Joan’s Boomer Blog

They Can’t Tax Voluntary Simplicity - Yet!

What is Voluntary Simplicity and How Can it Help You Avoid the Coming Economic Crisis?

Voluntary simplicity has a different meaning to each person who practices it. In a nutshell, voluntary simplicity goes against the commercial culture of America which equates material possessions with happiness and fulfillment. Advocates find fulfillment in saving money, downsizing, living simply and finding ways to do for themselves.

Many who embrace voluntary simplicity live debt free, clip coupons, cook from scratch, live closer to nature and try their hand at pass times like gardening and sewing or raising their own chickens.

Maybe this isn’t you but each of us can simplify our lives and focus on saving money, rather than making money. They can’t tax you for saving $20 with grocery store coupons but that is $20 you still have in your pocket.

Is Economic Disaster and Double Dip Recession Coming?

Life as we’ve all gotten used to it may soon end. For the past 20 years, the economy has been booming mostly, real estate prices shot up, the stock market was going great guns. Then it all fell apart. My 82 year old mother recently told me when she hears the term “new normal” in relation to the high unemployment, volitile stock market and near depression-like economy, she can’t help but think that the years of the booming economy were the abnormal years.

Most of the years of my mother’s life, she knew depression, war, pinching pennies. I grew up learning thrift and tried to teach my kids the same thing, but young people really have no clue about living through a real depression.

Are you worried about what the looming economic crisis will mean for you? Are you worried about the huge tax hike coming in 2011 to pay for the exploding national debt and President Obama’s health care plan. Perhaps you have one of those “Cadillac” insurance plans, where your companies’ contribution will now be taxed as income. Dick Morris says America is facing the same financial disaster that is now occurring in Greece.

President Obama campaigned on the promise of tax cuts for those earning less than $250,000 (really all Congress would have to do is keep President Bush’s tax cuts in place - which saved our family $2,000 in taxes each year.) Yet, on June 22, 2011, House Majority Leader, Rep Steny Hoyer, acknowledged that it would be difficult to reduce long-term deficits without breaking President Obama’s pledge to protect families earning less than $250,000 a year. (See New York Times article)

My husband wants to retire. He has a military pension and a good job, which already puts us in a tax above $88,000. Anyone earning over $88,000 will be taxed to pay for the health care of those who cannot afford it. I am trying to earn extra income to supplement our retirement but unfortunately, the more I make, the more taxes we will pay.

So what is our plan? How will we protect ourselves from economic collapse? I’ve decided that I can limit my hours of working on my multiple streams of income (which is pretty much on autopilot now) and focus on pinching pennies.

• I search coupon websites and grocery ads for the best deals, buying only what we need and what is on sale.
• I rejoined our organic food co-op to get fresh organic produce for our green smoothies.
• I planted tomato plants in pots for the first time since we moved to Texas. We are currently buying land where we can grow a bigger garden.
• I dusted off my dehydrater so I can preserve food and not waste anything.
• I bought a sprouter to I can grow fresh sprouts for our smoothies. You can grow tons of sprouts for pennies, providing fresh greens for your diet.
• I am making my own kefir with kefir starter instead of buying sugar-laden and expensive yogurt.
• My husband and I are putting major purchases on hold and going on a spending fast, after reading Jeff Yeager’s Guide to Cheapskate Living (a great book with lots of voluntary simplicity tips and advice)
• We’re buying an RV to put on the land and if we need to live in it for a year or two to save money, we can do that.

We are in the process of purchasing 5 acres of land where we can have a huge garden, raise chickens and build an energy efficient house with wind and solar power. (President Obama admitted that his cap and trade bill will cause electricity prices to skyrocket and trying to break our dependence on oil could cause gas prices to go to $7 a gallon.)

All is not gloom and doom, whether the nation experiences economic disaster or not. What each person must do is be ready to live in the worst of conditions and become more self-sufficient. Try saving, not spending money. Try saving instead of increasing your income. Give voluntary simplicity a try and you will have the satisfaction of knowing you can face whatever happens.

One thing our government officials have not considered is what will happen when more and more people are willing to earn less, do more for themselves and pay less taxes? They’ve made it the sensible solution but how will the government machine survive once they’ve destroyed our economy?

Resources:

Making your own kefir is easier than you think.

Sprouting seeds at Home

Raising Chickens in Your own back yard.

Check out the many coupons and money saving articles on this blog as well.

Learn more about Living Simply

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Joan’s Boomer Blog - Joining the Green Smoothie Revolution

Recently my husband and I joined the Green Smoothie Revolution and I wanted to blog about how Green Smoothies can help baby boomers. Many people I’ve met who are passionate about Green Smoothies are young mothers who want to improve their family’s nutrition. Boomers and seniors like me are concerned with healthy aging - maintaining optimal health as we get older. We are experiencing health issues such as arthritis, high cholesterol and maybe diabetes.Maybe we don’t maintain our weight as easily as we used to.

As we age, our bodies don’t take in and use nutrients this they did, leaving us vulnerable to a lowered immune system and results of aging. Can green smoothies help us aging boomers get more out of life?

Why Drink Green Smoothies?

What is your normal daily diet? Do you eat processed foods (foods that come in a package and are full of unpronounceable ingredients?) Do you eat lots of cooked foods, with maybe a small salad for dinner to get your “greens?” Do you have health issues?

Believe me, the health issues are intimately tied to you daily diet. Green smoothies can offer whole, raw veggies like broccoli, kale, Swiss Chard, and mustard greens. You can even throw beet and carrot greens in to your green smoothie recipe so you waste less food. AND these foods are uncooked which is important because cooking often destroys many of the nutrients in our veggies.

Since the foods are blended, the super nutrition is more readily available to your body to increase energy, boost your immune system, help you lose weight and be healthier. Green Smoothies are quick and convenient too, once you get your foods and a powerful blender. They keep for up to 48 hours in the frig so you can make them ahead of time.

Since I decided to start making Green Smoothies for my husband and me, I wanted to blog about the experience, offering recipes and tips to get you started and to let you know what Green Smoothies can do for healthy aging.

Many of my friends already are green smoothie converts. They’ve told me they experience:

• more energy
• improved digestion, including more regular bowel movements and soft stools
• fewer cravings for sugar and processed foods
• improved, more stable moods
• weight loss - an average of over 17lbs!
• increased desire to exercise (couldn’t we all use that!)

Others report less pain from arthritis, improved sex drive, less stress, shinier hair, stronger fingernails and smoother, clearer skin tone. All this after only 30 days on green smoothies!

How Much Green Smoothie Do You Need to Drink?

Optimum consumption is about one quart a day, four or more days per week but you can start with less.

Green smoothies are a lifestyle change. I’m going to start growing sprouts, making kefir, growing spinach and making lots of dietary changes. Check back in coming days to see how the green smoothie revolution is working out for this baby boomer.

Once I decided to embark on the Green Smoothie lifestyle, my next step was to research blenders. Green smoothies do require more power than your average smoothie blender. I look at all of them, read reports and asked friends who are already making green smoothies. Find out tomorrow which blender met the challenge.

More Green Smoothie Information and Recipes

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Add These AntiAging Foods to Your Daily Diet

As much as 90% of how well we age is related to lifestyle choices that we make every day. An AntiAging Diet can keep our minds and bodies functioning at peak capacity well into our senior years. Antiaging foods keep our muscles, joints and bones in good repair so we suffer less from arthritis and lack of balance. Antiaging foods keep our memory sharp and help ward off diseases like cancer and heart disease, which can be debilitating, if they don’t kill us, that is.

Here are some antiaging foods that you can add to your daily diet. You’ll notice the difference in the way you feel very quickly.

1.  Water - Sounds strange doesn’t it? That water is an important antiaging diet ingredient? Water keeps toxins and cancer causing waste materials flushed from your body. Joints which are well hydrated function better too. Drink 6-8 glasses of water daily.

2.  Nuts - Nuts contain heart healthy omega3 fatty acids, protein and fiber. It doesn’t take many nuts either. Sprinkle walnuts or sliced almonds on your salad or cereal daily. Contrary to popular opinion, even thought nuts have fat, it is a source of good fats that actually help our heart and cholesterol levels.

3.  Ginger - Ginger is a great anti-inflammatory food and inflammation is believed to be the cause of many illnesses and diseases people get as they age, such as arthritis and heart disease. Ginger is good for the digestion and is a good cure for indigestion. It works better than taking antacids and other medications.

4.  Garlic - Garlic helps lower cholesterol and is also an anti-viral, anti-bacterial food. Eat fresh, crushed garlic when possible. If you’re coming down with a cold, crush some garlic, let it set a few minutes and then mix it with butter and put on toast. Don’t heat the garlic. This is my go-to remedy for colds and sore throats and it works every time.

5.  Cruciferous Vegetables are among the best anti-aging foods around. Brocolli, turnips, cauliflower, and cabbage also are anti-cancer foods. Slice up a few turnips into soup or sprinkle chopped cabbage into your salad or steamed veggies.

6.  Berries - Blueberries top the list of nutrient rich, antioxidant packed foods but all berries contain antioxidants. Keep bags of them in the freezer to use in cereal, smoothies or mix with yogurt as a dessert.

7.  Chia Seeds These seeds are so tiny that 1/4 teaspoon is considered a serving. Make Chia Gel for smoothies or sprinkle chia seeds into cereal, yogurt, stir fry or just about any food.

8.  Green Tea - contains lots of anti-cancer and anti-aging ingredients. Drink 4-5 cups per day. If you aren’t fond of green tea, try some flavors mixed with fruit. Black tea is a good substitute. It doesn’t have all the antiaging properties of green tea but it does contain lots of antioxidants. Add a slice of lemon as this boosts the power of green tea by about 20%.

If you’re on an anti-aging diet, skip the sugar and processed foods. Sugar causes many of the illnesses and diseases that go along with aging and processed foods contain chemicals which can cause cancer, obesity and other health issues.

Read more about anti-aging foods you can easily add to your daily diet.

Read More about Being Healthier with Superfoods

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Joan’s Boomer Blog - Internet Radio Oldies

Oldies radio shows are disappearing from the airwaves but you can still find Internet radio oldies stations and listen free. Here two new online oldies radio stations I’ve recently discovered.

Alan’s Golden Oldies.

Alan Price is an experienced radio DJ and started his oldies website in 2005. His site streams oldies 24 hours a day and Alan also broadcasts live from 1 to 5 pm weekdays, bringing the audience classic tunes from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

One thing I like about Alan’s choice of oldies is that there are many you don’t hear anywhere else these days.

Other oldies tidbits you can hear on Alan’s Golden Oldies include:

• Audio from old movie trailers at 330pm Monday through Friday
• Old radio shows like The Adventures of Superman, Amos and Andy or Gunsmoke.
• Promos from stars he’s interviewed over the years like Andy Williams
• Enjoy oldies on your cellphone or PDA

You can also visit Alan’s website to make a special oldies request and view his guest book. Alan’s guestbook includes photos of celebrities from the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s with their autographs written to him. See Fabion, Dick Clark and Dick and Dee to name just a few.

I like to tune in to Alan’s Golden Oldies while I’m working. It makes terrific background music for writing a boomer blog!

Another new-to-me Internet radio oldies show is Beyond 50’s Radio, where host Daniel Davis offers interviews on topics of interest to baby boomers, plus a free Beyond 50’s newsletter which keeps you posted on upcoming programs of interest.

If you go to the website you can also listen to past episodes through the archives. Programs include diabetes and accelerated aging, Warren Buffet’s Successful Management Techniques, Map and Plan your Volunteer Vacation and other topics of interest to baby boomers.

More Links to Internet Radio Oldies

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Can Magnetic Therapy Relieve Your Chronic Pain?

Chronic Pain doesn’t have to be part of your senior years. Alternative remedies such as magnetic therapy, using magnetic bracelets, acupuncture, reiki and energy medicine offer hope for chronic pain sufferers.

Baby boomers who suffer chronic pain often just accept pain as part of their lives. They take pain medications that harm their livers - Pop a pill and feel a little better - However, that chronic pain from arthritis, back or hip problems, neuropathy, carpel tunnel or other forms of unrelieved pain are still present. You can try and relieve the symptoms but the underlying cause it still there.

How Does Magnetic Therapy Work?

Magnetic therapy has been around for about 4,000 years. Magnetic healing may work to relieve chronic pain by relaxing the capillary walls of the body, increasing the blood flow throughout your system, working much the same as massage therapy, which stimulates the areas around muscles, increasing blood flow and helping the body to heal itself.

In Magnetic therapy a magnetic bracelet or other jewelry is worn which may help increase blood flow and speed healing of chronic pain, getting to the cause of the pain, not just relieving the symptoms.

Where Can I Find Quality Magnetic Bracelets?

Amega Global offers quality magnetic bracelets, zero point energy wand, an energetic healing tool which can help the body heal from chronic pain - often in minutes), and other energy healing products.

The Magnetic Therapy Industry is a billion dollar business worldwide, with $300 million of that business in the United States If you are looking for a money making home business, we are building a team with Zero Point Energy Technology, just recently introduced in the West. Our products include zero point energy wands and pendants using Amized Fusion Energy. These energetic healing products can help unblock your energy pathways, providing chronic pain relief, often in minutes!

Zero Energy Magnetic bracelets

Zero Point Energy Technology also includes Bio-Energetic products such as magnetic bracelets.

If you would like to know more about Zero Point Energy Wands, pendants and magnetic bracelets, or to read about the demonstrations that are relieving chronic pain, contact me at boomerstreams@gmail.com for more information or read about these amazing energetic healing products here.

If you join our team, you can purchase your magnetic bracelets, energy wands and other products at whole sale prices.

If you’re a baby boomer looking for a home business that is growing by leaps and bounds, you might like Amega Global products. If you’re like me, you know many boomers who suffer from chronic pain and after a demonstration with these amazing products, everyone you know will be clamoring for a magnetic bracelet or energy wand.

Life is too short to live with chronic pain. With magnetic therapy, you can increase your quality of life - no matter how long you live. I’ve seen amazing results in seniors over 80 years old, as well as those in their 40’s and 50’s.

If you live in chronic pain and don’t want to take pain medications daily, check out magnetic therapy and energy healing. You’ll be glad you did.

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Healthy Drinks - Delicious Tea Recipes

The Health Benefits of Green Tea are very well known, but you can also get health benefits from Black tea as well. (Read more about the health benefits of Green Tea here.) For baby boomers interested in health, drinking as little as 3-4 cups of tea daily can reduce the risk of strokes, boost metabolism, help protect you from cancer and much more.

The benefits of green tea include healthy aging, especially if you replace more sugary drinks like soda, with tea.

Some people don’t care much for the taste of green tea so in these recipes, you can substitute black tea also. However, give green tea a try. With these delicious additions to your cup of hot tea or iced tea, you won’t even notice it’s good for you too!

Ginger Orange Tea

Ginger is a great antioxidant, metabolism booster and stomach soother. It’s also great for colds. The tart taste of orange makes this a delightful summer drink recipe.

Ingredients

2 quarts of water

3 one inch pieces of fresh ginger root, sliced thin

1 Tbs honey

1 orange, sliced

Directions for Tea

Put water and ginger root into a medium sized sauce pan. Bring water to a boil, then turn to simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to stand and cool for another 30 minutes.

Add honey and orange one hour before serving.

Strain and serve over ice. You can also reheat and serve hot.

Mint Tea Recipe

Mint is energizing and refreshing and sprigs of fresh mint can be added to any tea you have sitting in the frig. To make mint tea, try this slow cooker recipe.

Ingredients

2 quarts hot water

honey or stevia to taste

8 tea bags (green or black)

2 drops mint extract

Directions

Put water and sweetener into crock pot. Add tea bags and mint extract and cook on low for 2 hours.

Makes 8 servings and can be served hot or over ice.

You can create variations of the above tea by adding other ingredients:

1 tsp almond extract or other flavor of extract you might prefer

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 orange sliced

1 cup cranberry or other fruit juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon (good for lowering cholesterol!)

Other tasty tea recipes, which would make deliciously refreshing drinks for your next get-together

Discover Cooking with Green Tea for added health benefits and great taste too.

50 Hot and Cold Tea Recipes in Green Tea: 50 Hot Drinks, Cool Quenchers, and Sweet and Savory Treats

Read what Dr. Mercola has to say about the many benefits of drinking green tea.

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Have Fun and Earn Prizes with SwagBucks!

Want to have some fun and win some prizes? Swagbucks is almost a phenomenon these days. Sign up is totally free and everything you do helps you to win Swagbucks prizes. I recently installed the Swagbucks tool bar so it comes up each day. I can use the Swagbucks search tool, check the blog for the daily prize code, or shop using the stores on Swagbucks. Just about everything you do can earn you come bucks, which you can then spend on free prizes.

What Kind of Prizes can I win with Swagbucks?

One recent special offer was a $5 Amazon gift card for 450 Swagbucks. This was marked down from 1,000 Swagbucks and thousands of people took advantage of this one. Every day there are some special offers or you can just visit the Swagbucks store to see prizes like:

• Gift Cards for various online stores
• Tee shirts, hats and other fashion gear
• Magazine subscriptions
• Books
• Gift sets
• Video games
• Music

Here’s a great way to save money when dining out. With just 400 Swagbucks you can purchase a gift card for a $25 e-card for Restaurants.com. At Restaurants.com you can then buy $25 gift cards for various restaurants for just $15 - which would be free if you used your Swagbucks card.

There are 43 great gift card choices, including Starbucks, Target, Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, Ticket Master, Lowes, Paypal and many many more. You’re sure to find a gift card that you can use yourself or give as a gift.

You can also get Swagbucks widgets for your blog or website. There’s a group on Facebook to keep you up to date as well.

Another way to save with Swagbucks is to sign up for their free newsletter which lists the latest offers for your favorite stores or the latest Swagbucks news.

Sign up for SwagBucks today. Have some fun and win some prizes, all for just searching or shopping at stores you’d ordinarily use anyway.

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March is DVT Awareness Month - Watch this Free Video on How You Can Prevent DVT

March is DVT Awareness Month and this year the program’s focus is on prevention of deep vein thrombosis. DVT happens when blood clots form in the deep veins of the body, usually in the lower extremities. DVT is caused when the muscles of the leg are inactive, which allows blood to collect and clot. These clots can travel to the heart and lungs and become life threatening.

Learn more about how you can prevent DVT

Increasing blood circulation in the extremities is the key to prevention and working with Mary Ann Wilson, RN, founder and host of PBS program “Sit and Be Fit,” the Coalition to Prevent DVT has developed a free educational video featuring simple, low impact movements to increase blood circulation. You can find the free video at Prevent DVT.org

We all know being active is important, especially as we age, but even in going about our daily tasks, like sitting at a desk, taking a trip on an airplane or during a family vacation can pose risks for getting DVT.  Deep-Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Awareness Month gives everyone a chance to put DVT Awareness in Motion.

This year’s program goes beyond building traditional awareness of the signs and symptoms of DVT and emphasizes the importance of preventative care in everyday settings such as:

• Office sitting
• Lying in bed, whether in the hospital or at home
• Assisted Living or Rehabilitation Facilities
• During Travel

The video also features stories from those touched personally by DVT. One of the stories comes from Coalition to Prevent DVT National Spokesperson, Melanie Bloom.  Bloom shares her story about learning the news of the loss of her husband, NBC News correspondent David Bloom from complications of DVT while covering the war in Iraq.  Watch this special public service announcement from Melanie here.

DVT is preventable and it is treatable.Take the opportunity of DVT Awareness Month to get out and tell your friends about this condition and the free video. You just might save a life.

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balance exercises

Exercises for Balance - Do These Every Day for Healthy Aging

No matter what your age, balance exercises are some of the easiest and most important exercises you can do on a daily basis. As we age, our brain “forgets” how to balance, leaving us susceptible it falls and broken hips in our senior years. It’s easy to prevent these falls by doing balance exercises daily.

Balance exercises strengthen core muscles, which in turn, hold you upright and protect you from back pain.

The easiest and least expensive balance program is simply to stand on one foot for as long as you can and then switch feet. If you have trouble at first, lightly place one hand on the counter to steady you. As time goes by, you won’t need the steadying hand anymore.

Do this balance exercise while you brush your teeth each day. Once you get really expert at this exercise, do it with your eyes closed.

Think of all your daily tasks that would allow you to do balance exercises at the same time - washing dishes, cooking, talking on the telephone.

Here are some free yoga standing poses from Yoga Journal. Any of these, done daily, will greatly improve balance.

From personal experience, I can say that yoga improves balance tremendously. Many poses involve balance and yoga strengthens core muscles. Here’s a helpful yoga DVD to get you started or find a class at your local YMCA or rec center.

The New Yoga for Healthy Aging is also a good book to get you started on using yoga for balance exercises.

Tai Chi is another great exercise for improving balance. If you don’t have a class near you, try Tai-chi Exercises for Seniors, a DVD which shows you how to practice tai chi at home.

Many people like the bosu ball for balance exercises. When I went to my chiropractor for a therapy session, however, the therapist did not recommend using the bosu ball at home as it’s been connected with many falls and injuries. If you want to try this form of balance exercise, find a certified instructor to teach you how to do it safely.

Here is a slide show of simple balance exercises from the Mayo Clinic.

Other helpful tools for balance exercises.

DVD on Senior/Elderly Balance Exercises Using a Chair

Total Body Balance Ball Kit from Gaiam.com

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Guide to E-Learning Sites - Free Distance Learning Online

E-Learning brings lectures, videos and online courses on literally thousands of topics, right to your computer or iPod. Are you interested in the Civil War? Health? The Russian Ballet? Physics? Economics? E learning can be delivered to you on demand.Here is a guide to free e- learning sites on the Internet where you can pursue any hobby or research any subject from the comfort of your home - all for free.

ITunesU - I’ve had an ipod for over a year but never tapped this terrific e learning resource until recently. Would you like to subscribe to a Sanford University course on Colonial and Revolutionary War history? There are 25 one hour tracks just in this one topic. At last count Apple had more than 100,000 educational video and audio files - all free downloads from universities, museums and cultural institutions all over the world. Just go to your iTtunes account and click on iTunesU. You can learn about landscape architecture from UC Davis or the Origins of America from the Library of Congress from this huge e learning site.

On the Research Channel, you can watch a video lecture from USC with a demonstration of rare musical instruments or get an update on Fibromyalgia. The Research Channel offers a consortium of leading research and academic institutions with more than 3,500 videos for free distance learning online.

Video Lectures.Net offers video lectures by famous scholars and scientists taken from seminars, workshops and conferences from all over the world. Nearly 10,000 videos are available in subjects like architecture, medicine, humanities, mathematics and more.

At Academic Earth, you’ll find thousands of video lectures on anything from a Yale course on psychology to an MIT class on physics. Subjects include medicine, history, international relations, astronomy, political science and much more.

For more free e-learning resources, visit Open Culture, a website dedicated to keeping up with new offerings free cultural and educational media on the Internet. Find links to free audio books, free courses online, free foreign language classes and lots more. Check out their listing of 250 free online courses.

To access these e learning lectures and videos:

1.  You will probably need a high speed Internet connection. Loading large files is very time consuming on dial up connections.

2.  Sign up for free with Apple iTunes, which is a handy way to download and organize from e learning sites. Other ways to download include QuickTime, Windows Media Player or RealPlayer. Basic versions of these offer free sign up.

3.  If you have an iPhone or iPod, you can transfer the files to these by saving them to your iTunes library and then transferring them to your media player.

Don’t let the details scare you away from e learning! Find a video or lecture you like and hit “download!”

Most baby boomers know that to age well, you have to keep your mind actively engaged and learning all the time. With e learning sites, you can keep up with topics you’re interested in or learn something new. The Internet can connect you with free distance learning to fit your schedule.

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