Managing money is one of the greatest skills parents can teach children and encouraging good spending habits at an early age will save your child lifelong angst.
1. Bring your child to work with you to explain where your money comes from and how you
earn it
2. Teach kids the difference between needs and wants. Explain that you have both too, and
how you make decisions about purchases.
3. Deposit your children’s money into an account to teach them how to manage it.
4. Allow your child to keep his or her own money. It should be the child’s job to keep it safe.
5. If your child wants to borrow money to purchase holiday gifts, consider it a lesson in loans.
Charge a bit of interest, and he or she will understand that it is better to spend what you
have than to borrow.
6. As your child gets older, gradually increase the amount of purchases for which she or he is
accountable.
7. Share with your children the importance of giving. It is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
Involve them in your charitable donations this holiday season. Encourage them to donate
some of their own money. There are many reputable sites to learn of quality organizations.
8. Let children make (small) mistakes with their money so they learn the consequences of poor
money management.
9. Monitor your child’s spending habits so you can provide real-time, real-world guidance.
10. Take advantage of new tools available to help your children and family learn financial
literacy. Obopay is an excellent one - it is mobile phone based and almost all children are
already comfortable with mobile phones.
10 Tips to Train a Money Savvy Child
Send/Receive money from your cell phone
Need to get money to your teenager - fast? Send it to their cell phone!
Obopay, Inc. is a pioneering service that lets consumers and businesses
purchase, pay, and transfer money through any mobile phone using Obopay’s mobile
application, text message, mobile Web, widget, or Obopay.com. As the first mobile payment
service created exclusively for the mobile phone, only Obopay works on any phone and any
carrier to empower consumers and businesses with the convenience of mobile payments.
Obopay is bringing mobile payments to more consumers through industry-first alliances and is
headquartered in Redwood City, California.
Free money! 
Great site for bedding tips!
I just came across this neat site with a lot of tips on all kinds of bedding.
I was especially interested in topic on returning bedding after purchasing it, taking it home and checking the style and color with your bedroom decor.
While I offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, I can only accept returns for new and unused quilts. So if a quilt you purchase from me does not work out, and sometimes they don't, please return it as soon as you decide it just won't do.
How Many Chics Can I Name?
Quilts are often associated with shabby chic or cottage chic styles. What does chic mean? How many chic styles are there?
Check out this article to learn more: Many Shades of Shabby by Devonia: How Many Chics Can I Name? You can also take a short survey about your "chic" compared to others.
11 Great Uses for Quilted Lap Throws
Quilted Lap Throws can be so handy during the holidays....
Christmas Lap Quilts Sale - 35% )ff
Christmas Lap Quilts on Sale - Save 35%!!!
Imagine snuggling under a cozy lap quilt by the fire....
The bustle of the holidays makes relaxing in your favorite chair a treat to look forward to.
The tree is decorated and the stockings are hung. You relax with flavorful eggnog, recalling the happiness of past holiday seasons, counting each as a precious blessing .
The air is filled with the excitement of your children or their children anticipating a visit from St. Nick and the sweet agony of secrets wrapped in bright paper piled under the tree.
Ahh...
You are winding down and enjoying your reflections.
Could this moment get any better?
Imagine a quilted throw tucked across your lap to warm your toes. The familiar coziness and timeless charm of quilts eases you into perfect blissful comfort.
You must soon jump back into the hectic preparations of the holiday meal and greeting friends and family as they arrive for the festivities.
You will soon learn it is not only useful to keep warm, these holiday theme quilts will complement your holiday decorations, lending a homey touch to any style in any room.
You will discover these quilts to be very useful
~ Drape it on your chair, right at hand when ready to relax.
~ Family elders who chill easily will appreciate the handy shawl
~ Tired toddlers nod out quickly when buried under the quilt
~ Lay on the floor for new borns to keep an easy eye on them
~ Use as an table cloth for the children's table.
~ Get several for extra seating using TV trays
~ Spills are not a problem with our washable quilted throws.
~ Bring it on sleigh rides to keep your seat warm
~ Quickly cover a worn ottoman for unexpected visitors
~ At 36" x 27" it is easily tucked in the car
~ Decorate your dog's bed for the holidays
~ Tack it to a dowel to hang on your door in place of a wreath
And now you can save 35% on our holiday quilted throws!
Go to our sale page now and save $20 on seven of our holiday theme lap quilts. We discounted our most popular holiday throws with angels, snowmen, Santa, and snow flakes.
And you save even more with our free shipping policy!
And another benefit -
~ At these affordable prices, they are great gifts for anyone!
~ Pick up a couple for last minute gifts
Hurry to get yours now to enjoy during the holidays!
Happy Holidays Wishes from our Family to Yours
The holiday season is a time of giving and sharing love with dear friends and family. We wish you a safe and joyous holiday season.
As always, I would like to thank you for your interest in our quilts. We sincerely appreciate your business, and set high goals to maintain your trust and ensure a pleasant shopping experience.
We appreciate your recommendating us to your friends and family. Urge them to visit our shop and browse our large selection of quilts. Remember to tell them to enter the Carolina Patchwork Quilts free quilt contest and get special discounts and promotions by requesting our newsletter!
My second passion.....
I created a business based on my passion for patchwork quilts. Little did I know it would spawn a new passion....
I always knew I would develop a business around my favorite past-time, which is home decorating. When I started out with my internet business, I was told to select a niche with one product, and become an expert in a field with little competition. What I didn't know was how much my e-commerce education would fascinate me. Not only did I have to teach myself html, link trading, webrings, affliate marketing, PPC advertising, SEO techniques, Page Rank,SERPs and the intriguing study of website analytics.
These are the entry level topics every webmaster has to, well, master. But it is the intangible gleanings from random bits of information stumbled upon while researching that tease the neural networks in my brain. Every once in a while, seemingly disconnected factoids tucked away will suddenly find connections that reveal a concept that springs into bright wholeness, surprising and amazing me with delightful clarity.
I recently experienced such an enlightenment while working on a rather mundane subject - keyword research. I have brainstormed with friends, tried every keyword research tool on the web, performed A/B testing and still never quite "got it". I could never get into the mindset of potential customers looking for quality patchwork quilts. I created campaigns for patchwork quilts, bedding, bedroom decor, wedding gifts, heirloom gifts, college student apartments, and many more. While my efforts were fairly successful, they lacked depth and true insight into my customer's core motivations for buying a quilt.
Then a few days ago, I was studying a totally different subject, good copy writing techniques. Good copy appealing to emotions is very powerful. Then the light bulb came on. I knew how to find the exact motivators that influence buying behaviours. It is a surprisingly simple idea- just ask them!
After working on several variations of questions, I decided on a direct approach. On my subscription form, I added this leading statement:
"The first word that comes to mind about our shop is.... "
The results were amazing.
First, the question purposely precludes thoughtful reflection, or conscious consideration, which usually stunts creativity with an innate fear of criticism. I wanted core beliefs and values that shape decisions and evaluations.
Second, by subtly limiting the response to only one word and asking for the first (immediate) impression, I prompted instinctive and fundamental responses with ingenuous honesty. Best of all, I collected the exact motivators I was looking for! I can influence positive decisions using words that carry personal meanings.
I know the precepts of NLP recommend mimicking a person's mannerisms and speech pattern to create a sense of familiarity and comfort to build trust. That notion must be attached to rogue neuron in my brain; it just didn't connect with how to understand my visitors. Maybe it is the anonymity of the web that shunted personal interaction.
For the curious, some of the words submitted were grandmother, charm, warmth, beautiful, enticing, want, unique, comforting, cozy, indulgence, quality, beauty, home-y, friendly, my room, beauty and country. I believe these responses are very revealing.
Now I need another eureka moment to understand what they are revealing.....
