(Photo via Bensonkua, Flickr.com)

Much like finding the right personal loan, the number of calories needed on a daily basis is determined by different factors such as your weight, height, age, and activity level. It varies with different people. However, there are some general guidelines on how much daily calories one person really needs.

400 Calorie Fix: Don’t Count Calories – Control them!

Meet Cassandra. She’s a busy mother of three who, like many of us, has a problem with her weight. She said she was terrified when she first heard about the 400 Calorie Fix. However, after using the 400 Calorie Fix strategy, Cassandra said she has lost 6 pounds in just two days!

The people behind the book, 400 Calorie Fix, say the method is not considered a diet, but a way to limit calorie intake by understanding what a 400 calorie meal looks like. Author and Prevention Magazine Editor-in-Chief Liz Vaccariello also dropped in on the Rachael Ray Show to explain how the 400 Calorie Fix formation works.

“The 400 Calorie Fix was inspired by a column where we showed people how to eat four 400 calorie meals a day,” she tells Rachael. “We show you how to eyeball foods, to read menus, so you’re not counting calories, you are controlling it. It’s the easiest weight loss solution ever because it’s one simple rule: you learn to see the world through a 400-calorie lens.”

Let’s Get Real

It seems just about every weight loss program requires you eat their food which, as many of you would agree, are not the most preferred foods out there. You basically have to starve yourself off, or buy expensive supplements to go with it. People have had to apply for a personal loan just to meet most weight loss program standards. With the 400 Calorie Fix, however, you can still eat the type of food you enjoy.

“We came up with that amount because registered dietitians say that’s the amount in a meal that you’re going to remain satisfied, you’re not going to get cravings,” said Vaccariello. “You get a variety of tastes and textures and you’re going to get enough disease-fighting nutrients so you stay healthy.”

The 400 Calorie Fix teaches the reader how to effectively read menus, identify high-calorie red flags and look out for sneaky calories in dressed-up healthy foods. The bottom line is that you know exactly what you’re eating.

Sometimes it makes good sense to borrow money

A quick online loan can help you save money

Too often, your paycheck is spent the minute you get it. You pay a few bills, make a trip to the grocery store, and fill the tank with gas.

You’re almost tapped out.  Fortunately or not, your kid mows the lawn just like you asked him to. In fact, he does a great job. You hand him ten bucks, as promised.

It’s payday, and already the countdown has begun. Will you be able to make it for two weeks on $50? It can be done. You’ve proved many times that it can. But what if something goes wrong?

Borrow money before it becomes an emergency

Twice in recent weeks you’ve had to jump the battery to start the car. What if a jump start doesn’t do the trick next time? The water heater’s been knocking and if you were to be honest about it, you’d have to admit that really, the hot water hasn’t been all that hot lately. What if the water heater conks out before payday?

Some former colleagues asked you to meet them for dinner tomorrow night. You’re hoping it turns out to be an informal interview for a better job. The place they want to meet is spendy. You think they’ll pick up the tab, but what if they don’t?

Borrow money if you know you can pay it back on payday

The bills are paid. There’s food in the house and gas in the car. Do you put life on hold until next payday? Or do you borrow money today and do the things you need to do?

There’s nothing wrong with getting a personal loan when you know you’ll be able to get by comfortably on your next paycheck after paying it back. In fact, there’s a lot to be said for getting cash today and being prepared for the unexpected.

Borrow money today and sleep well tonight

If you need cash today and you know that getting a loan till payday won’t put you farther behind, it makes good sense to borrow money. A fast cash loan can spare you unnecessary expense. For example, why not buy a new car battery now rather than wait until the car won’t start again and you have to pay for a new battery plus towing?

If you think things through and borrow wisely, a payday loan can help you come out ahead of the game. When you’re down to your last few dollars and worried about how you’ll make it, a little cash until payday might even let you save some money on those expensive sleep aids.

APPLY HERE to borrow money

Are guaranteed loans just wishful thinking?

Guaranteed Loans and Santa Claus: They're not real!

There are no such things as guaranteed loans. (You kind of knew that when you asked.) But if you’re hoping to get cash today, it’s guaranteed that Personal Money Store can almost always find a lender to grant your wish on the very best terms available.

There are no guaranteed loans, but payday loans are easy to get

Although there are no guaranteed loans, payday lenders generally don’t run credit checks. You can usually get a payday loan even if you have bad credit or no credit at all. You can usually get a payday loan despite having financial problems. You can get a payday loan if you’ve filed for bankruptcy, had your wages garnished, lost your home or car in a foreclosure or repossession, or are getting a divorce.

Payday loans are probably the most easily accessible form of credit available today. At Personal Money Store, your application is very likely to be approved even though there are no guaranteed loans.

You must be a sane adult with a regular income

To get a payday loan, you usually must have a job with a regular income and you must have been employed for the minimum time prescribed by the lender. You must have legal capacity to enter into a contract, so you cannot, for example, be a minor. Nor can you be insane. (Insanity can be a problem for people who have reached the age of majority but still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and Guaranteed Loans.)

You must be a sociable person with a bank account

If you want an online payday loan, you have to have a bank account because online payday lenders deliver loan funds by electronic transfer. You usually have to know at least two people to get a payday loan, because lenders usually require personal references, although they generally don’t contact the references before making the loan. (References can be a problem for hermits, recluses, and other shut-ins, even when they have regular incomes and bank accounts.)

You mustn’t have too much of a good thing

Depending on whether your state has a “cooling off” law, you may not be able to get a payday loan if you’ve recently had too many in a row. Many state legislatures have determined that if there were were such things as guaranteed loans, too many people would become too deeply mired in payday loan debt all too quickly.

Some payday lenders obtain Teletrack reports

It bears repeating that payday lenders generally don’t run formal credit checks. Some, however, use Teletrack reports to make credit-risk assessments. Teletrack is not a traditional credit bureau, and unlike a credit check, a Teletrack check won’t show up on your credit report. Teletrack provides analyses of consumer credit histories based on information obtained from payday loan companies, furniture companies, vehicle financing firms, high-risk consumer finance companies, credit card companies, banks and credit unions, as well as public records.

Teletrack doesn’t make credit-worthiness decisions, but it provides information to payday lenders who may then use it to approve or deny loan applications. Teletrack is considered a consumer credit reporting firm and is governed by the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

You won’t get a loan if you don’t apply, guaranteed

So you see, there are no guaranteed loans, although you’re very likely to get a personal loan when you apply at Personal Money Store. If you need to borrow money now and know that you can pay it back on your next payday without having to borrow again, then apply today. Chances are your wish will be granted right away.

Apply for the Best Payday Loans HERE!

It’s easy to get a personal loan today

No one likes the thought of borrowing money. But most of us have had to do it at one time or another. Especially today, with the cost of living soaring and incomes dropping, sometimes you have to get a personal loan just to make ends meet. If you get a personal loan today, and know that you’ll still be able to get by on your next paycheck after paying the loan back, a quick payday loan can solve a lot of problems.

Sometimes it makes good sense to get a personal loan

Needing money means different things to different people. You might be struggling to get by until payday after an uninsured medical emergency. You might be completely out of cash until payday when your car breaks down. You might be piecing your finances back together after overextending them on a recent vacation. You might even own a good house, have a good job, drive a nice car, be current on all your bills, and still find yourself short of cash until payday. Whatever your standard, and whatever your reason, when it makes sense for you to get a personal loan, Personal Money Store is the best place to find one.

Sometimes you can cut your losses when you get a personal loan

When you’re short of cash until payday and are running the risk of late fees or bounced check charges, it can make sense to get a personal loan. Late fees on the rent or mortgage can be significant, and it can cost hundreds of dollars to reconnect the electric service. Credit card companies today are more determined than ever before to collect late fees. Being just one day late on a charge account can really set you back when you’re already scraping to make ends meet.

No one loves to borrow money. On the other hand, there are bigger fees to pay than the price of a quick payday loan.

Anyone who’s ever had to get a personal loan knows what it’s like

Even with the economy in shambles, there are plenty of people who’ve never had to get a personal loan. But there are plenty more of us who struggle to make it from paycheck to paycheck. We know what it’s like to need money so badly that you’re willing to get a personal loan just to get by for a few more days until payday.

Get a personal loan for peace of mind

When you know that you can pay the loan back on payday without having to borrow again, and it feels like a little money in your pocket will change your whole life, paying a few dollars to get a personal loan is worth every penny. You may save money and you may put food on the table; you may make the landlord go away and you may get your car out of hock; but sometimes the peace of mind alone is reason enough to get a personal loan.

Applying for a personal loan is easy:

Image by flickr

The Center for Disease Control has issued warnings for people on the Eastern seaboard to watch out for a large shipment of recalled beef, as up to over a half a million pounds of ground beef have been found to be contaminated with E. coli.  The infected beef was produced and shipped by Fairbanks Farms, of Ashville, New York.  The company has issued a recall of almost 546,000 pounds of fresh ground beef; a recall this large costs more than a personal loan or two.

Up to 28 people may have been made ill

As of today, up to 28 people may have been sickened from eating said contaminated beef.  16 have been hospitalized and so far, 2 have died.  Both fatalities had underlying conditions and complications which were instrumental in their passing.  18 of the suspected infections are in New England, and all but 3 are in the Northeast.  The beef was distributed in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.  It was sold in Trader Joe’s, Lancaster, Wild Harvest, Shaw’s, BJ’s, Ford Brothers and Giant stores.  Consumers living in the Northeast are cautioned to find any packages bearing the label “EST. 492.” It won’t be sold as fresh any more, as the expiration dates were listed as at the end of September.  Here is a link to a  full list of products that contained the contaminated product.

E. Coli is a nasty bug – a paradoxical bacteria

E. Coli, or under the full title, Escherichia coli, is a common bacteria, and it’s one you already have – it’s kind of necessary.  It’s one of the bacteria that lives in the human digestive tract, and you probably wouldn’t survive long without it.  However, the strain that is endemic to humans isn’t the one endemic to cows.  The bovine strain is toxic to humans, and uncooked or contaminated beef can cause havoc.  The most common form that people get sick from is O157:H7 E. Coli (from Wikipedia) called the “hamburger” bacteria, as that’s the common source of infection.  It can cause anything from gastroenteritis (the “stomach flu”) to bloody diarrhea, in severe cases, kidney failure and in 2 to 7% of cases, haemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure.  The very young, very old, and the immune-compromised are more susceptible to this complication – as they are more susceptible to other diseases like influenza. E.coli can be acquired from meat, unpasteurized milk, swimming in contaminated water, or eating contaminated uncooked vegetables  (it gets into the environment from the business end of a cow).

Typically, it resolves itself within a few days for most people.  However, there are about 2,000 people hospitalized with it annually, and HUS complications from E.coli infections are responsible for about 60 deaths per year.

Those living in NE might want to check their freezer

People living in New England might be susceptible, so it’s suggested you check your freezer if you think you’re at risk.  A hospital stay will cost you more than a cash advance worth, that’s for sure.

Looking classy, image from Flickr.

Last night, “How I Met Your Mother” took a little mid-season break, which is a perfectly normal thing for a sit-com or any television series to do. However, nowadays a lot of people watch their favorite shows online or recorded on a DVR, so if there is any type of forewarning that there will be no new episode on, viewers often don’t get the message.

This is what happened to me and apparently many other viewers who tuned in for “How I Met Your Mother” season 5 episode 6, only to find out that a rerun was playing. In my case, was home late because I was finishing paperwork for a personal loan. So I turned on my DVR to find that I had recorded a rerun. However, I still needed my “How I Met Your Mother” fix, so I watched the episode anyway.

Why didn’t anyone tell me?

My dear readers, I have nothing to hide from you, so I’ll go ahead and say it: I watch a lot of TV. I am fairly certain that if CBS wanted me to know that “How I Met Your Mother” season 5 episode 6 wasn’t going to be on last night I would have gotten the message.

So why would the network and the makers of the show not forewarn me that “How I Met Your Mother” season 5 episode 6 would not be on until next week? Simple: it’s all about the money. I am sure there are other people out there just like me who opted to watch “How I Met Your Mother” last night, even though it was a rerun. If they’d done an ad campaign informing people that there’d be no new episode last night, they likely would have lost ad revenue. Advertisers know that people are far less likely to turn on the TV for a rerun.

Could have been worse

The nice thing about the one-week delay for “How I Met Your Mother” season 5 episode 6 is that at least the show didn’t leave anything hanging at the end of the last episode. Marshall and Ted made up after their fight. Robin decided to get dual citizenship in the U.S. and Canada. Pretty much everything was resolved.

“How I Met Your Mother” season 5 episode 6 is called “Bagpipes” after Marshall’s new obsession. Rumor has it that next week on that episode Robin adn Barney will have a fight. So tune in Nov. 2 for “How I Met Your Mother” season 5 episode 6 and keep those advertizers happy!

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/denharsh/ / CC BY 2.0

First it was Letterman, now ESPN MLB analyst Steve Phillips is in the spotlight for the same mischievous deed. Steve Phillips has been suspended for a week by ESPN after reports of an affair he had with a 22-year-old production assistant named Brooke Hundley. Things are looking pretty rough for the former Met General Manager. He could possibly lose his family and career over this sex scandal, something not even a personal loan can save.

Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater

Have you ever heard the saying, “Once a cheater, always a cheater”? Well, that definitely seems to be the case with Steve Phillips. This is not the first time Steve Phillips has been accused of sleeping with other women. As a matter of fact, in 1998, Phillips confessed to having multiple love affairs including an affair with a female team employee, Rosa Rodriguez, who filed a sexual harassment suit against Phillips. The case was later settled out of court.

New ‘Fatal Attraction’ Edition Starring Steve Phillips

According to the New York Post, Steve Phillips confessed to having three sexual encounters with the young ESPN assistant before dumping her in July. According to an exclusive police report, things got pretty nasty after the break-up. Brooke Hundley began harassing Phillips’ wife, Marni, with pestering phone calls and leaving inappropriate voice and text messages. She even began stalking Phillips’ 16-year-old son on Facebook while posing as a high school classmate, only to grill him with personal questions about the family later.

Marni Phillips also told police that she spotted a woman walking down the driveway to a parked car as she drove home with her 7-year-old son. Instinctively, she knew it was the woman her husband was involved with and immediately called the police. The woman got into her car, threw it on reverse, and smashed the rear end of her vehicle into a pole before driving off.

Stuck in the door of her house was a letter addressed to Marni. In the letter, Hundley wrote in details about the intimate relationship she had with Steve. For further proof, Hundley even provided a graphic description of Steve’s birthmark located on his crotch and inner thigh. Talk about obsessed! You can read the full original letter here.

Fatal Attraction Ending – No Bullets, Just Another Lawsuit

Through it all, for whatever his reasons are, Steve Phillips has decided not to pursue criminal charges against Brooke Hundley. Nonetheless, Phillips is suspended for at least one week and his beautiful wife has filed for divorce. This sounds like the perfect time for a personal loan.

Floor mat problem? A personal loan will get you some super glue. (Photo: archie99.wordpress.com)

When the world’s largest automaker recalls 3.8 million cars, you know something serious is going on. That’s exactly what the recent Toyota recall has done because of floor mats that present a risk of causing accidents. Removing the mats and obtaining new ones (even if you need a personal loan to help you get just the right ones) present a much better course of action than endangering lives.

What models are affected by the Toyota recall?

Toyota:

• 2007-2010 Camry
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• 2004-2009 Prius
• 2005-2010 Tacoma
• 2007-2010 Tundra

Lexus:

• 2007-2010 ES 350
• 2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350

What problem do the floor mats cause?

Toyota and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have released a statement in which drivers are cautioned that the removable floor mats can easily shift while the vehicle is in motion, presenting a scenario where they can become stuck on the accelerator pedal. It can literally stick the accelerator to the floor, and in the case of at least one incident, has led to fatalities.

It could “cause a crash, serious injury or death”

Toyota was very clear of this in their statement regarding an open accelerator caused by a removable floor mat. Interestingly, this problem led to a ban of all-weather mats back in 2007, but the NHTSA noted that reports of rapid acceleration are still occurring “after the release of the pedal.” Is there another problem Toyota or Lexus owners should be concerned about?

A fatal crash in California got the Toyota recall rolling

According to CNN, investigators discovered that the fatal crash of a 2009 Lexus ES350 loaned to a family by a San Diego Lexus dealer “could have been caused” by slippage of the all-weather floor mat into the vicinity of the accelerator pedal.

Ray LaHood of the NHTSA rightly calls this “an urgent matter.” He continues in a statement to proclaim that “For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration.”

Take action immediately

If you are a Toyota or Lexus owner and your vehicle is one of the ones listed above, remove the floor mats immediately and contact your dealership for further information. If a replacement program exists, take advantage. If you must buy your own in order to protect the upholstery, do so. If you’re short of cash, get a personal loan – don’t risk your life in assuming your mats won’t be a problem.

Related Video:

Image from CoverBrowser.com.

Today marked the start of Kate Gosselin’s new two-day temp job: Kate Gosselin on “The View” today and tomorrow is filling in for Barbara Walters. She shared some insight this morning into why she still is doing the show with all of the turmoil in her life.

This question, “Why is Kate Gosselin doing this?” is a very popular one, and one that is seldom addressed. Kate Gossselin on “The View” said if she just quit doing the show, she’d still get all the flack but no paycheck. She also talked about the fact that everyone chooses their jobs and careers for different reasons, and every career and job has its downsides.

More ‘Jon & Kate Plus 8′ to come

In case you haven’t yet heard, Jon and Kate Gosselin have signed a contract to do 20 more episodes of “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” If you add up their paychecks per episode, that means they have $1.5 million headed their way. One of the other hosts on “The View,” Joy Behar, said she could understand Kate Gosselin doing it for the money.

Granted, she can’t just get a personal loan for each of her eight children when it comes time for them to go to college. She needs to make a lot more money than someone with the average two to three children in order to support her kids. But a lot of people look down on her for the decision to support her kids by letting their lives be recorded and televised.

How did Kate Gosselin do on ‘The View’?

I have read several blog posts analyzing Kate Gosselin’s performance on “The View” as a guest co-host. Lifeline Live said Kate seemed “shy and nervous,” but also acknowledged that it seems like it’d be hard to get a word in edgewise with other hosts on “The View.”

Kate Gosselin has never struck me as shy or nervous, so I definitely think she just applied a lesson we all learned from Kanye West at the VMAs last night, which is that it’s rude to interrupt. Kate Gosselin on “The View” also took part with the other ladies in mocking Madonna a bit for her speech before Janet Jackson’s performance and tribute to Michael Jackson. In comparing her own life to Michael Jackson’s, Madonna did indeed come across as a bit self-centered. I guess when you are making a speech that opens a tribute to someone you shouldn’t talk just as much about yourself as you do about the person you are honoring.

Kate Gosselin talks kids

I thought it was interesting that Kate Gosselin on “The View” talked about the other “we have a bunch of kids” show on TLC, the show that focuses on The Duggars, who are expecting their 19th child and first grandchild simultaneously.

Kate Gosselin said she is worried for Mrs. Duggar’s health, that it was “scary for her.” However, anyone who has read or seen anything about the Duggars knows that Michelle Duggar is more dedicated to having as many children as the Lord wants to give her than she is to her own health. Kate Gosselin also talked about the Serena Williams meltdown. You can watch the full episode of Kate Gosselin on “The View” at ABC.com.

Nest eggs are hard to come by when you live on chicken feed

The rent is due

Your landlord doesn’t care why you’re down and out. He makes a bundle, but he won’t pay a penny for your thoughts. In his eyes you’re a deadbeat and he wants cold hard cash. You live from hand to mouth and every month you pay an arm and a leg to help your landlord make money hand over fist. You pay through the nose for the leaking roof over your head while your landlord lives high on the hog.

The golden rule doesn’t seem to apply when it’s time to pony up. Your landlord was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and you can bet your bottom dollar he won’t wait until payday.  You’re going to have to pay on the nail.

When you’re caught short, cut your losses with a quick payday loan. Dollars for doughnuts, you can make ends meet with an online cash advance so long as paying it back on payday won’t leave you strapped for cash again.

The weekend is coming

You’re hard up and payday is still a week away. You’re not a cheapskate, but you don’t ride the gravy train, either. Although you have generous friends who somehow manage to stay in the black, it’s humiliating when they always have to pick up the tab. You live on a shoestring, but you don’t like someone else footing the bill all the time.

For my money, a quick cash loan is the way to go if you can pay it back on payday and still have a little money to burn. Your friends may have hearts of gold, but when it comes to having fun, it sure feels good to pay your share out of your own pocket.

It’s on sale now

You aren't made of money, but that new tent is sound as a pound

At $189, that new two-person tent with mesh vents and detachable rain-cover seemed like highway robbery. But at the end-of-summer sale, it’s looking cheap at half the price. You’ve been pinching pennies all summer for a weekend camp-out at the lake, but payday is two weeks away and the sale ends tomorrow. They’re selling your tent for a song and you’re counting down until payday.

If you don’t come up with some extra cash right away, you’re going to be a day late and a dollar short. If you can pay the piper on payday and still cover all your expenses without having to borrow again, it may make good sense to get a personal loan now. A quick loan won’t cost the earth, and you’ll feel like a million bucks, camped by the lake in that luxurious tent, safe from the bugs and rain.

It’s going to bounce

You don’t have two pennies to rub together, and your math skills are in the hole, too. You just found a mistake in your check book and you’ve overdrawn your account. It wasn’t intentional, but the bank won’t let you put in your two cents: You’re going to get hit with some hefty overdraft fees if you don’t come up with some fast cash.

It sure would be nice to be loaded and to be able to solve advanced math problems at the drop of a dime, too.  But you’re not.  You’re going to take a beating and your bank is going to make a killing if you don’t do something quickly. All that glitters is not gold, but in a situation like this, an online cash advance is pay dirt worth every red cent.

We’re in the middle of a credit crunch, and getting an installment loan – whether it’s an auto loan, a home loan, or a personal loan – requires better credit than ever before. Creditors have their guards up and lending standards are becoming increasingly strict.

The most common credit-scoring model used by lenders is the FICO score. The FICO model (originally Fair Isaac) was established in 1956 by an engineer named Bill Fair and a mathematician named Earl Isaac. A FICO score can range from a very risky 200 to a perfect 900.

In a recent CNNMoney.com report, John Ulzheimer, president of consumer education at Credit.com, stated that FICO requirements are on the rise: “You need a 750 or better today to have the same treatment you got with a 700 two years ago,” he says. John D’Onofrio, CEO of Autoloandaily.com, concurred: “Two years ago a 680 was enough to get a great car loan rate. Today it’s often the minimum to qualify at all.”

How to maximize your FICO score

If you’re thinking of borrowing money (other than hard money loans like small payday loans or emergency cash loans that don’t require credit checks) you need to do everything you can to boost your FICO score before you apply. Here are some things you can do to maximize your credit score:

Find your score

You can get free estimates of your credit score at any number of websites (like Creditkarma.com). But if you’re serious about getting an installment loan on the best available terms, you need to see what your lender will see. Lenders will be looking at your actual FICO score, based on credit reports from three credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. To get a better sense of what lenders will actually see, for a small fee you can get one representative FICO score at myfico.com.

Look for mistakes

According to a Zogby International poll, one-third of people who pull their credit reports find errors, so check yours closely. When you get your FICO score at myfico.com, you’ll get a copy of the report it was based on. You’re entitled to one free report from each of the three credit bureaus every 12 months. So once you have your score and the report it was based on, you can get the other two reports for free at annualcreditreport.com

If you find errors, request corrections, following the instructions on each credit bureau’s website. Inaccurate delinquent marks are common. Fixing just one of those can improve your FICO score dramatically.

Never be late on payments

Your payment history is the most important part of your credit score. Lenders can’t report late payments to the bureaus until they’re 30 days past due. But keep track of your payment due dates and take precautions not to be late at all.

If you know you can’t pay a bill on time, think about getting a quick payday loan to pay the bill. If you will be able to get by on your next paycheck after paying the loan back, a cash advance can save your credit score, but don’t let payday loans become a habit. If you make a late payment, getting right back on track will eventually improve your score, but if you fall more than 30 days behind, the damage to your FICO score can haunt you for years.

Don’t use more than 20% of your total available credit

Another important factor in calculating your score is how much you owe compared to how much credit is available to you. According to Ulzheimer, 10% is ideal, but a ratio as high as 20% is acceptable. Unfortunately, banks are scurrying right now to raise interest rates before new regulations go into effect (read Credit Card Company Comeuppance), and they’re also rushing to lower credit limits and cancel unused accounts, all of which make it more difficult to maintain an ideal ratio.

Be aware of the limits on your credit accounts, watch closely for changes on your monthly statements, and don’t use more than 20% of your available credit on any card or in total. If you’re thinking about getting a home or auto loan, try to reduce your account balances even farther before you apply.  If you’re working to pay down your debts before applying for new credit, remember that it may take a couple of months before reduced balances will appear on your credit report.

Preserve old accounts

A long credit history without late payments is the most important part of your FICO score. Closing old accounts not only increases your credit utilization ratio, it shortens your credit history.  So don’t cancel your oldest cards. You can avoid having lenders close old accounts by transferring recurring charges to them from the accounts you use more regularly.

Don’t try to out-smart the credit bureaus

Other, less important factors are involved in calculating your FICO score, but they are more difficult to manipulate. For example, part of your score is based on your mix of credit types, such as mortgages, car loans, and credit cards. But don’t buy a car or apply for new credit cards just to boost your score. The effects of new credit on a FICO score are complicated, and it is much easier to improve your score by carefully tending a few long-standing credit accounts and making your payments on time.

If you’re looking for a car loan today, apply here!

Trying to decide what movie to go see? I have plenty of friends who are interested in seeing “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” but after seeing the movie reviews, I am considering whether I should advise them against it.

Then again, the makers of this film could definitely use the money from ticket sales. A lot of time and money has already been lost on this film. Did you know that production on “The Time Traveler’s Wife” was pushed back for nearly a year? After filming for “The Time Traveler’s Wife” wrapped, leading man Eric Bana shaved his head for his role in this year’s “Star Trek” film. When the “Time Traveler’s Wife” team realized reshoots were needed, they waited for Bana’s hair to grow out. The release date was delayed almost a year. Hm, I don’t think I’d take personal loan advice or any sort of financial advice from the person who made that decisions. You know, Hollywood is doing really amazing things with wigs these days.

Anyway, without further ado, here are some clips from “The Time Traveler’s Wife” movie reviews:

By Christy Lemire, The Associated Press:

Maybe it’s more plausible on the written page — or maybe you just have to be a hopeless romantic, and willing to shut off the part of your brain that craves logic, to enjoy this. But strangely, in the script from Bruce Joel Rubin (an Oscar winner for “Ghost,” a supernatural love story that actually made sense) the time-travel gimmick supersedes any sort of substance, depth or character development.

Bana and McAdams try their best to win us over to this complicated conceit with enormously earnest performances. McAdams shows some of the same dramatic capabilities that helped make her a star in “The Notebook.” As for Bana, this is a rare and welcome opportunity to seem him play the romantic lead, for which his dark good looks and strong presence would seem to make him a natural. And the ever-reliable character actor Stephen Tobolowsky grounds things somewhat as the geneticist who tries to help Henry and Clare forge some sort of normal life.

Still, we’re left wondering afterward, how do these people feel about this extraordinary situation in which they’ve found themselves? In theory, indeterminate time traveling would wreak havoc with even the most mundane daily activities: grocery shopping, sitting at a red light, parent-teacher conferences.

By Joanna Langfield, The Movie Minute

I’m someone who cries at commercials, yet this incessantly romantic love story left me curiously cold.

Based on a best selling novel, this heartstring puller pairs time crossed lovers, destined to be together, occasionally, when the impact of his pesky time traveling issue doesn’t get in the way. It’s not Henry’s fault: he’s got this rare genetic thing that makes him bounce around when he least expects it and poor Clare just can’t help herself, so helplessly in love, she hangs in there, trying to put up with it all. It’s been pre-determined, you see: on several of his little “trips”, Henry showed up in Clare’s life. She was just a child and, even if she has to remind him of those oh so wonderful play dates in her family’s sprawling meadows, she knows she fell under his spell and it’s been all written in the stars since then.

By Roger Moore, The Orlando Sentinel

Robert Schwentke (Jodie Foster’s Flightplan) doesn’t quite have what it takes to make this a first-class weeper. But if you’re making a romance with a touch of the supernatural, you can’t do better than hiring the screenwriter for Ghost. Bruce Joel Rubin finds scenes of irony and pathos in Audrey Niffenegger’s novel and makes them work, even if his director isn’t a romantic.

Schwentke fixates on the logistics of time travel — Henry’s need to steal clothes with every fade out, how a time traveler might get rich (think Back to the Future). He’s caught up in the sci-fi.

The days when funny family photos ended up in an album gathering dust on a shelf are no more. If people want to share their photos with the world, it’s as easy as pie. Awkwardfamilyphotos.com is one site built around the concept of, well, awkward family photos.

Now a family photo that includes a photogenic rodent with excellent timing has made its way into the spotlight, as the “squirrel vacation picture” makes the rounds on the internet. After Melissa Brandt submitted the squirrel vacation picture to nationalgeographic.com, it became an Internet sensation. Of course, the place it was taken, Banff National Park, can’t let this opportunity slip by, and the park is working on capitalizing on the squirrel vacation picture.

Banff National Park Squirrel

Banff National Park is encouraging every traveler to take out a personal loan if that is what it takes to get to Banff National Park in Lake Minnewank, Canada, where the famous squirrel vacation picture was taken.

Banff National Park has set up Twitter and Facebook pages under the name Banff National Park Squirrel. Visitors are encouraged to send in their own squirrel vacation pictures.The Vancouver Sun reports:

“We’ve been having a great time with it and it seems the rest of the world is having a great time with it as well,” said Julie Canning, Banff and Lake Louise Tourism president and CEO.

Story of the squirrel vacation picture

The tale of the squirrel vacation picture started when a couple from Minnesota set the timer on their camera so they could get a photo together at Banff National Park. The Vancouver Sun says:

A U.S. couple on vacation captured the image while they were hiking in May. The photo garnered international attention–particularly from quick-fingered Photoshoppers who’ve since placed the squirrel in unusual situations– after it was featured on the National Geographic website.

Will squirrel vacation picture generate cash?

Canning and her team are hoping that encouraging tourists to take their own squirrel vacation pictures and submit them will get more visitors to come to Banff National Park. Though the popularity of this photo is feeding the park’s publicity right now, squirrels have been the mascots of Banff National Park for quite some time. The Vancouver Sun says:

Abigail, Gillroy, Herman, Penelope, Peter and Rochelle made up the merry band of tourism squirrel “guides” trotted out by the town as official ambassadors during Banff’s downtown construction project.

“This legacy of theirs is just continuing,” said Canning.

Several squirrel species are commonly found in Banff National Park, so it’s only natural the creatures could be used as future ambassadors, Canning added.

“We’ve used them in the past, and we’ll probably use them again in the future, because they are part of what our destination is.”

Thanks to the auto focus feature present on most digital cameras, the image of the squirrel is crisp and clear, while the photo’s intended subjects are blurred in the background. Here is a larger version of the squirrel vacation picture, featuring the Banff National Park Squirrel:

For people living from paycheck to paycheck without health insurance, it would take a hefty cash advance or personal loan just to step inside a doctor’s office. And for people who have health insurance or extra cash stashed away for medical expenses, more than half of every dollar spent on medical care is a waste. According to a recent study by PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute (HRI), approximately $1.2 trillion of the $2.2 trillion spent on medical care annually in the United States is the result of wasteful health-care practices.

The HRI report describes three general areas of waste:

• Behavioral where individual behaviors are shown to lead to health problems, and have potential opportunities for earlier, non-medical interventions.
• Clinical where medical care itself is considered inappropriate, entailing overuse, misuse or under-use of particular interventions, missed opportunities for earlier interventions, and overt errors leading to quality problems for the patient, plus cost and rework.
• Operational where administrative or other business processes appear to add costs without creating value.

Before you light up or take another bite . . .

Big may be beautiful, but it's an enormous waste of health-care resources.

The report concludes that the impact of obesity, alcohol abuse, smoking, and non-adherence to medical advice and prescriptions are exponential factors affecting all three categories. Every year, these risky choices and behaviors result in an avoidable $493 billion waste.

Some of the specific contributors to the $1.2 trillion leak are:

1. Over-testing: $210 billion
2. Processing claims: up to $210 billion
3. Ignoring doctor orders: $100 billion
4. Ineffective use of technology: up to $88 billion
5. Hospital re-admissions: $25 billion
6. Medical staffing turnover: $21 billion
7. Medical errors: $17 billion
8. Unnecessary emergency room visits: $14 billion
9. Prescriptions written on paper: $4 billion
10. Hospital-acquired infections: $3 billion
11. Over-prescribing of antibiotics: $1 billion

Too many tests

Defensive medicine – the ordering of tests or procedures based on concern for liability or to pad income — is the single biggest waste of health care dollars. In a recent CNN report, Dr. Arthur Garson, provost of the University of Virginia and former dean of its medical school said, “Sometimes the motivation is to avoid malpractice suits, or to make more money because they are compensated more for doing more. Many are also convinced that doing more tests is the right thing to do. But any money that is spent on a patient that doesn’t improve the outcome is a waste.”

Those annoying claim forms

Inefficient claims processing is the second-biggest area of wasteful expenditure. Doctors spend enormous amounts of time and money trying to get paid by insurers. They also spend a lot of time and money getting advance approval from insurers for higher-priced or non-routine procedures. Those necessary efforts significantly increase the cost of medical care

Using the emergency room as a clinic

Because emergency rooms are legally obligated to treat all patients, more insured and uninsured patients are getting their primary care in emergency rooms. An emergency room visit for a routine condition can cost 10 times what the same medical care would cost at an urgent care clinic. Not only are unnecessary emergency room visits a waste of medical resources, many uninsured patients cannot or do not pay their emergency room bills, and medical providers ultimately find ways to pass on the costs to insured patients and uninsured patients who do pay out-of-pocket.

Going back to the hospital

Frequently – to the tune of $25 billion a year — patients don’t follow care instructions after being discharged from the hospital and wind up being readmitted for complications that could have been avoided. Preventable re-admissions are also common among elderly patients who are discharged prematurely because of insurance shortages or hospital bed unavailability.

Spreading it around

Infection control is ever-evasive in a building full of sick people. Patients sometimes come in with infections which then spread in the hospital. The problem is one of enormous proportions, and the ironic fact is that the hospital is a very dangerous place to be when you’re vulnerable to infection. Something as simple as hand-washing often can reduce the problem, but the risk of infection is enormous and so is the $3 billion annual bill for hospital-acquired infections.

Sometimes, products come around that fill the right need at the right time. Payday loan and personal loan companies stepped forward to fill a need that banks and credit unions refused to adequately address.

Other times, products surface because we think there’s a particular need for them, but the reality is that perhaps they aren’t as necessary as we think. Take Sweat Block, for example. On the surface, the ability to “control excessive sweating and stop underarm sweat for seven days with one wipe” seems like an easy sell. Who wants to stink, I ask you?

I do. There’s survival all up in there!

It has to do with evolution and human sexuality. But I’ll get to that. First, let’s take a closer look at this evolution blocker.

Don’t sweat it

Admittedly, Sweat Block does not prevent a human being from sweating. That would be unhealthy. It claims to address excessive sweating. “No more Hyperhidrosis, unrelented or excessive sweating. Solve nervous sweating, underarm wet stains, and bring back your confidence in social situations!” That’s how their Web site sells the product. It is intended to “block the sweat gland, protect against irritation and soothe the skin.” They claim that, when applied correctly, Sweat Block blocks sweat and smells good. Yet it still uses a dosage of Aluminum Chloride, an ingredient common to other anti-perspirant products. So it still isn’t natural – Sweat Block “will form a chemical block in your sweat glands that will last a week. It will not wash off, it does not leave a film, and you won’t even know it’s there.”

Is it safe?

Again according to the Sweat Block Web site, it “mechanically blocks the sweat glands only, and is never introduced into the blood stream. Generally, if used as directed, Sweat Block claims their product is safe.

But that’s not the point… we are animals

A recent New York Times article referenced studies that indicate that “men’s sweat smells different when they are sexually aroused, and women can tell the difference, even though they are not conscious of it.” Thus, since odor is important in mating rituals and the transference of genetic material, odor is essential to the survival of the human race. Much human odor is transferred through pheromones in sweat, and the primary areas on the body where sweat congregates is the armpits. Men, do you want your armpits to smell like everyone else’s – neuter? Or do you want women to be able to subconsciously recognize the uniqueness of your genes?

Easy decision, as far as I’m concerned

Sure, sweat and “excessive sweat” are two different things. But the proper way to deal with problem sweat is not a product like Sweat Block. By its very title, it’s only covering up the problem, like every other product on the market. Seek help from a doctor if you have problem sweat, don’t simply cover it up.

Be a human animal

“In surveys, people say that body odors are important in selecting a mate,” said Dr. Denise Chen, the lead author of the study cited by the Times. “But we don’t really know exactly what role body odors play in human sexuality.” Not enough justification to fall back on over-the-counter cures, surely.

The study report, which initially appeared in The Journal of Neuroscience, does suggests that women have the ability to tell the difference between “the odor of sexual sweat” and “neutral sweat.” Furthermore, these different types of scent are processed in different parts of the female brain.

Sexual sweat lights up the brain

The substance used in the study was actual human sweat. Not a chemical compound synthesized for the study. All but two of the subjects could smell the sweat, and none of them came out and said they could tell the difference between sexual sweat and neutral sweat. Yet what’s truly interesting is what scientists observed in terms of brain activity. According to researchers, the right orbitofrontal cortex and right fusiform region in the female participants showed much more response to the sexual sweat that any other smell used in the study.

Does this mean men shouldn’t bathe?

That’s what the Times author wants to know, but the question itself is asked in jest. Dr. Chen says that the study does not “convey the suggestion that human sweat is an aphrodisiac.” No, human mating is much more complicated than that. Many factors, some conscious and some otherwise, are factored into female and male brains where mating and courtship are concerned. But it seems clear that scent plays a role. If you are looking to pass on your genetic material in a happy, healthy way like a good little human animal, it simply doesn’t pay to cover up who you are. Whether it’s Sweat Block or some other product, be a human being. Increase your chances the natural way. If you need to consult with a physician and find yourself budget challenged, a payday loan or personal loan are happy, healthy options.

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“You know they call them killer whales
But you seem surprised
When it pinned you down to the bottom of the tank
Where you can’t turn around
It took half your leg and both your lungs”

- From “People Gotta Lot of Nerve” by Neko Case

Making pets of wild animals can be a gamble. A great deal of care must be taken to ensure that they get the food and activity they need in order to live in relative health. This is important because captivity can be stressful for animals accustomed to roaming free. It can also be expensive; be prepared for an online cash advance or personal loan to help close budget gaps torn asunder by exotic animal food bills.

If there is neglect – not giving the animal the necessary care, making sure their enclosure is secure, etc. – accidents and catastrophes can occur. And when a snake kills a baby (Shaunnia Hare) as it did recently in Sumter County, Florida, we see that the risk can far outweigh the reward.

Snakes have been given a bad rap

I blame the Bible first, and I’ll throw the snake-handling cults in with that crowd. The more you mystify a natural, magnificent creature, the more you enforce ignorance over understanding. Humanity’s relationship to the natural world needs to be based on understanding of animal behavior and their needs. We are in a unique position to be benevolent stewards of the countless varieties of life in our world. This position offers great benefits, but it also comes with great responsibility. No, that snake isn’t part of a family tree that leads back to Satan, in much the same way that lightning bolts don’t come from Thor’s hammer.

Sharon Wynne blogs for the St. Petersburg Times the question on the minds of many regarding snakes, particularly the parents of young children: Should they be kept as pets? The unfortunate family whose two-year-old baby was hunted in her crib that horrible night thought it made an attractive pet, and they were devastated by the turn of events.

Attractive animal vs. attractive pet

There’s a huge difference here. Wynne suggests that a Burmese python’s “smooth, shiny scales” would make for an attractive finish on a purse, but I’ll have to disagree. Snakes are marvels of muscle strength, contracting to move, to eat or do most anything else. It’s also amazing to me how they can unhinge their jaws to make room for their meals. Texture, pattern and color are all strong selling points. Yes, a Burmese python is an attractive animal.

Setting a bounty

Here’s something else about animals the size of the snake that kills baby. Not only do they require a lot of specialty food, but they need custom-built enclosures that are quite expensive. Online cash advances and personal loans, anyone? Unfortunately, since all of this is as expensive as it is, there are lots of owners who simply release their pets into the wild. This frequently leads to the animal injuring other animals or people. The final result is typically the euthanization of the ex-pet.

According to National Geographic, American has imported over 144,000 Burmese pythons into the country over the past five years. This only adds to the numbers of animals jettisoned into ecosystems where they don’t belong.

Florida Senator Bill Nelson recently introduced a bill to ban the import of pythons. A similar bill was brought before the state House, as well. There’s even a proposal that would put a bounty on exotic snakes discarded in the Everglades, which will surely draw the Bayou Billys out of the woodwork.

Don’t let docility fool you

Snakes are animals that should be handled with caution. Apparently, the Florida family allowed their little daughter to hold both their Burmese python and their boa constrictor. But that doesn’t mean the snake and child are safe playmates. Wynne reports that the mother’s boyfriend, Charles Darnell, 32, told authorities he had checked on the snake just a few hours the horrible incident. It had escaped its enclosure, so he put it back in, put a quilt over the terrarium and tied it down – even though Florida state law requires the use of a lock.

What Darnell discovered the next morning is a parent’s nightmare made real. The eight-foot Burmese python was wrapped around little Shaunnia Hare, its teeth embedded in her head in order to hang on to its prey. The snake didn’t have an axe to grind with the child, it isn’t an evil creature (or a good one, for that matter). Nature laughs at “good vs. evil.” Survival has neither the time nor the room for such inventions.  The snake was not secured, and it was hungry. It was operating on instinct. Tragically, a little girl died.

As a parent, my instinct says that having large snakes in a home with small children is a horrible idea. I wouldn’t use an online cash advance or personal loan for the best cage money can buy. I simply wouldn’t have a snake that close to my children on a regular basis.

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It’s how we are made, I guess. The whole winter we dream about summer and the summer fruit and all the way through the winter months, I for one, drool at the thought of eating juicy oranges, a winter fruit. So now summer’s here and the fruits are in abundance, it is so expensive that everyone is becoming very picky. A peach with the slightest blemish won’t sell at these prices.

I’ll need a loan this summer

I went fruit hunting yesterday at a few different fruit shops and supermarkets to scout out the territory and returned home feeling annoyed and dejected. Here we are, quarter way through June and the prices of the summer fruit are astronomical. It’s as though all the fruit farmers are hiking their prices to pay for new trucks or for running them on last season’s gas prices. What’s going on? At these prices I’ll need a Personal Loan every time I go shopping for fruit. We’ll have to cut fruit to once a month at this rate!

Life in the fruit belt

We have every kind of fruit imaginable and a few that are quite beyond imagination as well. So when the seasons change we look forward to filling our baskets with the latest fruit at usually very reasonable prices. This summer it’s different, and while not all the summer fruits are in the shops yet, the prices are very high compared to past years. Perhaps it’s all part of the recession and the farmers marking their goods up to beat an imaginary financial crisis.

We’re eating the fruit

Despite the prices, we are already eating peaches, plums, apricots and bananas but we are buying them in smaller quantities and checking each item carefully before taking it home. The watermelons and melons are in the fruit shops; these are always notoriously expensive when they first appear and then the price sinks steadily as the summer draws on. I was never a confirmed watermelon freak, but then someone – I guess it was a dairy – began advertising a cube of watermelon on the end of a fork with a small cube of salty cheese on the melon. I am now a melon and cheese freak!

Mangos

The mangos will start making their appearance in the shops one of these days and then the pressure will be on to spend big money and buy them. I will fight back, remembering what happens every year. Mangos start out at their weight in gold and after a month the price will go down. And they are simply delicious and can be eaten as a starter course, the main course and the desserts of every meal. The season starts with very small mangos for the first two months. Then the variety changes to a larger type and finally to the giant green mangos which weigh well over a pound each.

Summer

In the hottest days of summer we often sit down to a salad of mango, melon, bananas and a peach with a dollop of ice-cream as a major meal. It is filling and nutritious and delicious. Here’s to the summer fruit – may their prices fall!

Author of the book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” Mireille Guiliano, or possibly her agent, used to charge a fee for online access to her tips on staying thin. However, frenchwomendontgetfat.com is now a free site, so you and I and everyone we know can access the secrets of how French women don’t get fat and don’t go hungry.

Weight loss is not mentioned anywhere on the “French Women Don’t Get Fat” homepage. Here’s what is mentioned:

• Food & Wine
• Style
• Well-Being
• Recipes
• French Finds

Not rocket science, but good stuff nonetheless

I visited “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” and I appreciate its common-sense approach to healthy eating, drinking and living.

Best of all, “French Women Don’t Get Fat” doesn’t ask you to go take out a personal loan so you can buy special diet food or pills or equipment. It just gives free tips on how to love eating and control it at the same time.

Seen in Success

Success Magazine published an article that encapsulated Guiliano’s theory on eating well and loving life, and it gave the following five tips:

1. Portion control. Learn that less can be more, and discover how you can eat everything in moderation.
2. Water. Increase your water intake. However much you are having, more can’t hurt.
3. Fool yourself. The trick is to manage and gratify your appetite, while determining how, when and what to eat to reduce it.
4. Ritual eating. Eat only at the table, only sitting down. Never eat out of cartons. Eat slowly and chew properly.
5. Move.

Hungry for more?

Those five tips are taken from Guiliano’s book “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” which you can purchase on Amazon for less than $9.

Now that “French Women Don’t get Fat” the web site is free, it might seem unnecessary to purchase the book, but there have to be some people out there who still prefer to get their information from the traditional dead-tree format. Right?

French Finds

Of course, “French Women Don’t Get Fat” the book is only a supplement to the dynamic web site, which keeps you up to date on Mireille Guiliano’s “French Finds.” Guiliano’s list, at the moment, does start out with chocolate recommendations, but she also reports her favorite findings in French cinema.

Recipes

I checked out the recipes section on “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” and here are a couple that I think look particularly delightful.

Ratatouille

“Steak” Tomato Salad

Most forms of credit available today, with the exception of payday loans, are dependent on the credit rating of an individual. A credit score or a credit rating is essentially a statistical representation of the likelihood of an individual paying back the money that he/she owes. It is based on a number of factors e.g. your credit repayment history, your current debt situation, how often you apply for credit etc. This score generally ranges from 350 (considered to be very high risk category) to 850 (very low risk category). Equifax, Experian and Trans Union are three of the most recognized credit bureaus that award these credit ratings.

Why is credit score so important?

As mentioned in the beginning, barring payday loans, all other types of credit are subject to a ‘favorable’ credit score. So, your credit card application, application for a personal loan and the interest rate on your personal loan, acceptance of your checks by your bank, and even things as basic as a new phone connection are all dependent on the credit score that you have. In short, the importance of credit score cannot be overemphasized.

How does credit score get damaged?

Overdraft on bank accounts, bounced checks, credit card late fees, defaulting on personal loans and mortgages, non-payment/late payment of your utility bills etc are some of the common events that could set off a downward spiraling of your credit ratings. One thing that can help you to protect/ repair your credit score is an intelligent use of payday loans.

Some ways to build your credit ratings

• Keep your outstanding debt to the minimum
• Pay all your bills and utility bills like electricity, water, telephone etc. on time.
• Avoid late repayments on credit cards; credit cards are quite tempting to use but can be quite expensive and damaging in the long run.
• Don’t send out too many applications for credit as each time a potential lender views your application it is reflected on your credit report.
• If you need some credit for urgent requirements, it’s better to go for payday loans rather than relying on credit cards or other such sources which could end up damaging your credit score. Since payday loans are meant to be repaid on your next payday, if you plan and spend responsibly, the chances of defaulting on payday loans are relatively low.

The role played by Payday Loans

Payday loans are the short term cash advances that are meant to be repaid with your subsequent paycheck. As they are of a short duration and are issued in small quantities of up to $1500, so payday lenders, unlike any other lenders, generally do not check your credit score. So in those desperate times when your credit score is bad, you know that you still have a chance to secure credit in the form of payday loans. Thus using payday loans in such times has the double benefit of not just providing a cheap source of fast and easy credit, but also to free you of the constraints imposed by your credit score.

I have read all about it, and I still think the concept behind engagement chicken is crazy. Publications including Glamour magazine and even one Fox News entertainment writer are convinced that there’s a magical dish called Engagement Chicken that will inspire your significant other to get down on one knee.

However, everybody’s buzzing about this alleged wonder dish today, and sometimes the only way to find out if something works is to try it.

Don’t get in over your head

Of course, it doesn’t hurt to be a bit cautious in the Engagement Chicken experiment. Engagement rings can be very expensive. Just in case the rumors are true, and engagement chicken does inspire your boyfriend or girlfriend to pop the question, make sure you are in a stable enough financial position to afford a several-thousand-dollar investment in a a rock and metal band.

You might need a personal loan to be able to pay off an engagement ring, and everyone knows that once you’re married — usually long before that — his finances are your finances and vice versa.

Is Engagement Chicken the real thing?

Fox News entertainment reporter Jennifer D’Angelo wrote:

In its January 2004 issue, Glamour printed instructions on how to make Engagement Chicken (search), a dish that at that time had inspired the boyfriends of three women to pop the question.

Since then — in a case of what came first, the chicken or the ring? — the magazine has received 21 letters (and counting) from women who say this simple meal was the magic trick that got them a rock.

“I made Engagement Chicken for my live-in boyfriend and less than two months later, I’m wearing a wedding band. This chicken is serious stuff. But please keep me anonymous — my husband doesn’t know he was reeled in by a chicken!” a Woburn, Mass., woman wrote to Glamour recently.

Two months later, eh? I admit, I am very skeptical as to whether the Engagement Chicken actually had anything to do with inspiring this “live-in boyfriend” to spend thousands on a diamond and enter into a commitment for time and all eternity. Still, if you want to know the magic recipe, here it is, from Glamour magazine.

Engagement Chicken

Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s More Classic Italian Cooking

• 1 whole chicken (approx. 3 lb.)
• 2 medium lemons
• Fresh lemon juice (1/2 cup)
• Kosher or sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Place rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Wash chicken inside and out with cold water, remove the giblets, then let the chicken drain, cavity down, in a colander until it reaches room temp (about 15 minutes). Pat dry with paper towels. Pour lemon juice all over the chicken (inside and outside). Season with salt and pepper. Prick the whole lemons three times with a fork and place deep inside the cavity. (Tip: If lemons are hard, roll on countertop with your palm to get juices flowing.) Place the bird breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan, lower heat to 350 degrees and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and turn it breast-side up (use wooden spoons!); return it to oven for 35 minutes more. Test for doneness—a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh should read 180 degrees, or juices should run clear when chicken is pricked with a fork. Continue baking if necessary. Let chicken cool for a few minutes before carving. Serve with juices.