Pay Day Loans For The Holiday Pinch?

So the holidays are fast approaching and I see everyone aroound me going overboard...okay I can probably be included in the "going overboard" category, with the exception that my extended family members will all be getting charitable contributions in their name this Christmas instead of gifts they probably don't want anyway.

Still, even with finances a little tight, there are just certain things that you can't, in good conscience, scrimp on. To begin with, the above mentioned charitable contributions. Also, the bf decided that we absolutley HAD to have a tree for our first Christmas in our new home so we went to the Canadian Tire and picked up one of the few ones left (big bucks!!). Also, we will be hosting the holiday dinner this year, I still need to get a few gifts, and we will be spending about a billion dollars on gas to visit friends and family.

As stressful as the holidays can be, especially in terms of budgeting and "financial unknowns", a lot of people turn to options like a payday loan. Although I have not done so yet, I know a few people who have used them once or twice and then I know people who use them a lot.

Online Poker Games, More Fun for Beginners?

With the new diet finally starting to seem manageable, I am thinking I have a few minutes to concentrate on something else. Has anyone reading this ever participated in online gambling? I know I have mentioned tryinf it out before but I just haven't had the time yet.

About two or three times per year, I find myself in a casino. In fact The last one I was at, the casino in Windsor, I won like $60!!! Woohoo!!!! That is a big amount for me because I seem to be the type a person who, given the opportunity, will lose anything but weight (and yet I am still plugging away at the diet). Still, I like the atmosphere of casinos and I like to play slots and roulette but the card tables are too imposing for me. I like poker and blackjack but I am too nervous to sit down among all these players that obviously know the game so much better than me. I bet that a lot of people turn to online casinos for that reason. There is something fun about keeping a certain level of anonymity, I suppose. I think I would be more likely to try online poker than to sit down with a bunch of hotshots in an actual casino.

Time to Start Practicing for the Company Holiday Party

Unlike absolutely everyone that I work with, I am not a huge gambler. At last year's holiday party I was introduced to roulette which is a lot of fun, though. And I do like to play the slots. Ooh and poker, I have been known to play that once in a while too. Hmm, maybe I enjoy gambling a little more than I gave myself credit for. Which is good because our holiday party this year is going to be very heavily gambling focused again.

A lot of people are not bothering to travel all of the way to casinos (or waiting for the company Christmas party) any more. A lot of people are gambling online. I hear that it has gotten to the point that online gambling sites can be pretty social and interactive. There is an online casino called Bet365 that is said to be pretty cool. They have a bunch of interactive games and a whole section dedicated to online poker. All you have to do is sign up for an account and then you can play all kinds of games. It is all said to be very safe and secure.

Maybe I should give this site a try. I can get some practice time in before the company holiday party!

Blogging for Smorty. And other words that sound made up.

On the seemingly neverending quest to find money for my Christmas budget, I have signed on for a new blog advertising site. This site, called Smorty, seems to be well laid out, fun and, hopefully, will have a million or so opportunities to get paid for blogging.

Okay maybe my expectations of a million paid blogging opportunites are unrealistic but so far I have recieved more than a couple offers to blog for money. Which is good - my little brother has already started making his Christmas list and there is Nintedo Wii is on it...hah! And I thought I had unrealistic expectations.

This is only my second post with Smorty but I am liking it so far. I plan to put the affiliate link up soon so if any of you are planning to sign up for some new opportunites to get paid for blogging or even opportunites to advertise on blogs, show me some referral love!

Shopping for Shopping Carts

I have been using Paypal on my Temple Treats site for ever but it is more out of lack of options than anything else. I am thinking it is time for me to look into other shopping cart software systems.

I took a look at Ashop Commerce, a leading provider of ecommerce software. I was happy to see that they offer a 10 day free trial because I am not quite ready to commit to a decision yet. I was also happy to see that they are search engine friendly. After all, what is the point of putting a shopping cart on your site that is going to hinder exposure?

Ashop Commerce is said to be cheap and easy. In the world of shopping cart software systems, that is a good thing!

If you are interested in checking them out, I suggest you do so quickly. They have a free store design offer right now, on top of their free trial!

This has been a sponsored post.