Check FreePreview.tv Often

We have a temporary subscription to EPIX for $7 per month. We used to have Encore for $4 but couldn't find anything good to watch. Then as I was browsing, I noticed that I was being give HBO for the entire weekend. I went and check the following website http://www.freepreview.tv/, which is where people report what free previews are available. Indeed, HBO for this weekend was listed, and STARZ free preview will be coming up in the middle of April. So, my advice is to check this website often if you are subscriber to Dish, DirecTv, and other cable/satellite programming.

In addition, you can save a lot of money if you have a recording device. You can check the schedule and record to your heart's content. It will probably last you until the next free preview, which is less than 2 weeks. However, I took advantage of EPIX because we really enjoy it. We will cancel it once our 6 months is over because it is not worth $14 per month.

The effort in recording as much as you can is well worth it.

How To Save Money: Do Not Overeat!

There are a number of reasons to order fewer entrees than the number of individuals at the table. In the past, when there were two adults, we would split an appetizer and an entree at Houston's in Washington, D.C. This way, we didn't have to carry leftovers or leave any food behind when we went to the movies afterwards or walked the mall. We continued to carry on this philosophy to reduce the cost. Since we have two pre-teens, this works out that we can always get away with three entrees.

Recently, on our trip to Monterey, CA, we decided that celebration would entail ordering an entree each. Quickly we realized that it was not a good idea to order an entree per individual, even though one person ordered from the kids' menu. It was obvious that weren't going to finish our meal, and since our hotel room did not have refrigeration, we were going to eat as much as we could and only my daughter was going to take the rest of her claim chowder in a bun with her.

The food at Phil's at Moss Landing was delicious, and we will know in the future to order one fewer dish in order to save room for dessert.

A Year Later, I Still Love My BRW 2000 Rowing Machine

Most people buy exercise equipment only to find a graveyard of unused equipment. I say that a rowing machine is different, especially my BRW 2000.

A lot of people ask me about how I keep my figure. I am not thin, but I am not overweight. I have the following factors to my advantage: 1) I have a pretty high metabolism, 2) I drink a lot of green tea which also boost my metabolism, 3) I take public transportation which forces me to walk more than the average person and 4) allergy and asthma medication has a side effect of killing appetite. However, I generally tell them about my BRW 2000, because I love my rowing machine.
A year after purchasing my BRW 2000, I am still madly in love with it. I own other exercise equipments, but my BRW2000 is parked just a short distance from my television. When the kids put on their crappy television programming, I am rowing away knowing that it is just background noise.

My Consideration

I was looking for an all around exercise equipment that is not too difficult to use and not too expensive, within a price range of $150-$200. Growing up as a pretty good swimmer, I was always told that swimming is such good exercise. There are overall cardiovascular benefits and movement of all part of your body. I wanted something like swimming but without the chlorine in my eyes and hair and shivering between the public indoor swimming pool and the showers. After some careful research, I concluded that a rowing machine was the way to go.

Benefit of Rowing

#1 : Total Body Workout

Like swimming, a rowing machine gives you a total body workout. Within 5 minutes, you can feel the resistance in your arms, legs, back, abdominal area and back. According to my friend who is a rower, make sure to maintain good posture. One should not slouch. Just like you want to walk with proper posture, if you row with proper posture, you will have a more efficient workout of all parts of your body.

#2: Great for Physical Therapy

When I tore a knee ligament, my physical therapist asked me if I have a rowing machine. She was pleased to find out that I did. She asked me to row, making sure that my knees lined up with my toes. This way, I am not putting unnecessary strain on my knees, and I am evenly strengthening my leg muscles. Plus, it is impact free and therefore there are no negative aspects to rowing as opposed to running.

#3: You Are Never Bored

This is a great exercise in front of your television. When you are bored with a show, use your remote control and change your channel, and put on some exercise music such as trance or dance.

#4: Anybody Can Row

My mother-in-law came to visit and she tried the rowing machine and loved it. My kids who are 9 and 11 love to row. Because it is so much fun, you want to row regularly.

#5: Burning Calories

Rowing is a great way to burn calories. Why wouldn't it since it is exercise after all.

So the next time you tell yourself that you want to increase your exercise, you cannot go wrong with a BRW 2000 rowing machine.

Swagbuck: Generate Money Without Much Effort.

Since Club Bing shut down in May 2012, I had to find another site to earn free stuff. I was very sad to see how Club Bing deteriorated. I had finished all of its crossword puzzles and also post card puzzles. It was decent in that I earned a camera, a digital camera, an ice cream maker, and a lot of other prizes that now I frankly cannot remember.

So, with the magic of the internet, I found Swagbucks. In a short period from February 2012 to the present, I have earned about $30 worth of Amazon certificate without much effort. It is a site that is pretty entertaining, giving you celebrity gossips, Martha Stewart video clips of cooking, arts and crafts, and home decorating. There are music clips and plenty of games. The best part is the amazing Swagbucks one can earn just by doing searches that you would otherwise do anyways. Recently, I was awarded 59 Swagbucks. Only 450 is needed for a $5 Amazon gift certificate. If you like what I am telling you, then please use my referral link at: http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Formosangirl. For every referral, your search will reward me up to 1000 Swagbucks when you earn Swagbucks. This is not a gimmick because if you refer anyone, then you will earn up to 1000 Swagbucks, and if I could have given this referral bonus to someone who had introduced me to this, I would have gladly done so because it is so much fun to do searches and then earn Swagbucks.

Just a Handful of Gift Cards You Can Claim

Shell's Gas Deal

If you have more than 100 Ralph points, then Shell will give you 10 cent off per gallon of gas. Then, take the receipt to Ralph's to earn double points through August 2011. Not a bad deal, except we exhausted all of our Ralph's points. At least it was better than being 5 points short on the Ralph's points and loosing 495 points in 2011.

A Great Way to Pay Less for A Rental Car

It's disappointing that Discover will only pay you .25% for the first $3000, however, the double reward for Enterprise Rental Car is still a good deal, especially if you are renting a car for one day. By parlaying $20 worth of reward, our out of pocket cost ended up only being $7. It would have been $4 but the company said that our gas was low and we ended up splitting the gas cost. Can't win every time, but this is still a great deal. I checked Costco's deal, and it was only 5% off. Not a deal at all.