No Interest in Bonds

My family is competitive. We play poker after Thanksgiving dinner and smack-talk our way through the football season each year as we each try to win the family football pool. A win at Scrabble earns you bragging rights, especially against my brother-in-law who took to reading the dictionary after a few crushing losses to his wife (my sister) in the early years of their marriage.

In this competitive spirit, our family decided a few years ago on New Year’s Eve to have a weight loss competition. The winner would be chosen based on who lost the greatest percentage of their body weight in one month's time. Not wanting to be left out of any chance at a victory, I stuffed myself with all-you-can-eat Italian and gamely stepped onto the scale to record my starting weight, despite the fact that I didn’t need to lose more than five pounds off my one hundred and forty pound frame. Some of my family members weighed two hundred pounds and had twenty pounds to lose. 

Mathematically, I was beaten before the contest even started. Even if I lost my entire five pound goal, 3.5% of my body weight, I just couldn’t win against family members who only had to partially meet their goals to win on a percentage basis. If you weigh two hundred pounds and need to lose twenty pounds, even if you only lose ten, you’ve still lost 5% of your body weight. The point of my tale is not to brag about my slim physique, but rather that to point out that when working with percentages, the starting point matters…a lot.

The current bond market is a lot like my entry into the family weight loss competition…a skinny market with the percentage odds working against it. 

The five slides that follow make the case for a cautious approach to bond investing in this low interest rate environment.

Reposted from: The Money Crush

Friday Freebie: Mock Up Photo

There are some gorgeous mock up photos on Etsy and Creative Market that I have been stalking looking at recently.  But unable to part with $15 for a photo, I created these images to use instead.  Enjoy and check back soon...I had so much fun doing these images that I intend to have some new different images to add soon!

Image at the top of the post: Download 1 (Envelope and Flowers)

Download Link: Photo Mockup Number 2

Download Link: Photo Mockup Number 3

Kisses 25 Cents...I'm A Hustler Baby

Happy Valentine's Day!

A Few Quotes We Love on Perseverance

• Keep on going, and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it.  I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down. -Charles F. Kettering
• If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. -Henry David Thoreau
• I hated every minute of the training, but I said, "Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion." -Muhammad Ali
• There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. -Nelson Mandela
• Be daring, be different, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-savers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary. -Sir Cecil Beaton
• We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot. -Eleanor Roosevelt

Little LifeHacks

• Change the wallpaper on your phone's lock screen to a motivational photo or quote that relates to a goal you are working on right now. Pinterest is a great source of photos and quotations for every area of your life. Be aware, however, that the photo of the tight, toned yoga-ite might motivate you for a week to get to the gym after work, but after a month you'll cruise right past your phone's lock screen as you Yelp the closest donut shop. The moral? Change the image often to keep yourself motivated!
• Listen to a spiritual or self-help audiobook or podcast in the car instead of the radio. Looking for a free book? Check out our previous post on how to get free audiobooks from the Hoopla app: Free Hoopla iPhone & Android App
• Keep a dry erase marker in the bathroom to write gratitude lists or inspirational quotes on the bathroom mirror. Write your significant other a sweet note on their bathroom mirror as well. 
• Change the message on your phone's alarm to something personally inspirational. The text that pops up on my iPhone each morning is "This Day is a Blessing".  Other ideas: "You are Beautiful" or "Coffee Awaits".

$12 Matte Black Faux Leather Leggings on Amazon - Ummm, Awesome

After pinning too many amazing outfits with black leather leggings to my Pinterest fashion board, I decided I needed (or really wanted) a pair of my own.  Insomnia accompanied by internet surfing struck, which resulted in me ordering this pair of matte faux leather leggings from Amazon for $12.  I figured 190 women with an average review of over four stars was a good sign...and let me tell you those women are correct that these leggings are awesome.

These faux leather leggings are like wearing yoga pants, although very stylish yoga pants.  If you've been pinning your own leather leggings look on Pinterest, you might want to give these a try.

Here is our Amazon Affiliates link to the shiny black leggings, although I prefer the matte black leggings personally: Leggings on Amazon

D&D Rave: Physicians Formula Happy Booster

I get compliments all the time on my skin… one sweet twenty-something asked me just the other week what kind of foundation I used because my skin just seemed to "glow." Another co-worker wanted to know what kind of moisturizer I used because my skin looked so "healthy."

Believe me, my skin is not that healthy… I just use an impressive product called Physicians Formula Happy Booster. It is a bronzer that costs about $9-12 at any local drug store and really does give you skin a nice healthy-looking glow. You can wear it alone or over foundation. While this product is technically a "bronzer," I use it year-round. Hope you enjoy!

If you wish to buy this product on Amazon, you can find it here: Physicians Formula Happy Booster Link

Have a product rave that you'd like to share? Drop us a line at hdapice@yahoo.com and you could be featured in one of our upcoming posts. We're all about sharing the love and making life better for all of our Dolls and Dollas' sisters.

This post contains Amazon Affiliate Links.

For a Winning Wardrobe

Pretty Little Things - Free Audio Content from Hoopla Android and iPhone App

What's So Great About It? This is a free Android and iPhone application that allows you to freely borrow movies, television shows, audiobooks, and CDs for listening on the go. You can "check out" up to six titles a month with your library card if your local library participates, all without ever having to find a parking space or step foot in the library!

How It'll Make Your Life Better: Ever since having kiddos, our time to read has dwindled considerably... or entirely. We especially love the free audio book component of this app as it allows you to listen to books in the car, while washing dishes or getting ready, or even when (yawn) cleaning the house. Scrubbing dishes has never been so fun as when listening to the latest New York Times bestseller! This is a way to add a little fun--or even learning--to mundane tasks. There are literally thousands of titles to choose from, from beach reads to babies to business. Every Doll is sure to find something that interests her on this app.

Recommended Titles: We just finished Jeanine Frost's recently released book, "The Beautiful Ashes" and are already looking forward to the sequel. On a nonfiction note, "Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids" by Dr. Laura Markham was also excellent. And since we didn't have to pick it up from a stack of books at the end of a long day, it was one of the first books we were able to
successfully and easily complete. As we listened to the sound advice and tips throughout the day, it really did make our lives better--and more peaceful.

Have a free or inexpensive way to make life better? Drop us a line at hdapice@yahoo.com and you could be featured in one of our upcoming posts. We're all about sharing the love and making life better for all of our Dolls and Dollas sisters.

D&D Rave: Five Minute DIY Healthy Antibacterial Lotion

The constant hand washing and Purell-ing during cold and flu season leave me with dry, cracked hands that not even the prettiest manicure can disguise - yikes!

My simple, healthy solution is to take my favorite organic moisturizing lotion, empty it into a glass bowl, and then add eucalyptus and lavender essential oils (from the pharmacy section of the health food store or available online at Amazon). Tea tree, eucalyptus, and lavender are natural essential oils touted for their potent anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. I mix the oils generously into the mixture to get the maximum benefit, but the mix can be customized for individual smell preferences and needs.  I also mix in a spoonful of organic coconut oil to make the mixture thicker and more moisturizing. The coconut oil addition can be skipped or done sparingly to make the lotion less oily.

Although the finished antibacterial lotion can be put in a mason jar or tub, I use a baby medicine dispenser to put the lotion back into the lotion bottle (assuming your bottle has a wider opening such as those found on pump bottles). Although viable, toting a mason jar around in my purse was awkward when I was on the go and wanted to sanitize my hands.

There are a few recipes on Pinterest which call for the addition of vitamin E oil to DIY all-natural moisturizing lotions. For me, the vitamin E oil caused my lotion to separate into layers and created a very oily finished product.  I was leaving handprints everywhere, including the leather seats in my car!

This lotion is a great organic option for keeping hands soft and germ free. 

Note: Organic coconut oil actually comes as a solid and is available in the cooking oil section of most grocery stores. No need to melt the solid coconut oil - just add it in solid form to the mixture. Travel lotion jars are also a great option for storing your lotion on the go.