Botox for migraines is something I never would have thought of for providing relief from headaches. According to the New York Headache Center, the treatment can last on average three months or even longer. The drawback is the cost, but many insurance companies will cover Botox when it is done for headaches and other medical conditions.

By the way, Botox was approved by the FDA 18 years ago for the treatment of eye disorders, and they discovered it helped wrinkles around the eyes as well. People also noticed an improvement in their headaches.

Advantage Rent A Car is going green! They are helping environmentally conscientious travelers by committing to having a fleet of 100% fuel efficient vehicles by the end of 2010. They are committed to going green and are the first rental car company to do so. And the great thing is that they have great rates on a car rental with rates starting at just $19.99/day. Check to make sure this offer is available in your area and be sure to book early for best selection.

Remember if you are planning to rent a car when you travel, check out Advantage for low prices whether you’re going to sun or ski!

When our daughter was in high school, one of her best friends who is deaf was over at our house a lot. In fact, many times we would have a whole group of kids over at our house to watch a movie. Or instead of having four at the supper table, we might have six, seven, or eight. (I learned to cook extra if I thought there was a chance extra kids might be there.) On movie nights, it was vital that we had closed captioning so that our daughter’s friend could understand the movie, too. It was wonderful to have that available so we could all enjoy the movie together!

If anyone has something they would like closed captioning added to, there are people at a company called Video Caption Corporation who can do that. That is really cool!

I don’t know much about cattle ranching. I didn’t grow up around a ranch, nor did I have any relatives who were ranchers. In college, I did have a close friend who grew up on a ranch, and I have visited there several times. Cattle ranching was second nature with her.

I read Lori’s A Cowboy’s Wife and what she has to say about ranching. They must need a lot of cattle supplies to take care of all those cattle. Also, there’s a neat museum we went to one time called the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. So between Lori, my friend, and the museum, that’s where I’ve learned the little bit I do know about ranching.

Emerging Markets Consulting has the highest ratio of research hours in the stock market industry. They spend time gathering, updating and verifying data so they can provide extraordinary service and measurable results. This is important for those dealing with penny stocks or for anyone wanting accurate information.

These are some tips they offer on How to Buy a Company Stock:

• Research companies first before you invest in them.
• Be wary where you get your stock tips. 
• Buy into companies that you trust.

LifeLock is the industry leader in the field of Identity Theft Protection. Identity theft tops the Federal Trade Commission’s complaint list and has done so for the past seven years, so companies such as life lock are in a rapidly growing field. I believe it! We’ve had our identity stolen twice within the past few years on two different credit card accounts. Our son-in-law had the same experience on one of his credit cards. People have to be extra-careful nowadays, and it’s great there is a company like LifeLock that wants to secure your identity and guarantee your good name!

Vista Print has so much to offer for every printing need. They not only have business cards but also checks, rubber stamps, announcements, and car magnets. All of their products can be customized! This feature adds that special touch to any product.
Vista Print also carries gift items which would be great for Mother’s Day which is just around the corner. Here are some gift ideas which I think any mother, grandmother, or aunt would like:

Their return address stickers with the customized family caricatures, including pets, are not only useful but also attractive. Our daughter has some like these and they are adorable! They also have a large number of design templates to choose from or you can create a custom design.

This notepad is not only cute but also great to write notes to a child’s teacher. This would be especially good when students have to change classes and a teacher might have a large number of students.

This would make a lovely gift for a mother, grandmother, or aunt. Who wouldn’t enjoy a calendar customized with pictures of loved ones!

These customized note cards would be great for writing notes, for thank-you notes, or even for invitations to friend & family get-togethers.

A lot of us have probably heard the saying about “saving for a rainy day.” That saying means to save for a future financial need. This is not as easy as it used to be when some of us were growing up. Nowadays, many people do not have savings accounts because they are living from paycheck to paycheck. If people could only put $25 every month into a savings account and not touch it, they would end up with a substantial amount of money in 20 years.

There are ways to save money that also fit in with being environmentally friendly, such as cutting down on usage of water, electricity, and gasoline. Cutting down on these things would free up some money every month to put into a savings account. Just a thought!

With Earth Day being this month, a lot of people are thinking about ways they can become more environmentally friendly. I went to a teacher’s workshop back in 1988 and learned a few tips to teach my class…just remember the “3 R’s.” (Check to see what your community does.)

• RECYCLE - We’ve been recycling for over 15 years. A truck comes weekly and picks up recycling from our recycling bin which we place out by the curb with our trash can. If you don’t have this option, check on locations of recycling stations in your area.

1. Plastics - Check for your area as to which plastics they recycle. I know for our area, they recycle #1-#5 & #7. If you don’t know how to tell what the recycling number is for plastics, look on the bottom of the container and find the triangle. There will be a number inside of it.
2. Glass - Our area recycles clear glass. Check for your area.
3. Paper - Our area will take newspapers and cardboard.
4. Plastic grocery bags - I don’t put these out by the curb, but there are a couple of grocery stores in the area that recycle bags. I take them to the grocery store to recycle where there is a recycling receptacle for them by the front door of the store.
   

• REUSE - Some items can be used more than once.

1. Donate - Give things to a charity. (I know someone who threw away a pair of good pants because they didn’t fit her anymore.)
2. Hand-me-downs - Give something to a relative or friend who can use it.
   
3. Reuse paper grocery bags - Use them for trash instead of buying new plastic liners for a trash can. If the bags aren’t soiled, empty them when they are full of trash and reuse again.
   
4. Reuse plastic cereal bags - Line the bottom of your trash bag (the paper grocery bag) so it doesn’t leak. Use them for chicken bones and other smelly garbage. Use a twisty to help contain the smell.
   
5. Reuse gift bags - My friends and I have done that for birthdays and Christmas many years, and sometimes we would get back a gift bag that we had originally given out. We didn’t care…we’d laugh about it.

• REDUCE -Reduce the amount of natural resources that you consume.

1. Reduce paper - Read the newspaper online and help save trees.  I like not having to deal with all the paper accumulation.
2. Reduce gasoline - Plan errands efficiently so that the least amount of gas is used. Try to group errands together that are close in proximity.  If your destination is close enough, walk or ride a bike (great exercise).  Car pool when possible.
   
3. Reduce wattage - Use fluorescent light bulbs that are energy efficient.  We are buying more and more of these bulbs until we have all of our bulbs replaced.  (except for the decorator bulbs)
   
4. Reduce heating & cooling - Set the thermostat a few degrees warmer in the summer and use ceiling fans or floor fans.  Set the thermostat a few degrees cooler in the winter and wear a sweater in the house.
5. Reduce water - Use energy efficient shower heads and take shorter showers. (I need to work on this one about shorter showers!)  Only use the dishwasher or clothes washer when full.  A full dishwasher actually saves water versus washing by hand.  TURN THE WATER OFF WHILE BRUSHING TEETH.  So much water is wasted just from this habit alone.  Wet the toothbrush, turn the water off, brush teeth, and then turn the water back on.

There are a lot of other things you can do that I haven’t mentioned or haven’t thought about.  If you have a good idea, I’d love to hear about it!

My husband does our taxes and uses a computer tax program called Quicken Turbo-Tax. It’s an awesome program! It’s so thorough, explains everything, and simplifies the process for you. They have prompt questions so you don’t miss out on any deductions or anything else. It walks you through every stage of all the forms. I highly recommend it!

(A friend was talking about her bad experience with the tax preparer, and my comment to her prompted me to write this post.)