Money Green Life: Save Money. Go Green. Improve Life.

If you’re like me, I hate to carry loose change around. Whenever I need extra coins to pay for an item in exact amount, I always ask my girlfriend if she has a quarter or a nickel and she never fails me. Women have it so easy since all they have to do is throw the change into their purses and be done with it. Guys, on the other hand only have their pants pockets to put their change in. Couple that with your wallet and cell phone, your pockets are unattractively and uncomfortably bulging out, hindering the way you may walk, not to mention the clanging noises made from your coins. It’s just not a comfortable situation to be in.

At the end of the day, I put all my coins in a jar or some kind of collection plate where they are easily accessible for future use. I think over the past 10 years, the total value that accumulated is almost $1,000. That’s a lot of  loose coins. With the recent state of the economy, it seems like every penny matters. What good ‘ole Mr. Franklin said couple hundred years back seems true and logical nowadays, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

I’m currently in the market for a new laptop and a new LED TV, so this money will help me offset the costs. I know it’s still my money, so technically speaking, I haven’t “saved” any money, but it sure does feel like it to me. It’s almost like finding a $20 bill in your pant’s back pocket.

Now, when you’ve collected as much coins as I have, you need to figure out how to cash in these coins. One easy option is to go to a grocery store where they have a Coinstar machine. These machines are very easy to use. All you have to do is dump all sorts of coins in there and it automatically counts the value for you. Then they give you cash, of course minus their fee which is 8.9 cents for every dollar counted. So for my case, if I have exactly $1,000 in coins, they will give me $911 back. If this fee is too much for you, another option Coinstar provides is to convert your coins into gift certificates for select retailers, such as Amazon.com. In this case, the conversion is 100%.

Additionally, you can always go to your local bank and have them convert them for you for fee. Not all banks provide this service so make sure you call them first.

Perhaps, you can start “saving” money by collecting your loose coins today.

I was playing my usual cash game poker at Pokerstars the other day and I saw this one particular player at every one of my tables. I was curious and did a player search on this guy and discovered that he was playing 41 tables at the same time!! Talk about trying to maximize your hourly winning rate!

When I first playing poker at Pokerstars, I obviously played only 1 table at a time. The thought of playing 2 tables never came to mind as I was trying to figure out how to play each hand optimally. But as I got used to playing just one table, I slowly added another table, then another table, and now I can comfortably play 9 tables at the same time. Sure, it becomes complicated at times and you might even time out occasionally or even miss a value bet, but your hourly rate  can double or even triple as opposed to playing just one table.

For example, if I have a winning rate of $5/hr playing just one table at the limit of $100NL, I can win $10/day by playing 2 hours. If I play 2 hours every day, that will equate to $300/mo. Now, by adding another table to the mix and playing two tables at the same time, I can double that amount and earn $600/mo. If I play 9 tables, I will earn $2,700/mo. Now, that’s a nice chunk of change. However, the caveat is the more tables you play, the less optimal you will play each hand. Most likely, unless you’re a super robot, you will not be able to decipher each hand to play optimally since you’ll need to react quicker during each hand.  Due to this nature, you will probably decrease your hourly winning rate per table. If you assume that you will be 50% less optimally playing 9 tables as opposed to 1 table, you will still earn $1,350/mo. That’s a lot more than $300 if you were to play 1 table.

I can play 9 tables comfortably without timing out or losing a value bet on Pokerstars and 6 tables at Ultimatebet. I got there by slowly adding additional table as I became comfortable. I suggest you trying adding one table at a time and find your comfort zone. Then start increasing your winning rate exponentially. I dunno if I’ll ever reach a point where I’m playing 41 tables at once, but I will continue to seek out way to maximize my winning rate.

If you’re like me, I hate getting sick! I always cringe when people are sneezing and coughing, and blowing their nose near me. The last thing I want now is to catch whatever they have! If my coworker is feeling ill, I want her to stay home and not spread whatever she has onto me. Getting sick sucks and I hate every aspect of it.

I have been able to avoid getting the flu for the past 3 years…that is until this year. I know the rampant growth of the infamous Swine Flu, or H1N1 virus is on everyone’s mind these days and I’m sure you’ve already researched at least a little about it to become more knowledgeable of it. That’s a good thing since we’re right smack in the middle of the winter season. For the past several weeks now, it has been the coldest of the season so far here in the suburbs of Maryland and learning ways to stay healthy this summer is not a bad idea. I’ve already been sick with the flu earlier this year and I do not want to catch it again. Here are some of the extra precautions I practice whenever I am outside or in public area:

1. Always Wash Hands: When I arrive at work, I will wash my hands. Before I eat anything, I will wash my hands. After using the restroom, I will wash my hands. When I come home from work, I will wash my hands. When I’m out to the grocery store, I will wash my hands when I come home. When I shake many people’s hands, I will wash my hands. And when I don’t have a chance to wash my hands in between these activities, I will never touch my face with my hands. I will never eat any food with my unwashed hands, unless I’m using utensils. See where I’m going with this? Wash hands whenever possible. I also keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on my work desk. That helps too.

2. Wear Gloves: I don’t just wear gloves outside when it’s cold, I wear them indoors too. I try to wear them when grocery shopping. The shopping cart is used by dozens of different people every day and I doubt the shopping centers sanitize the carts at all. So by using my bare hands to push the carts, I’m contracting all kinds of germs on my hands. If I accidentally rub my eyes after pushing the cart, the chance of contracting those germs into my body becomes very high. If i’m wearing gloves, I will minimize that chance. I also wear gloves when riding on the bus or the metro. Those handrails are full of germs and holding onto them bare hands is illness waiting to happen.

3. Wear A Hat and Scarf: My mom always told me to wear a hat and scarf when going outside when I was a kid. I hated wearing them because I got too sweaty too quick. But my mom knew what she was talking about. Most of the body heat escapes through our neck up, so by covering our necks, faces and heads, we retain heat in our body. Being exposed to cold itself won’t get you sick, but your body’s immune system becomes more vulnerable at chillier temperatures and you become more prone to contracting germs and viruses. So keep warm and keep germs out!

These are a few simple tips that I practice everyday. You can also exercise more to become more healthy and drink lots of citrus juice to boost your vitamin C intake. They’re good tips as well. So stay warm, stay clean, and stay healthy and avoid getting sick this winter!