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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - Healthy Food on a Tight Budget
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Guest Article - How To Put The Power Of YOU Into Your Web Writing
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I'm going to have to make a lot of you jealous today...
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The weather here in southern California is ridiculously nice. We're talking 80 degrees nice. I took the kids out for a picnic at the playground yesterday because the weather was just too good to stay indoors.
What amazes me is how little attention some people pay to the weather before heading out. Now, this has been a very, VERY dry and warm winter, even for San Diego this year. We've been mid to high 70s lately. Yet one mom had her kids in the playground today just roasting in heavy sweaters. I don't know how she missed that it was going to be yet another gorgeous day out. Her kids were having fun, even as they complained of being too hot, though. And all the kids were delighted when they found the "snow" falling; this was white petals falling from a tree that had bloomed already.
If you take a look along the left hand side of this site, you can see I've put up a poll. I'm curious to see what my visitors would like to see more of on this site. I included those topics I could think of, and of course feel free to email me if there's something I've missed. I do like to keep up with what you want from me.
Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.
One week until Valentine's Day!
One of the easiest traps to fall into when money is tight is to eat unhealthy foods. Healthy foods seem to be so expensive, after all. However, there are ways to save money while eating healthier foods. Yes, you can skip the ramen noodle section of your grocery store and still feed your family well.
What’s the trick? Planning!
Whether you work at home or outside the home, your life can often be so hectic that it just seems simpler to order pizza or cook prepackaged convenience foods. However, these are typically much less healthy for you than foods you cook yourself.
Start by picking out the recipes you would like to make. Deciding on what you are serving ahead of time can keep you from deciding on something less healthy but easier to make just because you don’t feel like taking the time to cook the healthier food.
If time is a major issue, consider recipes where you can prepare it partially or fully in advance. There are people who do an entire week’s cooking in one day, storing the meals in the refrigerator or freezer. Even if you can’t entirely prepare the meal in advance, consider chopping the vegetables in advance.
Planning your meals in advance also helps with your grocery shopping. Use your plans to create your shopping list. You may even want to plan your meals at the same time as you plan your shopping list by taking a look at what is on special at whichever grocery stores you plan to shop at. Buying items that are on special can save you quite a bit of money. You may even want to stock up.
To save as much as possible, limit yourself to what is on that list. No impulse purchases! It takes self discipline, but cutting back on impulse items can be a huge help.
They may seem expensive, but fruits and vegetables that are in season are actually quite affordable, and can be an excellent alternative to sugary or salty snacks. Their frozen counterparts are also quite good for you and may be quite affordable.
If you have space in the freezer, buy meats when they are at their best discount. You will want to keep track of what a good price is for each kind of meat. You will also want to be aware of when products get marked down. I know that my local Albertson’s, for example, generally marks their ground beef from the butcher department to $1/pound somewhere around 9 o’clock every evening. Guess what time I shop there when I need ground beef?
Make the most of your leftovers. It’s all to easy to forget them and have to clean out the fridge several days later. Wasted food is money you’re throwing out. Pull those leftovers out for lunch!
Finally, pay attention to how you’re cooking your food. You may not need as much oil as you’ve been using, for example. Stir frying can be a great way to mix your meat and vegetables up with a delicious sauce. Drain the grease when you cook ground beef to make it a little healthier. Trim excess fat from other meats to make them just a little better for you. And don’t forget to eat your vegetables! Try mixing them up with some spices rather than butter... there are wonderful ways to bring out the flavors of vegetables.
Stephanie Foster is the owner of Home with the Kids, a resource that knows that there's more to staying home with your family than just business. For more stay at home tips, visit the site at http://www.homewiththekids.com/ and subscribe to the free newsletter.
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One of the most important words in the vocabulary of a Web writer is the simple little three-letter word "you".
Many Web writers fail to understand the importance of this little word, and for that reason they don't attract an audience of hungry readers.
In this article I'll show you how to use this little word to make your Web writing come alive and keep your reader asking for more.
What Do All These Different Kinds Of Web Writing Have In Common?
Here on the Web we do a lot of different kinds of writing. Maybe you have a blog, and that takes one kind of writing.
Then you have a home page on your Website, and that takes another kind.
And then you have a sales letter which you send people to where you sell your product or service, and that takes yet another kind of writing.
And then you have content pages of one variety or another which take still another kind of writing...
Not to mention the emails you send out, the reports and articles you write, your newsletter...
The list goes on.
All requiring a slightly different kind of writing in order to be done most effectively.
Now, it's not my intention here to get into a discussion of the different kinds of Web writing and how we can make our voice different when writing for them.
But there is one thing that practically all forms of Web writing have in common.
And that's this:
They're for the benefit of your reader.
Or at least should be!
Writing For The Benefit Of Your Reader
Copywriting principles teach us, and wisely so, to think only of our reader, and not of ourselves. To think first and foremost about what we can offer our reader.
Maybe you had a writing teacher once who hammered home to you the importance of audience.
"Audience, audience, audience," she or he said.
Well it still holds true. But not in the same way it did back then.
That's because on the Web you're writing for an audience of ONE. And that ONE person is your ideal reader. The person you most want to read your content.
Think of it as "selling" your content to them. In order to sell you have to grab your prospect's attention quickly and hold it before they click out.
It's the same with your Web readers. They'll click out in a heartbeat if there's nothing that grabs their attention.
Yes, I know that blogs can be different. But if your blog teaches or sells in any way, then it too should grab them and hold them.
Keep YOU In The Forefront -- Make Your Writing "You-Centered"
When you write for your audience of one, you need to keep "YOU" in the forefront, because YOU (your reader) is who you're writing to (not you, meaning you the writer).
When your writing is "you-centered" it speaks right at your reader.
It gets them right in their emotions, because it includes them.
So how do you make your writing you-centered?
By really, truly including your reader. By bringing them into your personal space. By letting them know you aren't just another squawking, selfish writer who wants to show how clever you are with words.
No distant third-person narratives for you. No sirree. Or even chatty first-person narratives (yes, you certainly CAN tell your own story, but it needs to be for the clear benefit of your reader, not just for you to blow your own horn).
Instead, you reach out to your reader and talk about things THEY are interested in. About things that speak to their emotions, wants, and needs.
How NOT To Win Friends And Influence People
The other day a teenager came to our door selling something (I think it was magazine subscriptions). His sales pitch, if you even want to call it that, was to tell us how much he wanted to go on a trip to California.
That's all. Nothing about how the magazines would benefit us. He never once used the word YOU when he spoke to us.
And then when we didn't buy he had the audacity to get mad!
NOT the way to win friends and influence people.
That teenaged salesman forgot about the power of YOU. Instead he concentrated on ME. And tried to get us to buy just so we could help him.
Yes, fund-raisers do use that approach when soliciting contributions. But they still concentrate on YOU. Fund-raisers are you-centered. Not me-centered.
Become You-Centered And Watch Your Web Writing Come Alive
You too need to become you-centered with your Web writing.
The next time you write, take a look at how often you use the word "you" (or some form of it) in your copy. Concentrate on using that little word as much as possible.
And when you're done writing, sit down and actually count how many times it appears in what you've written.
Making your content you-centered is one of the surest ways there is to get read more. To make your writing come alive.
So, starting with your next project, put the power of YOU in your writing! It'll make a huge difference. I guarantee it!
Web writing coach Bruce Carlson would like to help YOU put more power into your Web writing and your online home business. Sign up today for his Dynamic Copywriting Tips at:
www.dynamic-copywriting.com/news
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