Blog The Planet

One thing that can make "hanging out in the city" a bit more difficult than it would otherwise be is the cost of parking, as you can often spend more money on parking than you spend on anything else in the city - and if you are visiting a larger city such as New York, Boston, Chicago, or San Francisco, this can especially be the case! Of course - if you are looking to save a bit of money on parking - one option is to park outside the city and take public transportation in, but one problem with this is that the rest of your day (including what time you will have to leave the city) will be dictated by the public transportation schedule, and what's more, you will still be spending a solid chunk of money this way as well!

If you are going to be spending only a few hours in the city, one option is to simply feed the meter; in most cities, you can park at a meter for up to two hours, so as long as you will be in the city for less than two hours (or will be able to make it back to your car every couple hours to keep feeding the meter), you will be golden!

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One great idea (an idea many people fail to think of!) is to look online for coupons you can use in the city; many parking garages will offer promotions online, and when you do a Google search for parking coupons in the city you plan to visit, this will often get you into the city for the day for a whole lot less than you would otherwise have to spend.

And one thing you will want to realize is that the prices at a parking garage are usually relative to their location in the city - which means that, for the most part, you can add no more than an extra five or ten minutes of walking time onto your day (parking a little bit further from the center of activity), and this will save you quite enough money on the day to make it more than worth it!

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If you have ever spent time looking at abstract expressionist pieces of art, you might have thought that these "masterpieces" are really nothing more than random drops and splashes of paint spread across a painting - and yet, at the same time, you have also probably looked and them and felt that there is more to these paintings than what meets the eye. Of course, there is also a chance you have looked at such pictures and thought that you could probably paint something similar - and if you have thought that, you have probably been right; before you can paint an abstract expressionist piece of your own, however, you need to understand why these paintings came to gain the recognition and acclaim they did.

When painters such as Jackson Pollock and Arshile Gorky began to come to light after World War II, it had been widely assumed that there was nothing "new" to be done with art - and then, these paintings full of splashes and dribbles not only were something "new," but they also had the effect of reviving the arts in the United States.

The interesting thing about a truly great abstract expressionist piece of art is that it is not supposed to be about anything but itself - and yet, most people who look at these paintings are able to see a lot more in them (some sort of deeper meaning or greater purpose) than just drips and splashes.

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The key to creating abstract expressionist pieces of your own that not only look nice, but that also seem to be about more than just the painting itself, is to do what is called "listening to the canvas" - which means that, instead of simply dripping and splashing where you feel like it, you should pay close attention to the things you feel the canvas is wanting you to do.

It is unlikely that you will make piles of money off your own abstract expressionist art, considering that abstract expressionist art is not controversial or revolutionary any more; you will, however, have a lot of fun, and you can end up with some great wall decorations for your own home!

Every parent does everything they possibly can in order to keep their family safe and secure. Most often people believe that as long as their family is in their home they are safe from harm. Often this is not the case and is simply wrong. There are many dangers that can reveal themselves at home. None is more dangerous than carbon monoxide poisoning. A carbon monoxide detector is something you have to have.

Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless, and extremely deadly. People really don't know what is happening when they are poisoned by carbon monoxide. Once they know that they aren't feeling it is past the point of help. America lists carbon monoxide as the number one reason that people die accidently in the states. This is why a carbon monoxide detector is so important in every home.

An alarm that can make sure your family doesn't get poisoned is the First Alert Carbon Monoxide Plug-in alarm. This alarm uses the most accurate and efficient carbon monoxide detecting system around. It uses an electrochemical carbon monoxide sensor. No real installation is required either. All you need to do is plug the alarm into an outlet in your home after you remove it from the box.

People often fear that if the power were to go out that this alarm wouldn't work for them. First Alert understands the fear people have and included a battery back up in this detector. If the unit needs to be completely replaced an alarm will sound to let the family know. The test feature allows you to determine how much life the alarm has left in it.

Don’t leave your family unprotected from the dangers of carbon monoxide. Making sure your house is safe is very easy by purchasing a cheap and well made carbon monoxide alarm. The industry leader in these alarms is First Alert, so buy one today to keep you and your family poison free.

Schools are feeling the stresses of the budgest just like everyone else. People in the community are often trying to help where they can. Some schools request activities that can be played on rainy days, as the schools can’t afford to get these activities themselves.

If you would like to purchase a game for the age groups of second to fifth grade, Apples to Apples Jr is a great option. Apples to Apples is a word game that can help kids read, increase their vocabulary, and increase reasoning skills. Both adults and kids will enjoy this game. This game is great for small group activities as you can have more then four players playing it at a time.

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Monopoly JR is a very simplified version of the Monopoly game adults are familiar with. Kids not only will get a little practice working with money, they also will practice counting, and addition and subtraction. Plus the game as the added bonus of teaching the kids to really pay attention.  Kids in grade school will enjoy this game.

Sorry is ideal for kindergarteners and first graders. This game teaches basic counting skills and also good sportsmanship. The kids learn that the game is fun even if they get taken back home by a "sorry".  The children can also begin to learn basic strategy.

Phase 10 is a wonderful card game for older kids in fourth and fifth grade. You need to get different runs and sets in this game to move from one phase to another. You want to be the first person out on each phase. You want to get the lowest score over all. There is quite a bit of counting and adding and subtraction in this game.

None of these games are overly expensive so picking up a game or two to donate to your local school can really help teachers a lot. Plus you can get a warm fuzzy feeling knowing you helped out the next generation.

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If you are a big fan of reading, you may find that this is an activity that costs a lot more money than you might have thought; after all, new books are not exactly inexpensive, and if you read a book every week or two, this money can pile up until a large chunk of your spending money is going toward new books. Of course, for those who love reading, the money spent on books is certainly worth it, as books provide the person in question with plenty of enjoyment - but if you are among those who love books so much you do not care what you have to spend on them, you will likely find that you will love them even more when you can buy them without going broke!

With the emergence of Amazon over the last decade, there is one place you always know you can go in order to find great deals on books; when you shop for books on Amazon, however, make sure you are paying attention to the seller ratings and the descriptions of the books (after all, you may not want to spend five dollars on a book if the description tells you that the cover is torn!).

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Another way for you to save money on books in the long run is to buy a @@AMAZONTEXT;B0051QVESA;Kindle@@; if you travel a lot, this is an especially great option, as you can bring many books with you at once without lugging a pile of physical books around - and after the initial investment of purchasing the Kindle itself, you will be spending a lot less on books from that point forward.

And of course, becoming familiar with your local used book stores is probably the best way of all to get great deals on books; although you may not find the selection at a used book store that you would find on Amazon, you will probably be able to find books at an even better price than you could find on Amazon - and best of all, you will be able to take the book home with you right away, instead of waiting for the book to ship to your home!

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Having an invisible fence in your yard to keep your dog at home is very convenient, but putting it in can be a pain in the rear end if you have never done the installation before. Hiring a company to install one of these units is a possibility for you but also costs a pretty penny. Here are some tips to make putting in an invisible fence a snap and will ultimately save you money in the long run.

The first thing you will need to do is determine where the fence line is going to run. I personally like taking @@AMAZONTEXT;B005106G7K;garden fence stakes@@ and marking the yard where I think I would like the wire to run underground and temporarily run the wire above ground wrapped around the stakes. This makes it very easy to adjust as needed before I put it in the ground. This can save a ton of time and energy as you figure out that it needs to move further from the door, or the corner of your deck.

You then create a twisted wire pair to cancel the signal out when you bring it to the house. You can purchase expensive twisted wire or simply make it yourself by attaching two long pieces into the end of your electric drill. Have one person hold the opposite ends apart, while one person turns the drill end slowly, causing the wire to twist on itself.

When it comes to getting the wire in the ground, you can either open up the ground with a shovel shove the wire in and firm the ground back in, or you can use your @@AMAZONTEXT;B00004DTNH;edger@@ to create the trench where you lay the wire. Then just follow behind with a bit of top soil and some grass seed to heal the lawn.

I hope these tips help you to install your own fense a little easier.

Most people have pretty specific ideas about the places they would want to see on a vacation - or the places that they could visit on vacation that they imagine would be perfect - but if you enjoy traveling and experiencing different things, one of the best things you can do is visit places you may not have thought of visiting before; New England is one of the most popular travel destinations in the country, but when people think of New England, it is typically Boston that comes most quickly to mind - but if you are thinking about traveling to New England, one place you should also consider passing a couple days is the beautiful state of New Hampshire.

New Hampshire has a number of towns that could be called a "quintessential New Hampshire town" - giving tourists everything they would want as far as comforts and things to do, while also giving them beautiful scenery and a laid-back way of life - but perhaps no town in New Hampshire embodies what tourists come for more than North Conway; North Conway gives you the tourist traps such as a great outlet mall, several miniature golf courses, and some great shops with little trinkets, but it also gives you the gorgeous scenery, the covered bridges, the rolling landscape, and the White Mountains!

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Not far from North Conway (of course, nothing in New Hampshire is too far from anything else!) rests Franconia Notch State Park; outside of the great, untouched stretches of Colorado, Wyoming, and the Dakotas, there might very well be no better state in the country for getting out and enjoying nature than New Hampshire, and Franconia Notch State Park may be the best spot in the state for doing this!

And even though you will typically think of mountains when you think of New Hampshire, the state also has a bit of shoreline, and this is well worth visiting. Whether you are going in the summer to New Hampshire, when you can get out there and enjoy the waves, or are visiting in the winter when you can do nothing but stand and watch the waves, the shoreline of New Hampshire is a definite "must" on the list of places to visit!

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Sweet potatoes are an often over looked little treat in most peoples diet. Mainly this is because people are not aware of how to prepare them. However they provide a large nutritional value and a low glycemic index rating. Sweet potatoes are extremely high in both vitamin A and C, which clearly make them a great option for getting your daily-recommended value of these two vitamins.

Sweet potatoes can actually be made in a variety of ways. Most people don't even realize these potatoes are on the table during thanksgiving, showing up as sweet potato pie or candied yams. Yet there are a number of other ways to take advantage of them. A great book to consider purchasing that offers literally 100 different ways to prepare sweet potato is the @@AMAZONTEXT;1581820038;Sweet Potato Cookbook@@.

The sweet potato unlike it's white potato cousin, contains less starch and more complex carbohydrates. This makes sweet potatoes great alternatives to white potatoes. You can make sweet potato fries easily at home by purchasing a @@AMAZONTEXT;B000HEBAV2;small fryer@@ You can add extra pop to them by shaking on a little cayenne pepper and some kosher salt. These fries tend to be a huge hit.

If you find yourself a fan of the fries you will definitely want to invest in a @@AMAZONTEXT;B0002KZ4VI;jumbo potato cutter@@.

This makes for cutting potatoes in general an easy task. Another great trick is tossing the potato in the microwave for a minute first before cutting. This cooks the sweet potato just enough that it is still firm but not rock hard.

Give sweet potatoes a chance in your kitchen. Your kids may even surprise you with how much they love them.

Cleaning carpets is usually the only reason that people use steamers inside of their homes. Cleaning carpets in ways that vacuum cleaners can't is one of the things that steamers are extremely good at. Although a vacuum cleaner will help to remove the physical debris that may get caught in it, grease or fine particles are not removed. These situations are the reason steamers were invented. Steamers are able to remove any particles that may become well attached to your carpet.

Those who own steamers do not realize how these handy items can be used in other ways though. A portable steamer can be used to clean much more than just carpet. Pretty much any fabric in the home can be cleaned with a steamer. Of the fabrics that can be cleaned are throw rugs in the house. Wrinkles also need to be removed from clothing items which are included too. Cleaning any fabric that may be dirty can be done by using a portable steamer to steam it.

A steamer can also remove dirt and grime from other surfaces. Many surfaces in the bathroom or kitchen can collect soap scum on them. A steamer can help loosen the scum so it can be easily removed instead of trying to remove it by very hard scrubbing with a brush. Not only can it remove this scum from glass shower doors, but it can also remove dirt from any window in your home. A spray bottle and cloth will no longer be the norm for cleaning.

The options for cleaning with a portable steamer are endless. They are not relegated to only cleaning carpets. In order to remove dirt and other contaminants any fabric or hard surface in the home can be steamed. If you want your steamer to have the ability to be used in many ways a portable steamer is the best option. Steamers that are upright or large do not have the flexibility to be used in such a large variety of applications.

As anyone who has ever experienced a house fire can attest to, house fires usually happen when least expected, which is part of what makes them so frightening. Of course, there are the typical house fires - caused by such things as stoves and ovens and negligence - but there are also the house fires you can do nothing about. For instance, your outdoor air conditioning unit might be equipped with old wires, and these wires might snap off and catch the outside of your house on fire; or perhaps you have an older dryer, and the line to the dryer might overheat and catch the insides of your walls on fire. Although house fires certainly are frightening - and although there is sometimes nothing you can do - there are certain preventative measures anyone can take.

Firstly, you should make sure someone comes out and checks all your electrical wiring at least every other year; this will significantly decrease the chance of an electrical fire occurring. If you use your fireplace, another thing you should have checked is your chimney; an uncleaned chimney is an invitation for a fire to occur!

Fires that start because of your dryer can take a long time to catch, and can therefore be devastating. But one measure you can take is to never start your dryer and subsequently leave the house; if you run your dryer, you should be in the house.

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Of course, smoke detectors can save your life, so you should always make sure that you test your smoke detectors regularly. And finally, you should be aware of the small mistakes people make to cause fires, so that you can avoid them yourself. Candles should never be left burning unattended; appliances should never be left on unless they have to be; your stove and oven should always be off if they are not in use!

Too many people never take the steps they should take to prevent fires, assuming that the odds are in their favor and a fire will not happen to them. But rather than simply hoping for a fire to not occur in your house - and taking the chance that you might be wrong - you should take proper measures to ensure that a fire does not occur in your home!

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