A Bugged Life

In a stressful world, with rushed lives, it seems that all the modern conveniences are making us increasingly less healthy. It really is time to push the reset button and enjoy nature more often. One healthy way to do that is by camping. Artificial lighting affects our Circadian clocks, but natural lighting helps to reset our biological clocks. In addition, camping helps to jump start our brains as we have to figure out where to set up camp or build a campfire.

Not to mention, with increased oxygen intake and sunlight exposure, we can increase our levels of serotonin–this is what makes us feel happy. Of course, camping can be somewhat difficult for novices. So, we are listing a few camping hacks to help make your trip more enjoyable. Think you can’t start a fire with chips? Think again.

Eggsactly

When you go camping, you will have to use your body to pack and unpack, set up your tent, hike and a myriad of other things you wouldn’t normally do sitting at your desk or at home on your couch. During the day, you’ll also feel much hungrier. The good news is you are burning calories all day long. You may also find that being outdoors and pushing your body makes food taste better.

You will certainly need to refuel. One perfect way to do that is with eggs. They are inexpensive, filling and great for you. The protein and fat will keep you going. Yet, they can crack easily–which, leads to a mess.

Instead of packing cartons of eggs, we have another solution. Use a funnel and crack your eggs into a reusable water bottle, coffee mug or anything with a tight lid. You’ll never have to worry about cracked eggs in a tight cooler. Plus, you can make scrambles and omelettes just like they do at the restaurants, pour and swish.

Fire starters

Nature can be brutal. It can also be the best thing for bringing you out of the doldrums. When you’re out in the wild, you may need to start a fire to cook your eggs, heat your coffee and roast your marshmallows. Watching a fire was our first form of entertainment. Can you imagine what life was like before TV and devices?

According to an article on Outdoorsy, you can get a fire going with tortilla chips–you know, Doritos. The oils in the chips are what’s flammable. You might be surprised at how quickly they catch fire. Now, you can get back to cooking or warming up by the fire.

Repel mosquitos

One reason some don’t like camping is due to the mosquitos. Well, that’s an easy fix. On top of repellant, you can add sage to your fire. Sage is a natural mosquito repellant that will greatly reduce your chances of getting bitten. If you do get a few bites here and there, most brands of deodorant will cut down on the itch–they must have aluminum which acts as an astringent.

Soften your tent floor

Even if you find a flat site for your tent, sleeping on the ground is not the most comfortable. Well, you can make it much more comfortable by placing some tiles on the floor. We don’t mean floor tile. The tile you want to use are the interconnected tiles used in children’s play rooms and gyms.

 

Water bottle lantern

You don’t want to ruin your budget by purchasing expensive lanterns. Instead, strap your headlamp onto or place it inside a clear water bottle. You can use the lamp on your head when you’re walking around, then put it in the water bottle for light when you’re back at your camp site.

You probably never realized how many hacks you can use while camping. Now, you can focus on what you really want to do—having fun.

 

 

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As a business owner, you are aware that things can go wrong from time to time. Have you considered how the right business management software can minimize the potential for something that hurts your business to occur? Here are five of the more common problems that can be reduced or eliminated by choosing the best software for your operation.

Duplicated Data

What happens when employees enter data that is already in the system? You end up with duplicated entries that are exactly the same or just barely different enough to not be detected.

Think of what could happen if you operate a health club or fitness center and one of your employees signs up a new member. That’s great until the client wants to book a session with a private trainer and another employee can’t find the customer profile. In order to take care of the client right now, the second employee creates another profile.

Later on, it’s discovered that the issue was couple of letters transposed in the client’s last name. Now the two profiles have to be combined or you will not have an accurate record of what that client has and has not decided to register for in the way of classes or personal training sessions. Instead of facing this situation, integrated software that makes searches easier will help eliminate this type of event.

Scheduling Errors

You have clients who like to book massages once or twice a week. Your current software does not include the ability to set up recurring appointments. It’s only a matter of time before a client shows up for a massage and finds out there is no therapist available.

A better approach is to invest in a system that includes WellnessLiving massage software and does make it possible to schedule recurring sessions. Taking it one step further, that system will automatically generate reminders to the masseuse and the client the day before the next schedule session. That will keep everyone happy.

Invoicing Problems

Even when most of your clients cover their membership fees with automated payments, there’s the possibility of creating an incorrect invoice if the process is completely manual. Do you want to deal with an irate customer who is charged double the usual fee this month and try to explain why this event happened?

An integrated software package that cross-references customer profiles with client activities and generates invoices based on that data will reduce invoice issues significantly. If there does appear to be any conflict, the system can flag that invoice for review and prevent it from going out until you or a member of your team checks it for accuracy. Your clients are billed correctly and everyone is a little happier.

There is no doubt that your business is growing. Keep things going in the right direction by investing in business management software for health clubs with the right checks and balances built into the system. Doing so will keep your business records in top condition, ensure your clients are happy, and prevent quite a few issues from arising.

Who wouldn’t love to get a sudden influx of cash? One day you’re struggling to pay bills, or wishing you could take a vacation, and then the next you suddenly come into hundreds or thousands of dollars – perhaps even more. It’s a great dream, but it doesn’t happen very often. For those people it does happen to, there are a few common ways they come into a cash windfall.

Dividends

If you have investments in the stock market, occasionally you could be paid dividends. Dividends are when a company redistributes its earnings directly to its shareholders. This means that if you have stocks in a certain company, and they have large profits, you could see a percentage of this in the form of cash. The more you have invested in the company, the larger amount you could receive. To learn more about dividends, you can check out this guide.

Gambling or Winning The Lottery

One of the riskier ways that a person comes into a financial windfall is through gambling. Perhaps they went into a casino and won at the slot machines, or they went to a nearby racetrack and the underdog horse they bet on won. Gambling can be a fun way to spend an evening, but you also need to be cautious with it. Never bet more than you’re willing to lose, and don’t make gambling a frequent habit – there are much better ways to earn some money.

Inheritance

Often time when a relative passes away, they will leave some of their remaining assets to a close family member. If someone leaves you something in their will, you could be the recipient of some stocks, properties, investments, or even just some cash. While this inheritance comes with a negative association, it is at least nice that someone you cared for was able to leave you something. As the days go by, this financial windfall may make things a little easier for you, which is what that person wanted.

Legal Award

When you take someone to court, and you win the decision, you can be awarded a reward in the form of money. While sometimes this award only covers things like damages or medical bills, in some cases you awarded more, and this money goes directly to you to use how you wish. This method of course comes with the headache of having to go through the legal system, but if you win in the end, at least you get what is coming to you.

In some instances, the person who loses the court decision could refuse to pay up. Since the courts are not great at enforcing their rulings, you may spend years trying to get this person to pay. One option is to sell off your judgment. You may be thinking “Should I sell my judgment to collection agency?” and the answer is, if you’re tired of chasing a person down, and willing to compromise on the amount you receive, then yes.

Selling Something

Finally, many people have found that by searching through their belongings, they come across something that is actually quite valuable. Perhaps it’s an old baseball card you have from your childhood, or a piece of antique furniture from your parents. You decide to see how much its worth, and discover it is worth a lot. You end up selling the item, and making a bit of money in the process. Not everyone is this lucky, but it doesn’t hurt to go through your things and see if you have anything worth selling.

What To Do With Your Sudden Influx of Cash?

If you were able to bring in a cash windfall, you may be wondering what to do with it? Some people like to catch up on their bills, others buy something nice, while some others simply save it away for a rainy day. What you do with it will be up to you, just don’t rush into the decision. Too many people go on a shopping spree the day they receive the money, only to regret it a few days later when they think of a better use for the money.

Cash windfalls are great when they happen, but don’t sit around waiting for one. The best part about a cash windfall is that they are often a surprise, making them more enjoyable. If you go out trying to suddenly earn a large amount of cash, you’ll probably end up disappointed, and could even hurt your current finances. Just go about your life, and if a windfall occurs, enjoy the moment.