Tuesday, March 28, 2017

Going Rural Does Come With Challenges



You’ll find that you have more problems with a home in the country compared to one in the city. That shouldn’t stop you choosing a beautiful rural home, but you do have to be prepared for the issues present. I’ll give you a quick example, power cuts. If you live in the city, there’s every possibility that you have never had to deal with a power cut in your life. In the country, things are a little different. When the winter weather kicks in, winds blow, snow falls, and power poles get turn down. You can be left in the darkness for hours, even days. It’s a nightmare that you don’t want to have to deal with, but luckily there is a solution.




First, you can buy an emergency gas heater for your home. This is useful for the winter months if the power does go off because it will allow you and your family to stay warm. But, you may also want to think about an emergency battery for your home too. This will ensure that your home stays lit up and you don’t have to go rummaging around for candles. Backup power supplies for the home are quite expensive. So, if you don’t have the money in your budget for this type of feature, make sure you at least have rechargeable lanterns. This will ensure that you at least have a source of light if the power turns off for whatever reason.


Weather Worries


Of course, a blackout isn’t the only issue bad weather can cause in the country. In the city, you are mainly protected from bad weather. This is because there are a lot of buildings around to shield your home from the worst of the wind. In rural areas, homes are more spread out. On the bright side, this gives families a lot more space to enjoy. But it also means that wind and rain can do more damage to the home. For instance, you might find that the wind actually does quite a lot of damage to your roof. Luckily, there are companies like Mr. Roof. With a business like this, you can guarantee that damage to your roof isn’t a lasting effect that you have to deal with. Instead, you can get it fixed up in no time.


There are changes you can make to your roof as well that are going to be useful. For instance, you can get shutter gutters. Shutter gutters are exactly as they sound. These gutters have plastic covers with gaps in between them. That means that you can still drain the water from the roof without the gutters getting clogged with leaves and anything else that is blowing around.


Bugs And Beasties




We’re not going to mention the scary report of how far you are from a spider at any given moment, but there is definitely a lot more bugs and beasties in your home if you live in the country. You’ll see them creeping in, hanging from ceilings and running across the floor. If you’re not used to it, you might even think that you have an infestation and yes, the bugs can be bigger. But you just have to remember to use little tricks like anti-bug spray around cracks and crevices where they can get in. And, do make sure that you keep your home as clean as possible. If you have kids, it’s best to avoid letting them eat in their rooms. If they do this, there’s a good chance they are going to drop crumbs everywhere. This will attract interest from little bugs and miscreants.


As much as you might hate spiders, there’s good news if you see a lot hanging around your home. The eight-legged creepy crawlies only set up home in clean properties and will keep your house clear from pesky bugs like gnats.


Colder Out Here




Yes, it can definitely be colder in the country. Again, it’s due to not having as many building in a smaller space. But, this just means you need to protect your home and your car. If you do feel the temperature starting to drop, put the car in the garage. Do that, and you can make sure that ice or frost doesn’t damage the vehicle. Or, worse, that it doesn’t start when you need to get the kids to school in the morning.


As you can see then, living in the country is definitely going to be different from what you might be used to. But there’s a solution to every problem that you could encounter, and there are plenty of benefits to having a little more space out in the open.




There are Big Benefits of an Online Degree

Avid readers of my blog will know that I’m a big fan of the homeschool model. I think it presents a number of advantages that simply aren’t present in the typical education system. For instance, by homeschooling a child you can focus on their needs instead of them being neglected in favor of another child with greater issues. But what you may not realize is there are also benefits of home studies at a later stage in life. You can earn your degree online and, if you do this, you’ll gain a few key benefits.

Smaller Classes
Online classes often have a smaller number of students. This means that lecturers and professors have more time to focus on individual students and keep them on the right track. As such, you can get a more rounded education because you are receiving a greater level of attention.

Study Your Way 
Studying online, it’s possible to choose how and when you learn. You’ll still need to put in a set number of hours into your studies. But you’ll find it easier because you won’t have to be in a certain place. Instead, you can work from the comfort of your home without any trouble or issue. Naturally, this is also going to make your education a lot cheaper and easier to manage financially.

No Limitations 
Finally, you might think that by studying online, your higher education will be limited somehow. However, that’s not the case at all. In actual fact, those who study at home can gain the same level of degree as someone attending a prestigious college. You can have a look at an example of this in the following infographic.
 
Infographic by Case Western Reserve University Online Social Work Degree

Saturday, March 25, 2017

Highlights Puzzle Buzz and Swagbucks = $8 Bonus!


Swagbucks is running a great deal where you get 800 SB (equivalent of $8) when you get two free Puzzle Buzz books for your kids from Highlights! You pay $2.98 in shipping and handling, meaning that you walk away with a $5 gift card of your choice. This deal is running through the rest of March and is perfect for the little readers in your life. Even the youngest child learns to tackle activities independently — and puzzle-solving skills grow.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Click here to get to the deal and create your Swagbucks account if you don't have one. You'll be my referral!

2. Click "Continue" and complete the offer. Your SB will be credited almost instantly!

3. If you're signing up as my referral, you'll get an additional 300 SB bonus for completing this offer, meaning that you'll net $8:

Complete offer: $8
Bonus: $3
Shipping and Handling: -$2.98
Net bonus: $8.02

If you're not familiar with Swagbucks, it's a rewards site where you earn points called SB for discovering deals (like this one), online shopping, taking surveys, watching videos, and even searching the web. Then you can turn those points into gift cards from places like Amazon, Starbucks, Walmart, Target, PayPal, and more like I've been doing for a few years now!

Monday, March 20, 2017

#Swagbucks Spring Reading Team Challenge!


Here's another fun team challenge to help you earn SB from Swagbucks! For those of you who don't know what Swagbucks is, it's a website where you can earn cash back on everyday tasks you do online like shopping, answering surveys, discovering deals, and watching videos. You can even earn for searching the web! 

If you've never tried Swagbucks before because you didn't know where to begin, their Team Challenges are a great way to learn the ropes! Their latest, the Spring Reading Team Challenge, begins Monday, March 20th. 

Here's how you can join the challenge and the site:
1. Click here to join the challenge and be assigned to a team. Pre-registration is going on right now! If you don't already have an account, you can sign up on this page as well.
2. Starting March 20th at 8am PT, in addition to earning SB you'll contribute points to your teams total as you complete different activities on Swagbucks.
3. Check back on the page often to see the scores and what you've contribute so far. 
All members who participate and contribute at least 400 points to their team’s total will receive a SB bonus in the form of a SB Swag Up Rebate on their next gift card! 

Not only that, but if you earn 300 SB before April 1st, you'll get a 300 SB bonus (as long as you've signed up under me)!

Members of the 1st place team will receive a 50 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 2nd place team will receive a 25 SB Swag Up Rebate, members of the 3rd place team will receive a 10 SB Swag Up Rebate. Your SB Swag Up Rebate will be made available on Friday, March 24th and will expire on Sunday, April 9th 11:59pm PT

#TheKerrieShow Goes to #Chicago Day Two: Adler Planetarium and Public Transportation

Here is my best tip for day two: call your bank before you leave town so they don't think someone stole your credit and debit card and are buying 6 one-week Ventra train and bus passes in Chicago. You're welcome.

Another tip is when it's freezing cold, make sure you take note of your stall number in the parking lot so you don't have to send your son back to get it so you can punch it into the parking meter. Parking at train station = $7 per day. Adler Planetarium today was FREE (get a Kansas City Science City/Union Station Membership, people from KC!). Other costs include a few hats at Walgreen's, lunch at Pot Belly and Dunkin Donuts for the train ride home. Read on.

This was our view out of our hotel room in the morning.