, store them, freeze them and you will have 3-4 meals to choose from for the week.

Test Taking Tips

I passed my test and thought that I would share some tips for taking test and exams.

First, read the question.

Second, read the question again.  This time breaking down each portion of the question.  This way you can make sure that you know what is being asked.

Then read each and every answer.

There are basically three types of questions. 

1.  The simple question - here you are looking the correct answer.
      
             The most corrosive force in the environment is:
              a.  air
              b. fire
              c.   water
              d.  humans

   The correct answer is C.  

         
2.  The multiple question.  These usually give you 2 options to choose from I and II.  Your answer options will be: a only, b only, both a and b, neither a nor b.


              James Madison was known as the father of what founding document?
              I.  The Declaration of Independence
              II.  The Constitution of the United States of America
                  a.   I only
                  b.  II only
                  c.  Both I and II.
                  d.  Neither I or II.
 
  The correct answer is b.  James Madison was the primary author of the Constitution of the United States of America.

3.  Is the EXCEPT question.  With this question, you will be looking for the WRONG answer.

            All of the following statements about the State of Texas are correct, except:
                 a.  The state bird is the mocking bird
                 b.  The State of Texas was once it's own country
                 c.  The state reptile is the Texas Horned Lizard (horned toad)
                 d.  The state is the largest state within the United States

    The correct answer is D because is is incorrect which makes it correct (confusing, I know).  Alaska has the largest land mass and California is the most populous.

Another item to look for is answers that don't fit. 

1.  All of the following were U. S. Presidents except:
                a.  Franklin Pierce
                b.  Calvin Coolidge
                c.  Rush Limbaugh
                d.  Grover Cleveland

The obvious choice is radio show host Rush Limbaugh.  He has never been a President of the U.S.


When reading answers that are lengthy, look out for the following words:

First - Inclusives such as:  always, everytime, all

Next - Exclusives such as: Never, none

This will make the answer false 90% of the time.  Remember, some things are NEVER allowed such as shooting a public official.  In this case, the statement NEVER would be correct.

Another item to watch for is double negatives.  This is particular prevelant in the EXCEPT questions.  It usually comes in the form of items that may contain exclusions, such as insurance policies:

1.  On a Homeonwer's policy will exclude the following perils, EXCEPT:
         a.  earthquakes
         b.  flood
         c.  fire
         d.  sinkholes

The correct answer is C.  Fire is not an excluded peril.  Earthquakes are only covered by endorsement (a seperate rider), flood is a seperate policy, and sinkholes are not covered.


The last point I would like to make is to share some advise that I was given many years ago.  When going to your testing center of class - use a piece of scrap paper.  Number the paper to the number of question that are on the test.  Then write A - B - C - D.  Eliminate the incorrect answer by x-ing out the incorrect ones.  This may leave you with a choice of 2.  Choose the correct answer.

Make sure that you will not be penalized for answering incorrectly.  CLEP exams will deduct from your score if you answer incorrectly!

Good luck!



MOM

Sunday, July 10, 2011

New post will resume shortly

I've started a new position at a new company that requires licensing.  Once I pass my test next week I will resume posting.  Right now it's study, study, study!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Daily-Survival: Dont Be A Victim, Be Confident

I usually look at the survival blogs for advice on gardening and canning.  This is one article that I thought was worth sharing:

It gives several tips on avoiding becoming the victim:

http://daily-survival.blogspot.com/2011/07/dont-be-victim-be-confident.html

A Simple Way to organize your bills

After working in financial services for years and with default mortgages for the past few years, I have seen how few people are organized when it comes to their bills.

Priorities are often in the wrong place.

I've shared this one little tool with other including employees and friends.  It is simple.

Items needed:

A spiral notebook or composition book (dedicated to this one issue)
All of your bills and obligations.

Start on the first page, state the month and year.
Then start your bill list with date due and amount:
Put your priorities first (for example):

Rent/Mortgage - date due - amount due
Car payment - date due - amount due
Electricity - date due - amount due
Water - date due - amount due
Car Insurance - date due - amount due
Cable/Internet/Phone - date due - amount due
Cell Phone - date due - amount due
Student loans - date due - amount due
Personal loans - date due - amount due
Credit Cards - date due - amount due
Other bills such as medical, collections, etc should be added.

Child support and alimony should also be to ensure that you know how much is going out.  The important thing is that you know what bills you owe, when they are due, and how much you have to pay out each month.

If your rent/mortgage and electricity are not your top priorities, then you need to seriously look at your priorities.

If you are having difficulties paying your obligations, then you need to first contact the company that holds the debt (the bank holding the mortgage, credit card, car note, etc...).  Most companies have options to help consumers.

Good luck and God Bless.