Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Household cleaning tasks

To clean deodorant stains on clothes: Mix a past of baking soda and a small amount of water, then work it into the stain and allow it to sit for a few hours. Brush away and repeat as necessary. Alternatively, try lemon juice with a liberal sprinkling of salt. Scrub with an old toothbrush, and let dry in direct sunlight.

To clean burnt pots and pans: Mix baking soda with water, bring to a boil, let cool, then scrub with a non-abrasive scouring pad. White vinegar is also an option (instead of baking soda) but this can create a rather strong odour. Tougher stains may call for a detergent paste or even over cleaner, but try milder solutions first.

To get gum out of carpeting: Apply an ice cube wrapped in a thin towel or plastic bag to freeze the gum, and then chip away with a spoon or dull knife. The smaller bits can be loosened with a degreasing product, cooking oil or even peanut butter, but these could stain your carpet so always test first.

Note: Always test any cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area or surface before using.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Stop stressing yourself out

Sometimes, you are your own worst enemy when it comes to stress. Susan Fletcher, a practicing psychologist and stress management expert, teaches these valuable techniques to help alleviate stress in your life:

Don't read into things so much. "Sometimes a look is just a look and a dirty coffee cup is just a dirty coffee cup. It's not a passive-aggressive way to say you are not appreciated," Fletcher says. Don't make things bigger than they need to be—with people or work. Some people make a project bigger than it needs to be in an effort to increase their own value, but they are increasing their own stress as a result.

Learn how to transfer trust.
"I really like Stephen M.R. Covey's stuff from his book Speed of Trust. He says people have to be able to trust before they feel it. Just like with your kids when you give them a little rope. And with someone who works for you, you have to let them fail because failure is feedback," Fletcher says. "Don't just say, 'It's easier to do myself.'"

Recognize when you are being inefficient.
"People who are stressed get stuck answering e-mails for two hours at the expense of higher-value items that need to be taken care of," Fletcher says. "Don't get lost in inefficient behavior. Ask yourself, 'What's my ultimate outcome I want here and what do I need to get there?'"

Find an accountability partner
to help you meet goals. "Choose a friend or a family member—probably not someone who lives with you because you don't want to muddy the waters. It has to be someone you will listen to but who will hold you accountable."

Say no sometimes.
"You have to say no to things you might enjoy, but are not in line with where you are professionally or personally at the moment," Fletcher says. Then you can spend your time on what matters to you most.

from "Seeds of Success"

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Bank of Canada sticks to rate-hike message

As expected the Bank of Canada has held steady again. May be another year still until we see any hikes. 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The Bank of Canada doggedly stuck to the message on Wednesday that it may have to raise interest rates despite a global slowdown, predicting the domestic economy would gain momentum this year and next and inflation return to target within a year.

The central bank held its key overnight rate at 1 percent, as expected, extending a two-year freeze on borrowing costs. In 2010 it became the first Group of Seven country to lift rates from emergency lows following the recession.

But as the U.S. Federal Reserve and other global central banks contemplate further rounds of easing, Canada repeated on Wednesday what it has been saying for months - that the time for removing stimulus could be near.

"To the extent that the economic expansion continues and the current excess supply in the economy is gradually absorbed, some modest withdrawal of the present considerable monetary policy stimulus may become appropriate, consistent with achieving the 2 percent inflation target over the medium term," the bank said in a scheduled policy announcement, using language identical to its last two rate statements.

The Canadian dollar trimmed losses against the U.S. dollar after the rate announcement. The currency strengthened to C$0.9874 versus the U.S. dollar, or $1.0128, shortly after the announcement. It was trading at C$0.9884, or $1.0117 just before the bank's statement.

There was no sign of backpedaling by Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney even as he highlighted the weak U.S. recovery, the European debt crisis and decelerating growth in China and other emerging economies.

"(The bank) retains a hawkish bias, with really quite limited changes since July, so those that were expecting a significant shift and more dovish tone are going to be disappointed," said Camilla Sutton, chief currency strategist at Scotiabank.

SKEPTICS IN THE MARKET

Still, analysts believe the bank will put off raising rates until the second quarter of 2013, according to a Reuters poll of financial institutions released on August 28.

That view is likely intact.

"There wasn't much meat on these bones ... And I think that's exactly what the bank wants. I don't think they were trying to send any big message here," said Doug Porter, deputy chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.

Despite the bank's rate-hike bias, markets reduced their bets of an increase this year slightly following the bank's statement, according to overnight index swaps, which trade based on expectations for the policy rate.

"We've had some interesting periods over the last few months where what Governor (Mark) Carney has said in terms of a hawkish bias has been totally discounted by markets in the sense that the market just doesn't believe he'll have the ability to tighten policy. I would suspect we continue to see a bit of that," Sutton said.

The bank judges the economy's underlying momentum to be roughly in line with its growth potential.

The bank has said the economy's growth potential is about 2 percent, despite being held back by global headwinds and growing only by an annualized rate of 1.8 percent in the second quarter.

"Economic growth is expected to pick up through 2013, with consumption and business investment continuing to be its principal drivers, reflecting very stimulative financial conditions," the bank forecast.

Since the economy is operating near its potential, the bank said it sees core inflation, softer than expected in recent months, returning to its 2 percent target over the next 12 months along with total inflation. Core inflation was 1.7 percent in July and total inflation was 1.3 percent.

Household spending is showing tentative signs of slowing, the bank said, although the overall household debt burden continues to rise. The bank has raised the alarm over a record high household debt-to-income ratio, which has been fueled in part by high housing prices and cheap lending rates.

Source http://money.ca.msn.com