Cyber Monday Bailout Blues

I'm singing the Cyber Monday Bailout Blues! But fear not! You can personally turn the blues into change you can believe in. (Where have we heard that before??)

Yes we can!



Despite this news from Associated Press...

Online retailers are ramping up heavy-duty deals to turn skittish shoppers into buyers during the crucial Thanksgiving weekend and "Cyber Monday" -- but even so, online sales are expected to be fairly flat after years of strong growth.

Free shipping is virtually a given, and many are offering financing options such as no payments for 90 days and deals like $10 off purchases of $50 or more, along with traditional discounts on products.

"Last year, people were spending a lot more money on gifts and products," says Jeff Wisot, vice president of marketing for online retailer Buy.com. "With the economic challenges arising this year, people are definitely spending less."

"Cyber Monday," a term coined by the trade group National Retail Federation in 2005 to describe the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, is the unofficial kickoff for the busy online retail season.

However, this year, consumer spending has dropped dramatically -- down 1% in October, the largest amount since the 2001 terrorist attacks -- as consumers grapple with a shaky economy, mounting job losses and a prolonged housing slump.

During the holidays, the trade group expects overall holiday spending will total about $470.4 billion, a 2.2% rise from a year ago and the slowest growth since 2002, and online retail is being hit along with brick-and-mortar stores. ComScore, a digital technology monitoring company, said Tuesday it expects online retail spending for November and December to be flat compared with the same two months in 2007. Last year's growth rate was 19%.

...we can turn it around now! You can even help me keep my job...just do the online shopping you were already going to do here.

Get those FREE shipping, no interest, no down, cheapest ever, best deal, online coupon clipping, bargains at MyConsumerGuide.com now!

Happy Cyber Monday!

DIGG!

Help Keep My Job!

Dear fellow bloggers and readers,

I need a bailout! Don't we all?! But I'm not asking for a government handout or not even one from you. Just help along the lines of something you may already be doing or plan to do...


Shop!

Here's the nugget: My job is on the line. Unless the company I work for does better financially in the next 3 weeks I'm gone. That means more online shoppers need to buy through MyConsumerGuide.com or I'm done.

Do you want to help me keep my job? It's simple, go to MyConsumerGuide.com and buy something. Anything! The commisssion generated through the sales goes to the company I work for...and thus, I still get paid and have a job!

If you are an online shopper, MyConsumerGuide.com is a great place to quickly search what you are looking for. You'll read a quick review (if you choose) of the store or product and be browsing for what you want in seconds!

Look for online specials, coupons, free shipping codes and more by simply clicking here: MyConsumerGuide.com. That's where I would start if I were doing my shopping now.

If you are not an online shopper, why not start now! No lines, great deals, quick access to products you want, save gas, avoid shoppers in bad mooods, and so on! MyConsumerGuide.com leaves you time for other more important things...like being with family and enjoying the holidays.

Help me stay healthy...financially speaking!

Just a couple clicks...and you may have helped save my job! Thanks for your consideration.

Best wishes to all!

TheBigRuski
MyConsumerGuide.com

P.S. You will not be tracked, hunted down, or bugged. You will not be spammed either. You have my word on it. Just shop at MyConsumerGuide.com!

About

MyConsumerGuide.com is your personal consumer guide to the best online. Our mission is to find the best sites, the best services and the best companies to help you make educated buying decisions. Although it would be impossible for us to try and test every service and site we recommend, we do this as often as possible. MyConsumerGuide.com is growing rapidly every day. And every day, thousands of consumers like yourself rely on us to help with their purchasing decisions. Check back with us often, as we add new pages and new links to sites daily.

MyConsumerGuide.com has developed partnerships with many sites, providing complete shopping and consumer guide services. Perhaps, you will see us around!

DIGG! (For this bailout plan!)

Two Dollar Breakfasts and Free Coffee

I may have not gone totally healthy this morning, but I went thrifty. For $2 plus tax I had a Del Taco Break-Feast Deal, which included two egg and cheese burritos, and a bag of hash browns.

Sure, I could have packed my oatmeal this morning for work and gone all healthy and even more thrifty, but man does not live on common sense alone! Which reminds me of another post...me being the pleasure seeker extraordinaire and all.

Free 'Holiday Drinks'

Don't know if you have one nearby, but today (Tuesday, Nov. 11), Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf stores will serve free 12-ounce "holiday drinks" from 5 to 8 p.m. As my good friends at the LA Times mentioned: "Think Holiday Blend coffees, Peppermint Ice Blendeds and Winter Dream Tea."

To find a store near you go to the company's website.

Online Health Stores

Try MyConsumerGuide's Health & Wellness catalog page for a one-stop resource for a lot of healthy bargains. MyConsumerGuide is your personal guide to online shopping!

DIGG!

Acid Reflux: It's Not Always What You Eat

I've struggled with acid reflux off and on in my life. Often, during an episode, whomever I'm with and I try and analyze what could have caused it. Was it the cucumber salad? The diet Coke? The lack of sleep? A combination of things? And so on.

I found this interesting article that talks about some things I had not heard before...and an observation that's surprising...we don't really know the cause of acid reflux sometimes.

This from FoxNews.com:

7 Causes of Acid Reflux: It's Not Always What You Eat

There is a common misconception that if you suffer from acid reflux, you must be eating spicy foods, drinking martinis and smoking cigars on a regular basis.

This is not true, said Dr. Anish Sheth, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Yale University.

In fact, lifestyle factors may account only for occasional heartburn sufferers, he said.

A person who experiences acid reflux on an everyday basis is more likely to have an anatomical or medical condition.

1. Sphincter has low pressure
Acid reflux occurs when the acidic contents of the stomach pass up into the esophagus, and the sphincter muscle (the barrier between the two) has a defect, so it is unable to block the acid.

If the sphincter muscle has low pressure, it causes acid reflux.

“Some people just have a low pressure, and we don’t know why,” Sheth said. “Pregnancy can lower the pressure, as can blood pressure and depression medications. But, most of the time, we don’t know what causes it.”

For patients who suffer from a low-pressure sphincter, there is hope: a minimally invasive surgery known as fundoplication can provide relief.

2. Pregnancy
“Elevated progestin hormones cause the pressure of the sphincter to go down,” Sheth said. “And the increased pressure of the growing uterus predisposes the woman to acid reflux.”

The good news is that once the pregnancy is over, the symptoms of acid reflux are likely to disappear.

3. Hiatal hernia
A hiatal hernia is very common (at least 40 percent of Americans have them) and doesn’t necessarily cause acid reflux, Sheth said.

However, in a subgroup of patients with very severe reflux, a hiatal hernia – where the upper portion of the stomach moves upward into the chest – can cause acid to reflux, Sheth added.

Hiatal hernias can range in size from 1 to 4 centimeters. They can be repaired during fundoplication surgeries.

4. Gastroparesis
This is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents.

“Normally, the acid is produced and emptied into the small intestine, but if it sits in the stomach for longer, by sheer logic, it will come back up into the esophagus,” Sheth said.

5. Obesity
“Even though obesity is a lifestyle issue, it’s also something that can go overstated,” Sheth said.

“Obesity increases the pressure in the stomach area, so for people who don’t have the other medical causes, the sheer presence of obesity will cause them to have acid reflux.”

6. Bisphosphonates
This class of drugs prevents and treats osteoporosis in women and, occasionally, cause acid reflux in users.

“They stand out,” Sheth said. “They don’t necessarily cause reflux, but they can cause esophageal irritation, which can feel like heartburn.”

Sheth added it is always worth a quick review of any medication that you are taking long-term to see if acid reflux is one of its side effects.

7. Lifestyle
People who have heartburn "every now and then" may benefit from making lifestyle changes, Sheth said.

If they decrease their chocolate and/or caffeine intake (or other food or beverages that may irritate their symptoms), lose weight and stop smoking, they are likely to see a reduction in acid reflux symptoms, he said.

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Remember to check out MyConsumerGuide's Health Catalog Page for a list of some great health product resources.

DIGG!

Health Product Resource and More

Just wanted to make a quick post...having neglected to do so for awhile.

First, I've been busy trying to stay above water financially...so that means less blog time. I'd like you to consider clicking on any of the ads found here to help keep things rolling along. Also, you may want to check out MyConsumerGuide's Health Catalog Page for a list of some great health product resources.

Secondly, I would be thrilled if you visited my MonaVie site and tried this awesome product...especially those of you who know you could be adding more to your personal anti-oxidant campaign.

Thanks for visiting my site!

DIGG!