My Personal Finance Blog

Article by Melanie Cath

Watching DVD is an acceptable and enjoyable form of entertainment, but it can certainly cost quite a bit. Even renting them costs more than you realise when children want to watch the same one over several times. But it is possible to buy movies at a bargain price without much trouble.

Watching movies at home is great entertainment for the whole family and much cheaper than going out to the cinema. The little ones can go off to bed at their proper time, while older kids can sit up and watch movies. Sleepovers usually mean that two or three movies will be watched throughout the night. Movies are often bought for birthday gifts. So unless you can buy movies at a reasonable cost, you will be spending a great deal on them.You can often buy movies at much cheaper than the sticker price without too much trouble. Often your local video rental store will have a sale of older movies that it is well worth while attending, especially if you want to buy movies for the younger generation, who like to watch the same movie over several times. In fact if you rent the same movie several times you will find that is more expensive than buying it outright.You can also buy movies online at several different places. This is actually the cheapest way to buy movies as some are offered for just a few dollars. So even though you will have to pay freight, it is still a bargain. You might also like to buy movies from friends who have the one you want. They certainly wont charge the full price. You may also be able to buy movies at places such as garage sales, car boot sales and school fetes. Once you start to look out for movie bargains you’ll be surprised at what you can find.

If you haven’t already been to Prague yourself then you will almost certainly have friends that have been and if you are reading this article you are probably planning a trip there in near future.

There are plenty of other articles that will tell you where to visit, what to see, where to get cheap beer and how not to be ripped off by taxi drivers. This article is about the holiday letting market in Prague and how to get the most from it.

When booking a city break or vacation in Prague most people immediately consider hotels with a recognisable brand. This is fine and you will no doubt have a great time staying there – but at a price! If 3 couples are travelling together and staying in 3 hotel rooms you could typically pay up to $600 plus taxes for the group – PER NIGHT! The same quality of accommodation in a Prague holiday apartment will normally cost $120 per night. Just think how much more beer, or wooden toys or boat trips down the Vltava you can buy with that!

Where to Stay?

For obvious reasons many people are attracted to the Old Town Square or the immediate vicinity to the Charles Bridge. If you are thinking about this then consider the following:

Stag and Hen parties congregate in these areas and can be very noisy, particularly late at night. Czechs congregate here for key sporting events normally shown on Huge TV screens – check you dates carefully. Pickpockets and street prostitutes frequent these areas. Prague city centre is very small and most places are either within walking distance or are served by excellent public transport links (metro and trams). Hotels and Apartments are generally more expensive in these areas. There are many other areas of Prague that are quieter, cheaper and well connected to the rest of the city. One of the most popular areas in my experience is Vinohrady (the Royal Vineyard). The architecture is fantastic with a real café society. It is a 10-15 minute walk away from Wenceslas Square and well served by public transport.

Two outstanding new developments have recently been built in Vinohrady and there are many holiday apartments available. These are the Zvonarka and Korunni Dvur developments. The apartments are generally furnished to a 4 star standard with swimming pools and fitness facilities available either for free or a small charge. These are well worth considering over and above a small, drafty, noisy Old Town apartment.

Other pitfalls

There are thousands of apartments available for short term holiday and vacation rental. But choose your apartment carefully!

Following entry to the Czech Republic there has been a great deal of investment into this market from outside of the Czech Republic. It is easier than ever before to buy and mortgages have become available to non-Czech nationals for the first time – and at reasonable rates. These are normally furnished to a high standard and in good, safe locations and add to the stock of quality Czech owned apartments.

There are also a large number of ‘protected rent’ apartments that are sublet illegally. These are much older and the ‘owners’ spend much less on furnishings and maintenance because they are letting the flats illegally. Protected rents were intended to provide affordable accommodation to Czechs during the communist period and in the future these are expected to be phased out.

But how can you tell what the apartment will really be like from a few thumbnail pictures?

The best way is use a reputable website such as praguerental.com to choose your property. These apartments are all vetted and are in well furnished properties in safe, central locations. You can reserve the apartment with a small deposit and be sure of local English speaking support on arrival in Prague.

Holiday Rental Checklist

Know the TOTAL price of the booking at the time of booking an insist on email confirmation Agree Check in and Check out times in advance. You will normally be asked to check out earlier than a hotel so that the apartment can be cleaned in advance of the next guests arriving. It is always worth asking for a late check out. Most owners will agree to this if they have no guests arriving that day. Make sure you discuss this in advance though as the cleaner will need to be notified.

Extras. Normally airport transfer can be added to the cost of the booking for reasonable rates. Owners prefer to know exactly where you are once you arrive rather than have you show up on the door step at a random time somewhere near to when you said you show up. Taking advantage of airport transfers will normally save you money and get you to your apartment faster. Ask about security arrangements.

The holiday events are over, but birthday events are everyday and ongoing.  There is a beginning and an end to holidays, but birthdays are momentous, never-ending events that are an essential key ingredient to the circle of life.  Babies can’t stop from being born, right?  If we were born, then we have a birthday.  

It’s a very difficult situation to be in if you know someone who was born during the month of January.  Finding a gift that illuminates “birthday” can be hard to do when everyone has already given and received gifts after the holidays.

If you want someone to know that you got them a gift with their birthday in mind, the best option is to personalize it.  Have an inside joke, or a favorite photo with the birthday boy or girl?  A unique birthday message?  Browse around and find a gift to which you can add a special message, and you’ll be sure to find unforgettable, unique birthday gifts.

If you’re looking for a birthday gift for someone right now, you need some tips for making the most out of a birthday that falls after the major holidays:

1)    Buy in your price range.

We want to give a momentous and memorable gift on our loved one’s memorable day, but it is important to not break out of our budget — especially if the holiday shopping had left you in a financial bind.  Rather than re-gifting your unwanted holiday gifts, show how much you care about your special birthday recipient and grab something small rather than giving your leftover gifts. All you need is a nice, simple gift specifically given for the birthday occasion to remind them that their birthday is special.  Personalized birthday gifts for under .00 are just one of the ideas that will help you find the right birthday gift, and fit your budget.

2)    Buy a birthday gift.

To separate your birthday gift from the others, get one that is clearly a birthday gift.  You can easily find birthday gifts that are geared specifically towards birthdays, especially on the internet- where you don’t have to deal with crowded parking lots and long lines.   There, you can find unique gifts that are designed for a specific birthday, like a “Sweet 16″ jewelry box, “Happy 21st Birthday” shot glass, “Quarter Century” mug, or a personalized 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th keepsake they will be sure to love.

3)    Buy and ship the birthday gift BEFORE their birthday.

This is an extremely important factor, if not by far the most important.  Much like the holidays, birthdays are momentous days that are captured in the moment and time of that specific day.  Recognizing one’s birthday the day before or the day after significantly decreases the magnitude of that day.  To abide by this important memo, it is one’s responsibility to buy the gift BEFORE their birthday (not the day of like so many of us do), coordinate the exact shipping time with whomever you’re buying the birthday gift from, and then go forth.

Whatever the birthday occasion may be, be sure to enjoy the month of January and look forward to the New Year ahead!  Let bygones be bygones, and give your special birthday recipient a chance to “re-create” their own New Year with a heartfelt, momentous birthday gift.

Fire extinguisher

Investing in a high-quality fire extinguisher is always a good move. It may feel as a non value adding expenditure when you see the red cylinder hanging on your home or office wall coated in dust, but its significance is much higher, and you realize its importance when fire breaks into your home or office and this red solider saves you thousands of dollar, some very important documents, some precious personal collection or even you life.

A typical fire extinguisher is a small device used to extinguish and control small fire often in crisis conditions. It is not intended to be used for big fire break out or severe conditions, where fire brigade is required, but it helps control fire to a larger extent. Although fire extinguishers being small in size have their limitations, but they come very handy taking instant control over the fire until further help is called or fire brigade arrives.

Fire catches as a chemical combustion reaction between oxygen in the atmosphere with some highly inflammable substance e.g. gas, petroleum, wood etc. The inflammable substance does not catch fire on its own when surrounded by oxygen. The chemical combustion happens when these substances are very heated so mush so that they reach their ignition temperature. The utmost essential elements involved in the chemical combustion reaction are extreme heat, oxygen and fuel. A typical fire extinguisher is designed to eliminate at least one of these elements so that the fires die.

Fire extinguishers can be classified into two categories on the basis of handling; handheld and cart-mounted. Handheld extinguishers usually weigh from 1 to 30 pounds (0.5 to 14 kilograms), and are hence effortlessly transportable by hand. Cart-mounted units typically weigh 50+ pounds (23+ kilograms). Fire extinguisher can further be classified into several categories, depending upon the type of chemical used inside the chamber.

The inception of modern day fire extinguisher was around 1818 when British Captain George William Manby made a fire extinguisher which consisted of a copper vessel of 3 gallons (13.6 litres) of pearl ash (potassium carbonate) solution contained within compressed air. Since then there has been a lot of change in design, concept and the chemical used inside the chambers on fire extinguisher, but the very purpose of the red soldier stays unchanged, guarding you and your valuables in case of a fire break.

Have you invested in a good fire extinguisher! Yes; great, you can sleep in peace. No; go and shop today for a fire extinguisher.

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Many people have heard of auto insurance quotes and auto insurance policies but unless they have actually had to use their vehicle insurance, they may not understand how it all works. For example, why they should purchase it, how much insurance they should purchase, and how to file a claim.

First of all, your state is going to mandate that you will carry some sort of vehicle insurance policy. This means that they have set limits for the lowest amount of insurance that you can carry by state law. These are usually liability limits, and often, are very low to make it affordable for everyone.

Understanding what liability limits are and how they affect your insurance policy is very important. If you’re just beginning your life, have your vehicle paid off, have a good health insurance plan, then you can get by with the lowest limits as long as you do not have any assets.

Assets can include owning a home, boats, toys, or other types of investments.

If you do not have enough insurance to cover if you’re found at fault, you’re going to lose all of your assets. It’s why it’s important that unless you have nothing to lose, that you do not accept the state minimum liability requirements.

Make sure that your insurance is going to do its job if you’re found at fault or severely injured by an uninsured motorist. Unfortunately, there are uninsured motorists on the road at any one time. So make sure that you are covered for personal injury, property damage, uninsured motorist, and are covered through your liability limits for all of the assets that you own.

If you do not own your vehicle outright your lender may require that you carry full coverage.

Automobile full coverage is to make sure that your vehicle is going to be replaced at full value should it be totaled in an accident and you are at fault. If you’re not at fault, the other insurance company or the other drivers insurance should cover your vehicle.

This does cost extra money, so before you take a loan out get an automobile insurance quote so you know exactly how much your total loan payment and your insurance payment is going to cost you.

You’ll also have to thoroughly understand how your particular insurance company wants you to handle an insurance claim. In fact, be sure to study their claim forms, their policy requirements, and also any reason they may raise your rates through an accident, infraction, violation, or ticket.

Often, the more tickets and accidents you get in the higher your insurance is going to be. Make sure that when you get in an accident that you assess the situation before calling your insurance company. Some insurance companies may raise your rates if you call and just report an accident even without filing an accident claim or a monetary claim.

It’s important that you not only get automobile insurance quotes, but also important that you understand what vehicle insurance is, how it works, how to file a claim, what is going to raise your rates, and how to protect your self and your assets adequately through insurance policies.