About Aunty

Aunty is a new senior citizen and loving this phase of her life. Less responsibilities, less fear of being weird, able to do more of the things that I want to do! Older, yes, slower, yes, but life is even more wonderful in my golden years and I look forward to even goldener ones.

Even more Senior Discounts!

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

Subject: Senior Discounts

Gone are the days of your grandmother’s “early bird special” at the local
diner. As our baby boomers reach retirement age, hundreds of retailers are
featuring new and improved discounts exclusively for the 60 (and even 50+) and
older crowd. We have composed a list of senior savings that will help you keep
more cash in your pocket. Whoever said getting older was a bad thing, obviously
didn’t know about these fantastic senior discounts!
Restaurants
* Applebee’s: 15% off with Golden Apple Card (60+)
* Arby’s: 10% off (55+)
* Ben & Jerry’s: 10% off (60+)
* Bennigan’s: discount varies by location
* Bob’s Big Boy: discount varies by location (60+)
* Boston Market: 10% off (65+)
* Burger King: 10% off (60+)
* Captain D’s Seafood: discount varies on location (62+)
* Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+)
* Chili’s: 10% off (55+)
* CiCi’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)
* Culver’s: 10% off (60+)
* Denny’s: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+)
* Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+)
* Einstein’s Bagels: 10% off baker’s dozen of bagels (60+)
* Fuddrucker’s: 10% off any senior platter (55+)
* Gatti’s Pizza: 10% off (60+)
* Golden Corral: 10% off (60+)
* Hardee’s: $0.33 beverages everyday (65+)
* IHOP: 10% off (55+)
* Jack in the Box: up to 20% off (55+)
* KFC: free small drink with any meal (55+)
* Krispy Kreme: 10% off (50+)
* Long John Silver’s: various discounts at participating locations (55+)
* McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday (55+)
* Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)
* Shoney’s: 10% off
* Sonic: 10% off or free beverage (60+)
* Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+))
* Subway: 10% off (60+)
* Sweet Tomatoes 10% off (62+)
* Taco Bell: 5% off; free beverages for seniors (65+)))
* TCBY: 10% off (55+)
* Tea Room Cafe: 10% off (50+)
* Village Inn: 10% off (60+)
* Waffle House: 10% off every Monday (60+)

* Wendy’s: 10% off (55+)

* White Castle: 10% off (62+)

Uncle and I discovered that as seniors we could catch any Metro bus before 3:00 pm for 25¢ in Pasadena. Probably work in other part of Los Angeles – ask for it!
Retail and Apparel%
* Banana Republic: 10% off (50+)
* Bealls: 20% off first Tuesday of each month (50+)
* Belk’s: 15% off first Tuesday of every month (55+))))
* Big Lots: 10% off
* Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days (55+)
* C.J. Banks: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)
* Clarks: 10% off (62+)
* Dress Barn: 10% off (55+)
* Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
* Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
* Kmart: 20% off (50+)
* Kohl’s: 15% off (60+)
* Modell’s Sporting Goods: 10% off
* Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions
* Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday (55+)
* The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off (55+)
* Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month
(55+).
Grocery
* Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+)
* American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+)
* Compare Foods Supermarket: 10% off every Wednesday (60+)
* DeCicco Family Markets: 5% off every Wednesday (60+)
* Food Lion: 6% off every Monday (60+)
* Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every
Monday (55+)
* Great Valu Food Store: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
* Gristedes Supermarket: 10% off every Tuesday (60+)
* Harris Teeter: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
* Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
* Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
* Morton Williams Supermarket: 5% off every Tuesday (60+)
* The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+)
* Publix: 5% off every Wednesday (55+)
* Rogers Marketplace: 5% off every Thursday (60+)
* Uncle Guiseppe’s Marketplace: 5% off (62+)
Travel
* Alaska Airlines: 10% off (65+)
* Alamo: up to 25% off for AARP members
* American Airlines: various discounts for 65 and up (call before booking
for discount)
* Amtrak: 15% off (62+)
* Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members
* Best Western: 10% off (55+)
* Budget Rental Cars: 10% off; up to 20% off for AARP members (50+)
* Cambria Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Clarion: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Comfort Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Comfort Suites: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Continental: no initiation fee for Continental Presidents Club &
special fares for select destinations
* Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off (50+)
* Econo Lodge: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members
* Greyhound: 5% off (62+)
* Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance
* Hertz: up t0 25% off for AARP members
* Holiday Inn: 10%-30% off depending on location (62+)
* Hyatt Hotels: 25%-50% off (62+)
* InterContinental Hotels Group: various discounts at all hotels (65+)
* Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler’s Discount (50+); 20%-30%
off (60+)
* Marriott Hotels: 15% off (62+)
* Motel 6: 10% off (60+)
* Myrtle Beach Resort: 10% off (55+)
* National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members
* Quality Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Rodeway Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Sleep Inn: 20%-30% off (60+)
* Southwest Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before
booking for discount)
* Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50 and up
* United Airlines: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before
booking for discount)
* U.S. Airways: various discounts for ages 65 and up (call before booking
for discount)
Activities & Entertainment
* AMC Theaters: up to 30% off (55+)
* Bally Total Fitness: up to $100 off memberships (62+)
* Busch Gardens Tampa: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)
* Carmike Cinemas: 35% off (65+)
* Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off
* U.S. National Parks: $10 lifetime pass; 50% off additional services
including camping (62+)
* Regal Cinemas: 30% off
* Ripley’s Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket (55+)
* SeaWorld Orlando: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)

Senior Discounts

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

This is good info if you are a senior – that is, 55 and up. Some of these discounts are for 60 year olds. It “pays” to be old, lol.

Most of these places don’t ask to see your ID. Just look and act old.

Place Age Day Discount

Ross 55 Tuesdays 10% off everything

Foodland 60 Thursdays 10% off everything until 4/28/11 (now it is 5% off groceries until 10/28/11)

Price Busters 55 Tuesdays 10% off everything

Flora Dec Sales 55 Everyday 10% off regular prices

Leonard’s Bakery Kamaaina Mondays 10% off

Don Quijote 60 Tuesdays 10% off regular, 5% off electronics

Zippy’s 65 ID Everyday 10% off with Senior Card except for specials or with coupons (The Senior Card is $2.00 annually but can be renewed for $0.99 in Sept. at the Senior Citizen Fair, at the NBC.)

Hilo Hatties Kamaaina Everyday 25% off Hilo Hattie label, 15% off Non-Hilo Hattie label, 10% off Hilo Hattie food

Longs Sr. Advantage card if you have one Everyday 10% off CVS products and Hallmark cards, discount on prescriptions if not covered by your drug plan

St. Germaine Bakery 60 Wednesdays 10% off everything except specials

Pagoda, Maple Garden, Willows, Prince Court and Hakone, Makinochaya age 60? 10% off

Oceanarium, PBH 65 Tues. and Wed. Between 4:30 and 5:30 pm – 2 for 1 dinners, Regular price is $38.95

Thurs. and Fri. Lunch is $12.50 for Sr.

McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack In The Box Sr. coffee and soft drinks, age 55

Shirokiya Wednesdays

Kahala Mall Hallmark Tuesdays Mark’s Hallmark Cards – 20%

Kahala Mall Compleat Kitchen – 10% discount on Tuesdays between 10 am and 12 noon for Seniors age 62+.

Consolidated and Regal Theatres Everyday Sr. tickets – $7 or $7.50

DH Theatre, Manoa Valley Theatre , HI Theatre

Big City Diner 65? 7 – 9 AM Senior breakfast items offered
anytime You can add $1 to the Keiki menu and order from the keiki menu

More discounts, and not just for Seniors

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

Place	Age	Day	Discounts
Cold Stone Creamery	Kamaaina	Everyday	10% off with I.D.
Hilo Hattie	Kamaaina	Everyday	25% off Hilo Hattie label 15% off other labels 10% off Hilo Hattie food
Leonard’s Bakery	Kamaaina	Mondays	10% off
Denny’s	Anyone	Your Birthday	Free Breakfast
Longs Drugs/CVS	Anyone – Extra Care card	Everyday	Cash & other discounts based on purchases
Longs Drugs/CVS	55 – Senior Advantage card	Everyday	10% off CVS items, Hallmark cards, etc.
Papa John Pizza	50	Everyday	50% off (ask for the 50/50 card or just show your I.D.)
Consolidated Theatres	55	Everyday	$7.50
Flora Dec Sales	55	Everyday	10% off regular prices
McDonalds, Burger King, Jack in the Box	55	Everyday	Special prices for drinks
Price Busters	55	Tuesdays	10% off everything
Regal Theatres	55	Everyday	$7
Ross	55	Tuesdays	10% off everything
Savers	55	Mondays	20% off
Shirokiya	55	Wednesdays	10% off regular price; 5% off camera department
Waikele Shopping Center	55 (AAA members can pick up a discount booklet @ the Info Kiosk.)	Tuesdays (AAA car also good @ all Chelsea Premium Outlets in Vegas)	10% off at select stores
Wailana Coffee House(No discount on holidays& weekends)	55	Tue/ThuMon/Wed/Fri	10% off all day10% off 3 pm to 5 pm
Wendy’s (Pearl City – call other locations)	55	Everyday	Free coffee & soft drinks
Byron’s Drive In	60	Everyday	10% off
Don Quijote	60	Tuesdays	10% off regular prices; 5% off electronics
Goodwill	60	Tuesday	20% off
Hakone (Hawaii Prince Hotel)	60	Wed/Thu	Dinner $43.10
Maple Garden / Yen King	60	Everyday	Lunch $10.50, Dinner $14
Marks Hallmark (Kahala Mall)	60	Tuesday	20% off
Pagoda Restaurant	60	Everyday	15% off dinner (From Feb – all meals)
Prince Court (Hawaii Prince Hotel)	60	Mon to Thu	Breakfast $19.50; Lunch $23.94; Dinner $39.50
St. Germaine Bakery	60	Wednesdays	10% off everything (except specials)
Sugoi (Dillingham Plaza – Old Gem’s Store)	60	Everyday	10% off
Watanabe Florist	60	Tuesdays	10% off
Anna Millers Coffee House	62 (Sign up for free card & receive a certificate for a free whole pie but not on Easter or Mother’s Day)	Mon – Thu (Open 24 hrs.)	10% off check & whole pies(1 free entrée on your birthday)
Compleat Kitchen (Kahala Mall)	62	Tuesdays	10% off 11 am to 12 pm
Dairy Queen/Orange Julius	62	Everyday	10% off (Ala Moana Mall only)
Harbor Village Cuisine (Koko Marina Shop. Ctr.)	62	Lunch Only	15% off
Harbor Village Cuisine (Koko Marina Shop. Ctr.)	Kamaaina	Everyday	10% off
KFC	65	Everyday	10% off
Makino Chaya	65	Everyday	5% off lunch; 10% off dinner; Birthday free with ID
Oceanarium (Pacific Beach Hotel)	65	Tue/Wed 4:30 to 5:30 pm	$12.50 lunch (regular $15.50)$22 dinner (regular $38.95)
Tsukiji’s Fish Market (Ala Moana Mall)A	65	Everyday	25% off
Willows	65	Everyday	10% off
Zippy’s	65	Everyday	10% off w/ senior cardSenior card is $2 annually
Macy’s (You don’t pay tax in Vegas)	Visitors from the Mainland or Other Islands or if you visit Other Islands	Everyday	Receive a discount coupon to use in the store but you must show your airline ticket
Carter’s & Oshkosh B’Gosh	Grandparent	Wednesdays	10% off (with Carter Celebration card – register free on-line for either Carter’s or Oshkosh B’Gosh)

Color Code

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

Ian Plummer of Color Code gave a fascinating lesson on personality/core motives using the colors Red, White, Blue, and Yellow as indicators. The theory is that every person is born with a certain core value and life’s experiences, upbringing, etc. influence how we act and react. Knowing what our “color” is can help us understand ourselves and knowing the color of people you associate with can guide us to a better relationship because we will know what that person needs and wants.

Here is a very very brief summary of the colors and what they represent:

RED — These are the powerful bulldozers. Hillary Clinton is a definite Red. Very motivated, driven, in charge, confident. They bring great gifts of vision and leadership and generally are responsible, decisive, logical, proactive and assertive.   On the negative side, they might tend to be selfish, insensitive, impatient and argumentative.
BLUE — These are the heavy weight do-gooders, love to serve, give, help, and care for people. Oprah Winfrey is a prime example. Intimacy drives these people. They are generally loyal, intuitive, sincere, and thoughtful.  On the negative side, they tend to be self righteous, overly sensitive, perfectionists and have unrealistic expectations.

WHITE — These are the peacekeepers, my favorite kind of people. The Dalai Lama is definitely a white, and so is Uncle (thank goodness). They have the ability to stay calm and balanced even in the midst of conflict, are generally kind, adaptable, and good listeners. On the negative side, they can be indecisive, silently stubborn, unexpressive, and detached.
YELLOW — These are the fun lovers. They bring great gifts of enthusiasm and optimism and are generally happy, charismatic, logical, spontaneous, and life of the party. The negatives of this group is that they can be uncommitted, disorganized, afraid to face facts, impulsive, and unfocused.

Fascinating stuff. Some hints to working with others if you can find out their “color” are:

Reds: make sure you did your homework before approaching them (if it is your boss), just give the bottom line, summarize.

Blues: give them all the information and then give them deadlines. Keep following up with them.

Whites: don’t overload them, lead them, show them the end game.

Yellows: be upbeat, they work best with people they like. Keep them informed, give positive strokes.

The website to go to for the test is colorcode.com. You can take the free test, and you will receive your dominant color results. At anytime before or after, you can pay for the test and get a detailed report with your percentages of color, as well as a customized 20+ page report going into more detail and links to some exercises to better understanding and self improvement. While Ian was describing the different traits, needs, and limitations of each color, I was so sure I was Red and Yellow – because I had the worst traits of both.

However, after taking the test and upgrading because of a coupon he gave at a discount, I turned out to be 36% Blue, 23% White, 21% Yellow, and 20% Red. It was a nice surprise to be more like Oprah than Hillary, though I admire both.

You can check out the website and take either a free test, or one that you get a personal report and score of your colors. Ian even puts on workshops on color coding to help people understand our underlying “color” as well as the underlying color of people that are close to us, and how to use that knowledge to build better relationships.

This is far better than going to psychics that seem to be able to “read” your present and future, IMO. It was a fun exercise, as is the Briggs Myers/Jung test (free!) that I have consistently scored as an INTP for the last 40 (yikes!) years.

Retirement planning

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

Young people have no clue, and I can say this because I used to be a young people.

I never thought, when I was in my 20’s, that I would be my mother’s age. I was just – and always just the age that I was in at the moment. I would look at older people, even those just 15 years older than me, and disassociate with the reality that I will be their age in 15 years. Of course it would happen someday, I thought, but someday was never real.

Well, now that I am my mother’s age of old, I wish I realized the truth of time catching up. It happens, and it happens to every single one of us, even the young. Youts (young ones), you will one day be facing retirement as an oldie. You really need to do something about that today.

In America, we have great advantages and opportunities to prepare for our retirement years. One of my favorites is the IRA Roth account. Think of it as a stupendous savings account. Whatever you put into the account is your after tax money (as opposed to regular IRAs that can be deducted from income for tax purposes). The stupendousness of this account is that it can grow and expand tax free with cash flow, dividends, and/or appreciation, and when you are 59 1/2, you can take out any and all income, principal, growth, assets without paying any income tax. Simply delicious and wonderful.

Anyone with income can open one at almost any bank, credit union, brokerage house. There are limits of how much you can contribute each year, but there are ways to put more into those beautiful accounts. [Because of the contribution limits of $5,000/year to a Roth IRA, and the much higher amounts that could be contributed to SEP IRAs, we would rollover our SEP IRA balances into Roths each year, pay the tax on the rollover, but offset it with new contributions to the SEP IRA which offset the tax. Sounds complex but talk to your accountant about it if you are wanting to shift your regular IRA money to a Roth.]

Young people can put in up to $5000 per year, but even if you don’t have that much discretionary monies, put in $100, or $500, and make it a habit at least once a year, or once a month. When you are Aunty’s age, you will be very glad you did.

Don’t ever take it out or you will be hit with penalties and possible taxes. Instead, make it grow and grow and grow.

We used to use the funds in our self directed IRAs to play the stock market, but true consistent wealth is in real estate. Buying commodities such as gold and silver can make you a very tidy profit if those metals continue to appreciate, and the current market is crazy for gold, but the crazy market can turn on a dime (pardon the pun) and make give you an unwelcome loss.

In this current crazy up market for gold and silver, if I could only put $1000 in a self directed IRA each year, I would buy gold or silver coins (with storage so I never take physical possession), and sell them when the price goes up dramatically. I would buy again if and when it drops, and sell when it goes up again dramatically. All that gain from the sales would increase the IRA but not be taxed. It’s all ours to keep, and eventually use when we reach retirement age, if we want to. This is a risky strategy though.

A more solid strategy, with more funds in the account, is to have a checkbook IRA for real estate investing. This is the vehicle of choice for Aunty. The platinum standard.

For easy to understand information on setting up your IRAs as well as a great source of information, check out an excellent website and service: CheckbookIRA.com.

Jeff Olson says “The price of neglect is far greater than the price of discipline.” Aunty really wants to impress upon you how important it is to plan and take action for your retirement. It WILL happen, and what you do today will affect how good it will be later.

Uses for Coffee Filters

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

From the brewings on the internet:

Who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing, even the large ones.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave… coffee filters make excellent covers.

2. Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome… Coffee filters are lint-free so they’ll leave windows sparkling.

3. Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

12. Don’t use expensive strips to wax eyebrows… use strips of coffee filters.

13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc. on them. It soaks out all the grease.

14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great “razor nick fixers.”

15. As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

16. Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

17. Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

18. Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.

19. Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

20. Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies. Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

21. Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

22. Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

23. Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.

24. Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book.

25. Use as a disposable “snack bowl” for popcorn, chips, etc.

OH YEAH THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS, TOO.

Regina Brett’s 45 Life Lessons

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most requested column I’ve ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once
more:

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good

2. When in doubt, just take the next small steps

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Change the way you
think.

4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and
family will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. Release your children when they become adults, its their life now.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their
journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye

16. Take a deep breath It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is
up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no
for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie.
Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22 Just because you believe you are right, doesn’t mean you are. Keep an
open mind.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will
this matter?’

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. Your job is to love your children, not choose who they should love.

35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come…

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield…

45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

5 things you never knew your cell phone could do

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

5 THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:

FIRST
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobiles is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry?
This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cellphone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other “remote” for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
Editor’s Note: It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car over a cell phone!

THIRD
Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# Your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone’s serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 06 #. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone get
stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even
if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won’t get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can’t use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile
phones.

And Finally….
FIFTH
Free Directory Service for Cells
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don’t have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now. This is the kind of information people don’t mind receiving, so pass it on to your family and friends.

Caution about cell phone usage – read this about <your brain and cell phones.> If you have to yack a lot on a phone, use a land line. Especially limit the amount of time your young one or teenager uses it.

The world has changed with the advent of modern technology. Moderation is still the wisest use of it.

Real Estate Wealth

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

Real estate is the most solid way to wealth if you step solidly. I recently re-attended one of those free 2 hour presentations of Rich Dad education with 2 of my friends offering a free gift just for attending. I like those free events – they pump you up and get you going and they then push a 3 day class for the great bargain price of great discount off the “original” price of $995. They are selling education, which is a key component in investing BUT you are not going to learn everything you need in 3 days, or 18 days, or a month just with classes. AND, those no-money-of-your-own first time real estate deals for beginners do not exist. It is a hype they push – no money needed, not too much of your time, you will be able to do a deal right after you learn this stuff after giving us your money – and in real life for 99.9% of us, it doesn’t work out that way. Read books, take free classes, go to meetings. Then, learn more from people willing to share and mentor. I am nowhere near mentor status, but I am willing to share, and going to HiREI and similar meetings you will meet many others who can help by sharing and networking.

Take an honest look at your finances today. Write down your income sources, expenses, assets, and liabilities. Will you be able to survive without your job? What do you want your retired life to look like? For me, it was a wake up call to realize we would be living like paupers without our working income. It was time to do something to ensure our financial strength. Real estate was the answer. Real estate is our key to financial freedom. Play the CashFlow game that was invented by Robert Kiyosaki.

Aunty shares posts and pages in the Real Estate category. They are a compilation in progress of what has been learned or experienced, as well as tips that have most useful in building our foundation of real estate wealth.

Not all techniques are here – only what we have used with success or believe will be successful for achieving our goals. For us, real estate is not a get rich quick scheme. It is get rich slow and not rip people off. Currently we are buying foreclosures in Las Vegas from the bank (called REOs or bank owned properties) at the lowest prices ever, rehabbing at a low cost, and renting the properties out using a great property manager for positive cash flow.

We have hit many roadblocks, most of them start with financing. In fact, that is the #1 reason people use as the reason they do not invest – not enough money. All the more reason to invest. When you invest in real estate, it gives you money! I love my tenants – they pay our bills for the properties! All of them!

Some final words about real estate investing. It is easier if you have some equity, or money to invest with. It can be fast and exciting if you are flipping houses for fast profit, but the danger is getting in too big and not being able to get out with a profit. This is linear income – you must continue to flip properties to get income. Buy and hold is much much slower but much much more solid. You will not cash flow as much as you calculate at first. In fact, Uncle and I have been investing for 2 years, and the first year felt like we were sliding backwards even though the numbers said we should be moving ahead. However, from year 2, after the dust settled, the monthly rental incomes were steady. It is not the end of the road for us yet. We still do not have enough NOI (net operating income) to live on until we can save up a bit more and invest in more buy and hold properties.

I hope this can help you. Change the way you think, change the way you do things, change your life for the better so you can do what you really want to do, on your own time, at your own pace. Because of our age, Uncle and I have to pace our acquisition and systems to be much faster than someone in their 30’s or 40’s.

Aunty must admit, though. She is having a ball.

For Young People

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Aunty

If you are young and starting off, get a job that you enjoy and do your best at that job – you owe that to your employer. It is not just that they owe you a paycheck. You owe them your best effort to earn your pay.

Learn about investing. Learn from as many people as you can at first. Just don’t buy those super expensive programs or courses. Lots of them start off with a lot of bull and hype and tell you how easy it is to be a millionaire in a few short months. Not true. You must commit to working hard at it. Learn hard first. Save instead of spend because you will need some money to start.

Rent cheap and save expansively. Your very first real estate purchase should be an investment property, not your home – especially if you live in Hawaii. Once you get your first investment property, enjoy the positive cash flow, even if it is just $100.

If you feel you must buy a home first (we seem to be programed this way), buy a duplex and rent out one side. Burdening yourself with a high monthly mortgage that eats up your paycheck will leave you without any discretionary income. Having discretionary income will allow you more options such as savings and investments.

Be careful about investing in the stock market to get rich fast. Some people actually do, but they are the very very tiny minority. You are not smart enough to know what the market is going to do. NObody is smart enough, unless they are evil market manipulators who don’t care about you. Invest a bit if you must, but study and learn the market first, then get good tools to help you.

Start building a relationship with a banker, smaller banks are more flexible than the big banks in town. Use bank money as much as you can – Rich Dad calls that leverage – using other people’s money.

Because Hawaii is so expensive, look at markets on the Mainland – in this current economic times, you can get a nice 3 bedroom 2 bath house for under $80,000 fee simple that will rent for $900 easy. If your credit is good, you can put 20% down ($16,000) and finance the rest. Your cash flow will be less because you will have a monthly mortgage of about $400 that way, but you are only putting down $16,000. Less cash flow, but you can purchase more properties. Keep going, keep buying, keep the cash flow coming in. If you can be disciplined and focused, you will build up a portfolio of rental properties and have serious positive rental income. At this point, you will be able to purchase your own home with the rental incomes paying your home mortgage.

That will be a beautiful day!

Imagine, if you are in your 20’s, by the time you are 40 years old, you could be a landlord or landlady overseeing 10 or more of your own properties! This is very very possible on a rather slow pace of buying one property every 2 years. You may surprise yourself and as your knowledge and income increase, you will probably find yourself buying 2 or more properties every year!

Time is on your side. Imagine if Aunty had started investing in cash flow real estate 40 years ago. I could be teaching Robert Kiyosaki a thing or two!

Not only is time on your side, right NOW is a fantastic buying opportunity for anyone with a depressed real estate market with bargains and more bargains, and the lowest mortgage interest rates that I have ever seen.

No money? Make money. Here is a page on some simple rules to live by – and one day you will look back and be glad you paid attention.

by Aunty

a lot of stuff about almost everything

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Real Estate Wealth

For Young People