Money, Sex and Food

Money, Sex and Food

By Judy R Demick

Awwww...you're in love and you can't wait to live together. Playing house will be so much fun. You can make meals together. On Sunday mornings you'll take turns fixing each other breakfast in bed.

Wait a minute until I catch my breath and wipe away the tears. I haven't laughed so hard in years.

I'm going to be sexist, but I can't help it. Here's what's going to happen. The first month or two, he's going to make bacon, eggs, and hash browns, covered with ketchup. He will probably mush it all together. You will think he's so cute and you will make a mental note to work out 30 minutes longer to rid yourself of those nasty calories. He worked so hard and you can't let him down.

Fast forward a few months. You come downstairs and he's making his famous breakfast. All you can see is the grease all over the pans and counter. There's probably some on the ceiling too. It's going to take you hours to clean this mess up since he certainly isn't going to do it. And you know what? Those breakfasts of his just make you feel sluggish, fat, and bloated. As a matter of fact, lover boy is getting a little paunchy around the middle.

I have to be fair so let's see this from the other side. The love of your life comes downstairs for one of your gourmet, healthy, spinach quiches. He smiles. He resists grabbing the ketchup. He cleans his plate. He expresses his appreciation for your efforts to keep both of you fit and cholesterol free. He's happy because you love him and haven't bolted out the door yet.

Wait, wait....time passes. He struggles out of bed, looks in the kitchen, sees evidence of egg whites and a green vegetable and panics. There must be meat this morning. Must have meat. What to do? "Honey, I'm so sorry, you've gone to so much work for us, but I promised Jerry that I would stop by his place to help him fix his shower. I'll be gone just a few minutes. You can put mine in the trash fridge. Love ya!" Gotta get to McDonald's before they stop serving breakfast. Ummmmm, Egg McMuffin.

This is the cold, hard truth. He wants to eat like this. He wants a tub of something covered in mayonnaise, and he wants to eat it out of the container.

And she, even though she may occasionally sneak a spoonful of ice cream out of the carton, is thinking of 14 healthy ways to fix carrots. She may even be signing up for "Cooking Light" magazine. I see a "Summer Lemon-Vegetable Risotto" in your future. Did ya know? Only 395 calories a serving.

And you thought most relationships broke up over sex or money. Well, you can add food to the mix.

Not all relationships end up like Romeo and Juliet, but if they had just gone out for pizza, things might have turned out better.

Many years ago, I thought I had met the love of my life. Everything was great, if you didn't count all of the times he hit on my roommates, but the final straw was food. I opened his refrigerator and there sat a package of tongue. An organ meat. Something that should never be eaten. Then he boiled it. I saw it in the pot....boiling. It looked like a horror movie, and then he sliced it for sandwiches. How could this ever work? It didn't. Maybe it wasn't the tongue that did it, but it certainly pushed me over the edge.

Then there's the "That's not how my mother makes it.," which is guaranteed to end up badly. Or, when it's his turn to cook for the family he orders out, which is against the rules. If you work hard to make healthy meals after working all day, then so should he.

The ex would stick his nose in the casserole, and I mean "in" the casserole, eye it suspiciously, poke at it, and finally, take a tentative bite. No comments. Just slurping. That was a relationship builder.

My darling hubby came into our relationship with four meals he liked and expected to be rotated throughout the week...pork chops (always with asparagus and rice), hamburgers, chili and spaghetti. I came into our relationship with a love of reading recipes and never making the same thing twice. We've worked it out. I do most of the cooking and occasionally I let him make one of his four specialties.

It's all worked out pretty good. He's learned that he likes lots of different foods. Duh...Do you think this was part of his plan? Do you think he knew that if he only fixed four things, it would force me into doing the majority of the cooking?

Just when I thought I knew about relationships. I wonder what would happen if I bought a tongue?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_R_Demick


http://EzineArticles.com/?Money,-Sex-and-Food&id=6392355

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How to organize a wedding on a budget

How to organize a wedding on a budget

Author: Peter Parker

Weddings are an incredibly expensive proposition – while you want to make sure that your special day is as memorable as possible, you also want to be assured that you still have something left in your savings account when all is said and done. There are ways to bring the cost of your big day down without impacting on the quality or enjoyment factor, however.



Ask guests to contribute towards the honeymoon

Your first holiday as a married couple is one of the major expenses to be factored in to the overall cost of the wedding, so why not ask your friends and family to contribute to the fund rather than buy you items that you don’t really need? Many travel agencies will allow you to set up a wedding account specifically for your honeymoon that guests can pay into – or even a registry that details specific activities of your choice, allowing guests to know precisely which aspect of the trip they are helping out with.



Get friends to document your day

If one of your guests is particularly handy with a camera or video camera then consider asking them if they would mind documenting your big day as their wedding present to you. Professional photographers and video camera operators can be incredibly pricey, so if there’s someone you trust to do your day justice then this is a great way to reduce costs.



Low cost cake

Similarly, if you have somebody among your guest list who is a dab hand in the kitchen, then consider asking them to bake your wedding cake. While many people prefer not to burden their friends or family with such a task, the fact is that more often than not the person in question will see such an opportunity as a huge honour.



Make your own invitations

With a bit of creative ingenuity and effort, there’s no reason why you can’t fashion some professional looking invitations at a fraction of the cost that they would otherwise cost. Hunt around online for some ideas – there are plenty of fantastic looking invitations out there to draw inspiration from.



Only invite those who mean the most to you

While you may well be under pressure to have extended family that you hardly ever see at your wedding, stand firm if necessary. It’s your day after all, so if you’re on a budget it’s entirely reasonable that you only invite those who you truly wish to be there.



Buy your rings online

Although it may be an initially worrying thought to buy your wedding rings online without seeing them in the flesh first, there are many reputable companies out there that can provide what you need for a fraction of the price that you would pay were you to walk into a jewellery store. Do your research and go for an online store with a good reputation and you won’t go too far wrong.



Don’t feel like you have to provide drinks all day and night

Laying on wine for the meal and champagne for the toast will cost enough, so don’t feel like you have to also provide a free bar for the festivities that follow. Guests will be more than happy to put their hand in their pocket and pay their own way for the evening reception.



Consider hiring out a pub for your reception

Given the right establishment, a pub can provide the perfect backdrop for a more relaxed, informal celebration than your average wedding venue – and at a tiny fraction of the price that you would otherwise pay. It makes for a genuinely memorable reception, too.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1822801_41.html

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Green Travel

Green Travel


Author: Samuel

Green Travel Tips: 18 Strategies to Save Money While Traveling Green

The terms "green travel" or "ecotourism" evoke a wide variety of images ranging from sleeping in hammocks to purchasing pricey hemp luggage from the newest "hip" shopping center. However, to travel green one does not have to do without luxury or inversely to spend a lot of money. It simply means doing your part to preserve the ecology of the place(s) you visit. In fact, green travel can save you money at the same time. We have provided the following list of 30 ways to save money through green tourism, while at the same time doing your part to "save the planet".

Packing and Planning

1. Pack light, especially when flying. It not only saves on extra baggage fees, but less baggage equals less weight equals less fuel.

2. Print maps and tourist information before you go. Better yet, borrow a guidebook from the local library and save a tree.

3. Purchase empty travel bottles and fill them with your favorite shampoo and other products. By reusing them on multiple trips you save money and keep dozens of travel size bottles from local landfills.

4. Bring your own digital camera instead of purchasing an expensive disposable camera that can only be used once before being dumped in a landfill.

5. Consider purchasing a solar charger as most cameras, cell phones and iPods can be quickly and easily recharged this way.

6. Consider traveling closer to home this year to avoid flying. Flying is getting more expensive every day and uses a tremendous amount of fuel and contributes a lot of pollution to the air.

7. Combine work and play. If you have to fly somewhere on business plan your personal vacation before or after so you won't have to fly twice.

Transportation

8. Whenever possible get around town using public transportation.

9. Take short trips by walking or using a bicycle.

10. If you have to rent a car get a small one, or better yet rent a hybrid. Many car rental companies are now offering hybrid vehicles. Sure they might cost a little bit more to rent, but typically you save on fuel prices.

11. If taking your own automobile, take some or all of the following steps to increase your fuel efficiency and save on gas costs while reducing emissions. Have a tune-up before you leave, make sure your tires are properly inflated and reduce the number of unnecessary items you might have stored in the back seat or in your trunk. Turn off the air conditioner whenever possible. Reduce any drag on your car by removing roof racks and driving with your windows closed.

12. Carpool whenever one is available. Carpooling is not just for work anymore!

During Your Trip

13. Eat locally produced food. It is a lot healthier and less expensive and it saves on all the shipping costs and emissions from transporting them across the country.

14. Buy locally produced souvenirs. Handicrafts made by locals are not only sustainable but they are often a fraction of the price of items shipped in from out of town.

15. Visit local, state and national parks and reserves. The costs are usually very reasonable and the fees are used to support these protected areas.

16. Bring your own reusable water bottle instead of filling up landfills with old ones. If the tap water is not safe to drink at your destination, purchase a gallon size or larger of water and use it to refill your smaller bottle. It saves you money buying in bulk and saves the environment from billions of water bottles.

Accommodation

17. Stay with family and friends whenever possible. Hotels use a lot more energy and resources than homes through daily cleaning, mini bottles of shampoo, hallway lights constantly lit. Whenever you do stay in hotels remember to turn off the lights and TV, turn the A/C down whenever you leave, and when an option reuse the towels and sheets instead of changing them daily.

18. Look into a home exchange whenever you can. This type of tourism not only saves you money over an expensive hotel, but you can more easily practice green living while away from home.

As you can see, using just a few items from the list above can save money and energy and helps one protect the environment while traveling. As one of the industry leaders in membership travel clubs, Travel To Go (http://www.traveltogo.com ) actively supports Green Travel.

Samuel Wynn is the Media Director for Travel To Go (http://www.traveltogo.com ) and a writer, editor and world traveler.

Keywords: green travel, green tourism, ecotourism, green travel saves money

travel, vacation, membership club, timeshare exchange, timeshare owner exchange, condo inventory, condo, hotels, air, cruise, all inclusive, resort stays, discounts, hawaii, cancun, florida

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/green-travel-3595411.html

About the Author

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