Image from Flickr.

People tend to get very stressed out during the holidays. From mid-November to January, the ringleaders of families or groups of friends often appear tightly wound and overworked. If you’re the one saddled with hosting, planning and making Thanksgiving dinner this year, it doesn’t have to be that way.

The key to having a low-stress Thanksgiving is knowing “perfect” is a relative term. Realize in advance that everything will not fit the textbook definition of perfect. If you’ve got food and people at the table, you’re in good shape. Don’t get caught up in the details. Remember that Thanksgiving is remember what we’re grateful for, not being upset about things that don’t go as planned.

There are a few other things you can do this weekend to help things goes smoothly.

Plan your menu

A little planning today will save you a lot of stress next weekend and in the days just before Thanksgiving. As you’re planning out your meal, make sure you take cost into account so you don’t end up needing online cash loans at the last minute to pay for food. This weekend, sit down and plan your menu. If you have others contributing, call them to confirm what they’re bringing.

Find recipes for all the dishes you plan to make. Print them out and make a shopping list so that next weekend you are ready to hit the grocery store. Make sure you check your kitchen for the stuff you already have. Think carefully about kitchenware that you’ll need so if you have to buy a whisk or a turkey pan or a serving dish, you can get all of the food at extras at the same time.

Get your RSVPs

Make sure you know how many people are coming to your dinner, as this is crucial to planning your menu. However, I recommend making extra food for two reasons:

1. Leftovers are awesome
2. It will keep you from stressing out in the event of unexpected guests

My family and friends are the type of people who would invite the UPS delivery person in for a slice of turkey. If you make extras, you can open your home to people who happen by and share the warmth of your celebration and your food without feeling added pressure. If you end up with the expected amount of guests or fewer, keep the leftovers, and that’s a few more days when you won’t have to cook.

Image from Flickr.

Maybe you went a little overboard buying Halloween candy this year. Or maybe you have overzealous kids who brought home so much candy, you’re afraid you’ll be offering people cash now to take it or serving it at your New Year’s Eve party.

Even if you don’t have extra Halloween candy, but you have a lot, what’s wrong with taking something delicious and making it even more delicious? Bakers are always looking for great ides for new sweet treats to delight their family and friends. After all, that prepackaged candy will still be good at Thanksgiving! Maybe this year you can serve something a little more creative than pumpkin pie.

Here are some great leftover Halloween candy recipes from CDKitchen:

Bit-O-Honey Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake

Five 1.7 oz Bit-O-Honey Bars
One cup canola oil
Four eggs
15-oz can pure pumpkin
One cup sugar
Two tsp. ground cinnamon
Three-fourths tsp. ground cloves
One tsp. ground allspice
One-fourth tsp. ground ginger
One-half tsp. ground nutmeg
One-fourth tsp. salt
Two tsp. baking powder
One tsp. baking soda
Two cups all-purpose flour

Cream Cheese Frosting
Eight oz cream cheese, room temperature
Two 2 oz butter
One tsp. vanilla
Four cups confectioners’ sugar
Directions

Preheat the oven to 350.

Freeze five Bit-O-Honey Bars for 10 minutes, then use a food processor to chop candy bars coarsely and set aside. Get a large mixing bowl, combine the oil and eggs and mix with an electric mixer for 30 seconds on high. Add pumpkin, sugar and all of the spices: cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix with electric mixer on medium for one minute. Add  baking powder, baking soda and flour. Mix on low for 30 seconds. Mix in the chopped candy bars with a spatula or big spoon.

Pour the batter into 13- by-9-inch pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, it’s done. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting.

For the cream cheese frosting: In a large mixing bowl, use the electric mixer to beat together the cream cheese and butter. Mix for about three minutes or until mixture appears soft and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, then add the confectioners’ sugar. Beat until the sugar is thoroughly mixed in.

Spread frosting over cooled pumpkin cake and cut into bars.

Candy Bar Cheese Cake

Ingredients

Three TB butter, melted
One and one-fourth cups graham cracker crumbs
One TB white sugar
Three 8-oz packages cream cheese
Three eggs
Three-fourths cup white sugar
Two tsp. vanilla extract
Two full-size, chopped up candy bars (can be chocolate, caramel, nuts, nougat)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs and 1 TB sugar in small bowl. In a nine- inch springform pan, press the mixture to for a crust, and put it in the oven for 10 minutes.

Cream together three-fourths of a cup of sugar and three packages of cream cheese in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and mix well. Stir in chopped candy bar. After crust is cool, pour in mixture. Bake 45 minutes.

Toffee Angel Food Dessert

Ingredients

One 8-inch angel food cake cut into cubes
Three-fourths cup strong brewed coffee, cooled
8 oz soft cream cheese
Half a cup of chocolate syrup
Two TB  sugar
Two cups whipped topping
Two candy bars, Heath or other chocolate covered toffee
Extra chocolate, toffee candy bar for garnish

Directions

Place angel food cake cubes into ungreased nine-inch baking pan. Add coffee and toss. In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, chocolate syrup and sugar. Fold in whipped topping and spread the mixture over cake and coffee mixture. Sprinkle crushed Heath bars om top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or more.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. But do you know what the next best thing that comes after Thanksgiving is? That’s right, it’s Black Friday! It’s the biggest shopping day of the year!

Black Friday is the day to go out and buy the things you have always wanted but couldn’t because those discount tags never showed up as you planned. I mean, people are even willing to take out a cash advance to fund this nationwide shopping event. However, it seems this yearly shopping ritual is only getting better with time. Ever heard of Cyber Monday? Well, I just did and, as a shopper and an online marketer, I’m pretty stoked.

What is Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday was invented by the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association. According to Wikipedia, the term Cyber Monday refers to the Monday immediately following Black Friday, which unofficially marks the beginning of the Christmas online shopping season. So what this basically means is if you miss the Black Friday shopping hustle, you still have a chance to make it up on Monday. Cyber Monday is the Monday you will actually enjoy.

Great tip for Online Merchants

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/autumnal_hedge/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

A recent Yahoo! Insights team research revealed that the number of sales during last year’s Black Friday were actually not too far from the overall sales that took place the Monday following. Click-through rates were down 27% on both days compared to the rest of the month. However, online traffic and conversions went up significantly. Black Friday showed an increase in conversions by 147%, while Cyber Monday had a 73% increase in conversions.

What does this mean for me?

This study lays out a great opportunity for online marketers. You have about 1½ months before the biggest shopping days of the year. I suggest you start promoting and investing throughout the month to create attraction. Get a head-start and take advantage of the holiday traffic now. You will witness flourishing conversions not just for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but for the rest of the holiday season.

For all you holiday shoppers on the other hand, start saving now! You are already aware of how busy and expensive holiday shopping can be. You have enough time to save a sufficient amount of money for your holiday expenses, which will prevent the need of a cash advance at the last minute.

'Tis the season to be thankful

For those of us who are thankful for little things like
no fax payday loans when emergency expenses try to make
things impossible, let’s take a moment to think about dearly departed Thanksgiving. It has come and gone for Americans this year, but it should never be out of our minds. We should even be thankful for reindeer leavings.

What? Reindeer leavings?

Absolutely. Let’s be creative! (Item #6 in the list below)

Be thankful 24/7, 365

The staff of the magazine Psychology Today has compiled a great checklist to propel you through the holiday season and beyond. Try to make a habit of doing these things and you just might make a habit of accentuating the positive for a lifetime. I’ll include my own commentary after each point. Here’s a serious six for a better life:

1. The little stuff counts

   Jot down a few things each day for which you’re thankful. Try to focus on the benevolence of others instead of on material gains. And keep it fresh: The biggest benefits come from reflecting on the variety of good things in your life. CashAdvanceMojo sez: This one is easy; carry a little notepad, or if you’re a tech person, use the notepad feature of your iPhone or other gadget. While it’s also easy to think about what kind of nifty gifts you’ll receive during the holidays, a path to more lasting happiness would be to focus on what you appreciate about friends and family, as well as yourself. Those are true gifts that never go out of style. Similarly, while no fax payday loans may be a monetary boost, they can help secure peace of mind when relatives show up for a surprise stay and your budget is already reeling from holiday shopping. Peace of mind is a little thing that always counts.

2. Trouble getting started? Find a gratitude partner

   —like a gym buddy—and set up a time to read each other your lists. Or treat your list like a life-enhancing game in which you challenge yourself to find thoughts that will lift you out of a bad mood. CashAdvanceMojo sez: Considering decreased levels of sunlight and overcast skies are known to contribute to depression, winter is a great time to put this one into action. Friends and loved ones should help each other, no matter the weather. It is only when we challenge ourselves that we have the chance to grow. One of the best ways to challenge yourself is to keep someone around who will kick you in the butt when you need it. If your budget needs a little buddy in an emergency, no fax payday loans can fill the bill. And much like a friend who won’t spill the beans when you share something in confidence, lenders typically won’t spill the financial beans on your credit report, as credit checks typically are not required.

3. Put it in writing

   Pen a letter to a person who’s been especially kind to you—family, friend or acquaintance—but whom you’ve never properly thanked. CashAdvanceMojo sez: Saying thank you is a much appreciated and often forgotten art. When you actually commit your thoughts to page, you add a weight of permanence that always means more than a lighter than air stream of good intentions. Even better, try to show someone you’re thankful for what they do, whether you do it by performing a service for them, making them a gift or performing any manner of good work. Expressing your gratitude to someone is a think of spiritual no fax payday loan that never demands repayment.

4. Share the love

   For a regular lift, try to thank someone sincerely each day. CashAdvanceMojo sez: Take the ideas from point #3, but put into your daily to-do list. You’ll be amazed not only at how much more positively people will respond to you, but how much better you’ll feel, too.

5. Family activities

   Kids tend to respond to visual cues, so stick notes around the house to remind them of specific blessings. Or kick off dinner by asking each family member to recount one thing that made her grateful that day. CashAdvanceMojo sez: Take what point #2 proposes, but with a group dynamic. This is a great way to bring families together in a positive way at any time.

6. Be creative

   One family set up a bare fake tree and, over the course of a month, added leaves on which they wrote the reasons why they felt thankful. CashAdvanceMojo sez: Creativity is vital fuel for a happy life. We must challenge ourselves to come up with new ideas that make life more interesting and unlock great moments. Being creative stimulates our neurons and brings on the endorphins when we make a happy new discovery. In other words, creativity is good for our minds, hearts – our entire bodies!

Speaking of creativity, here’s a shovelful

Artistic decoration made from reindeer droppings

You didn’t think I’d forget about the poop, did you? This story from Bloomington, Indiana’s The Pantagraph newspaper shows that reindeer droppings make great Christmas ornaments.

They’re on sale at the Miller Park Zoo’s gift shop. Employees make decorations out of droppings from the zoo’s reindeer. The leavings are dried, clear-coated and either painted or rolled in glitter.

According to Miller Park Zoo’s Marketing Director Susie Ohley, they’re “magical reindeer gem ornaments,” and each comes with a label of authenticity. Maintenance worker Sheldon Williams points out that even though reindeer are large, they leave little “gems… big piles of small.”

Be thankful for your big piles of small

Those ornaments are definitely creative. They sell well, too. Isn’t that little bit of whimsey something we can all use during the holiday season? If we focus on the things we’re thankful for, have fun and take time to stop and smell the roses, every day can be a peaceful day of thanks. That
peace of mind is great for our health, much like the respite
no fax payday loans provide when needed, in an emergency.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, which makes it a great time to talk about turkeys—of the business variety; this year, there were a number of turkeys in the financial world, but you can avoid a turkey by getting payday loans. This time of year, when you think about turkey, images of your favorite foods and past memories with friends and family pop into your head. However, it’s time to switch gears and think about turkey from a business perspective. A turkey in the business world is something like a deal gone wrong or a bad business decision. Every year, Allan Sloan, senior editor of Fortune magazine, compiles his list of “Turkeys of the Year.”

Top Turkeys of 2008

Turkeys in the business world

Most years, Sloan’s challenge is finding enough turkeys worth mentioning, but this year is a different story. Sloan had to narrow down the field and focus on the biggest business blunders of the year; with so many options, the decision-making process wasn’t as easy, but there were a few turkeys that stood out from the rest. This year’s winners for biggest turkeys are…

1. LEHMAN BROTHERS: The Federal Reserve and the Treasury let Lehman Brothers go into Bankruptcy. When Lehman Brothers failed, the market froze, and it caused panics from which the U.S. financial system is still reeling.

2. YAHOO!: Microsoft offered to buy Yahoo! For $31 per share, which was 60% higher than the market value. Yahoo! rejected the $31-a-share offer and the ensuing $33-a-share offer. Yahoo! would take $35 per share and no less. Microsoft walked away from the table. Yahoo! is currently selling for about $12 per share. Ouch.

3. U.S. TREASURY: In fall of 2007, the Treasury proposed a superfund that banks could combine to buy securities from. Then there was a $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. The superfund was canceled, and the Troubled Asset Relief Program has decided against buying troubled assets. The Treasury claimed the financial world was in desperate need of help, but then bailed. With all the flip-flopping, the public confidence in the Treasury weakened. I smell a turkey.

Blame the Turkey

Everyone loves a great turkey, that is, if it’s on the dining room table. The three afore mentioned turkeys are hard to swallow. The Yahoo! deal was a big turkey, but it probably didn’t affect you directly. However, the Federal Reserve’s and the U.S. Treasury’s turkeys have been felt across the nation. Those turkeys are wreaking havoc on the U.S. financial system, stock markets, and economy. The failure of Lehman Brothers has been blamed for catapulting the U.S. into the downward spiral towards financial crisis.

Gobble, Gobble

There were a number of bad business deals in 2008, but that doesn’t mean you have to follow the example set before you. You can avoid bad financial decisions in a number of ways. Managing your finances is especially important now that the United States is in a recession or whatever you like to call it. Budgeting, smart spending, and saving are all great ways to keep your finances under control. If you’re short on cash, payday loans are a convenient solution to your short-term financial problems. So, enjoy an oven-baked turkey tomorrow, and be thankful that payday loans can help you avoid financial mistakes.

A time to be thankful!

The economy may be struggling, but there are still plenty of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving like friends, family, and instant payday loans. It’s easy to focus on all the things in life that bring you trouble. The economy, the stock market, money, food prices, and the holiday season are all causes of stress right now, and rightfully so. That’s why there’s a day set aside every year for people to take a step back and think about what is good in their lives—Thanksgiving. There are a ton of things you can worry about this time of year, but there are also a number of things that you probably take for granted that you should be thankful for. So be thankful!

Food Costs

The price of turkey per pound is also up this year

Everyone knows that prices are on the rise. This includes the price of food. Because Thanksgiving is a holiday based around food, Thanksgiving can get pretty pricey. The average cost for a Thanksgiving meal for ten people is $44.61, which is up almost two and a half dollars from last year. If you have a family with more than ten people, you can expect your cost to be even higher. The price of turkey per pound is also up this year. Maybe this sounds a little overwhelming to you, especially if you haven’t done your Thanksgiving shopping yet. However, as previously mentioned, there are a lot of things to be thankful for. This year you should be thankful for coupons, grocery store sales, and your wonderful idea to have a Thanksgiving Day potluck. If you cut coupons, look for specials, and get your family members to bring food dishes to the celebration, you can cut back significantly on costs. So be thankful!

Winter Expenses

Not only are food costs on the rise, other things like heat, electricity, and energy related expenses also get higher in the winter. When it’s cold outside, it’s tempting to crank the heat up indoors. That’s not the best idea if you’re trying to cut costs. However, it’s normal to actually turn the heat on in the winter, which can still make your bill higher. Your electricity bill will probably higher than usual during the winter months too because it’s darker outside and you need lights on more often. Added costs and more expensive bills can be stressful, but remember this: you have a place to eat and lights to turn on. Some people don’t have refuge from the freezing cold and harsh elements during the winter months. So be thankful!

A Time to Give Thanks – Instant Payday Loans

It’s always easy to focus on the negative or the things that aren’t going quite right, but this time of year is set aside to be thankful for what you do have. This time of year is meant to focus on friends and family—oh, and food! So this Thanksgiving, take a few moments to sit back and reflect on the good things in your life. Don’t forget about all your other responsibilities, but don’t stress out about them either. If you’re struggling with food costs or winter expenses, you still have something to be thankful for. Instant payday loans are available to help you cover costs, so be thankful!

There’s a whole lot of stuff that I’m looking forward to in the month of November; some personal that may require me to take out no fax payday loans, and some that affect people from all walks of life.

It’s my birthday! Do you know someone with a birthday in November?

On November 14, my birthday is coming up, which I am very excited about. I mean, everybody has one, or at least acknowledges that they’re another year older. However, I look most forward to my “special day,” considering that it’s one of the rare occasions that I get to spend some good quality time with my friends and family. Not to mention, getting to go see a heavy metal concert with my father makes almost all of it totally worth it.

November is National Novel Writing Month–Time for NaNoWrimo!

Another event on my calendar, next month, begins at midnight on November 1 and goes all the way through the end of November 30. This one, called Nanowrimo, will find me in my office at 2 in the morning; all in my efforts to hammer out a 50,000-word piece of fiction within the deadline.

I attempted to meet the goal back in 2001, but fell way short on the count of not having my own computer. But, now that such an issue has been resolved, I fully intend to trade in sleep for going the distance. Let’s just say that my 12-cup coffee maker and grinder will be especially working over time, once the event kicks off.

Of course, there’s Thanksgiving!

Most Americans also are looking forward to Thanksgiving, and all of its limited yet traditional festivities. Some of us enjoy it for the family time and the great food we partake in. Millions of us will tune into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, then hopefully root on our favorite team to victory in the traditional holiday football game. I know this since my team, the Seahawks, just happen to be in the featured game this year.

Time for Black Friday!

Then, once the relatives are gone, the game has been played, and our multiple pounds of leftover turkey have been stowed inside the freezer, many of us will succumb to our tryptophan-induced stupor, in preparation for what’s been dubbed “Black Friday.” Here, virtually all of the stores’ prices plummet for just a few hours, with the big catch being that you must get there at 5am, or some other unsightly time of morning. I’ve shopped it before, but now I have an overwhelming preference for buying all of my gifts online.

Obama or McCain? The election is coming.

However, there’s one more thing coming up that’s, quite possibly, more important than Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Nanowrimo, or even my birthday. Of course, I’m referring to the November 4 General elections, where we’ll not only find out who will lead us for the next four years, but where the fate of so many things will be decided.

All fifty states have initiatives and amendments on the ballot this year; all of which could spell big change for how things are run within their borders. Some are pretty touchy, but the ones I’m really the most concerned with are Propositions 5 and 200 in Ohio and Arizona, respectively.

If Proposition 5 were to pass in Ohio, and should 200 fail in Arizona, I really fear that those states’ financial state will be demolished. After all, if things were to pan out as I described, no fax payday loans companies will be given the boot from the entire state. This will then result in the combined loss of over 8500 jobs, in a time when many of us are already struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over our heads.

Bottom line, the month of November never fails to be busy for me. Between celebrating my birthday, doing Nanowrimo, the Iditarod of literary events, and readying myself for bearing the Black Friday crowds, my dance card is full, and so is my budget. I may have to take out no fax payday loans. I’m glad I still have that option available to me. No matter how busy I am in November, I never will be too busy to make sure that my ballot gets mailed in and I have my voice heard of who should be the next president. Furthermore, if I lived in Arizona or Ohio, I’d make sure to do my part to preserve financial freedom in those states.