This is a guest post by Ann Smarty. Ann is a blogger and search marketer. Her recent project is My Blog Guest – a community of guest bloggers that welcomes new members.

Household supplies, such as mops, sponges, vacuums, and appliances won’t last forever. While they can be painful to replace due to their high cost, not replacing them will leave you with an item that no longer cleans the way it’s supposed to clean. In some cases, a poorly maintained cleaning tool that is kept too long can actually make the surface you’re cleaning even dirtier than it was in the first place. So, when is it time to switch to new household supplies?

When it’s no longer working at all.

This is the line in the sand for the average person. Once the head of the mop is no longer mopping, the vacuum is no longer vacuuming, or the bottle of Windex is empty, they will trudge to the store. However, this obvious “bare minimum” situation will generally happen long after the item should have been discarded.

When it shows significant deterioration.

Different items will deteriorate at different rates, and many variables will influence this particular time line. If you use an item more frequently than the average person, if you purchased a more durable variety, or if you maintain your item more often than average, the life of the item can be extended to a significant degree.

As such, general rules of thumb, such as replacing a sponge once a month, should remain rules of thumb. The key here is to pay attention and look for wear and tear that interferes with the actual function of the product.

When it’s likely to have deep contamination.

A sponge or mop that shows no significant wear and tear can still be infested with vicious bacteria. There’s no solid way to tell when this has happened, but proper maintenance and occasional replacement will serve as guardians against using bacteria infested implements.

Different bacteria killing techniques, such as microwaving your sponge, can be used to prolong the lifespan of your cleaning tools. At a bare minimum, items that see frequent use should have vulnerable areas replaced about once every other year. This includes the heads of mops, sponges, or any other absorbent material.

When it’s time to invest in new technology.

Eureka vacuums have been on the market for several decades. If you’re still using one of the company’s original models, then it’s probably time to check out some of the newer technology. In addition to being more powerful, new versions of products tend to save on energy consumption, add useful new features, and look more attractive.

If the job that you’re doing doesn’t meet your standards when all is said and done, it may not be because you didn’t put in enough elbow grease. Buying newer and better utilities for any task will increase the quality of the final result. If you’re looking for these final results, or are simply ready to make your life a little bit easier, it may be a good idea to look at the new innovations that have been introduced to cleaning supplies.

Now that the usual flu season is here the swine flu, officially known as H1N1, has gained momentum in North America.  I’ve noticed many of my favorite personal finance bloggers have been infected this month.  They’re not the only ones.  President Obama declared a national emergency over the weekend to aid health care providers in responding to the influx of patients.

What’s the flu got to do with personal finance?

Although this is a health issue, it is also an economic one. Most companies are running pretty lean these days and our fragile economy might not handle it well with thousands of Americans out of the work force due to their or family members’ illness.  Less money earned is less money circulating. 

The health care cost of treating those that need more than self-treatment may leave some with more debt and less discrentionary income as they struggle to pay their share.   

What can I do? 

 1. Use common sense.  Wash your hands often, use a tissue when you sneeze or cough, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth and stay away from sick people.  Most of all, please stay home when you’re sick.  Your co-workers and customers would appreciate not being exposed.

2. Get vaccinated.  If you don’t have a health reason that disqualifies you get both the seasonal flu and H1N1 flu vaccines when available.   My employer offers free vaccinations to all employees each year.  It’s not offered just to make it convenient for employees.  This is to help prevent a flu wave from disrupting the company’s ability to do business effectively.

3.  Be cautious.  Whenever there is fear, there are people that take advantage of others and the “swine flu” scare is no exception.  There are a lot of people selling products claiming it will protect you from the flu.  Unless it’s soap, hand sanitizer or vaccine — I don’t think so.

Get more information on all things flu at the government website flu.gov.   Let’s be vigilant and healthy this flu season.

 Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/nishidaryuichi/ / CC BY 2.0

 Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009.  All Rights Reserved.

When I create the November budget next weekend, there will be a new line item.  That line item is for monthly fees to Weight Watchers.

My doctor gave me four months to bring down my triglycerides or go on cholesterol medication. The last time I had low levels was when I was 25+ pounds less and following the Weight Watchers healthy guidelines. 

Fees

So, I decided my health is worth the $40 a month.  That’s the fee for the monthly pass which includes unlimited meetings and online tools to track recipes, activity, food diary and weight.  But of course, I did manage to get a “deal”.   Weight Watchers was offering buy one month, get a month free so my initial payment covered two months.

New Blog

It is helpful for some people (including this author) to have an outlet to document progress, both in weight loss and health indicators.   That’s why there’s a new Bucksome Boomer blog which is Weight Chronicles. Please visit and leave your feedback on what is there and what you’d like to see in the future.

Even if you don’t have an interest in Weight Chronicles, thank you for your readership here on Buck$ome Boomer’s Journey to Retirement. My journey now includes getting healthy!

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009.  All Rights Reserved.

Andy Miller @ Wallet Pop recently wrote about dealing with a dying father without a living will. His story brought tears to my eyes for more than one reason.  Yes, I felt sympathy and empathy for Mr. Miller and his family. I also was remembering what my siblings and I went through six years ago with our own father.  Losing a parent is very hard; but battling to lose that parent is even harder.

If anyone should have put advanced directives in place it was my dad.  He had small cell lung cancer which has an extremely low survival rate and a median life expectancy of 18-24 months after diagnosis.  Dad, who had quite smoking 7 years earlier after a stroke, fought it with chemotherapy, radiation and his spirit.  Despite the dire diagnosis my father did not write a legal will or health care directives.

My stepmother called us when dad went into the intensive care unit and was put on a ventilator.  His lungs were giving out on him due to the cancer and, ironically, the treatment damage.  Three of us traveled from out of state.  When the last one arrived, my dad awoke for the final time and signaled he wanted the ventilator removed.  He was just waiting to see us one last time.

Over the next couple of days, doctors advised my stepmother there was nothing that could be done for dad medically and recommended he be removed from the ventilator.  His four children agreed with this recommendation.  My stepmother would not even consider removing the ventilator. 

In trying to honor our father’s wishes there were multiple (sometimes intense) discussions with his wife.  We could not understand why she would want dad to continue suffering when there was no hope.  You see the problem was..she truly believed he would get well.  

A week later, we were preparing to go home as our families and employers needed us and there was no change.  The doctors called a meeting that included my stepmother, my calm sister, my uncle and other hospital personnel.  They somehow convinced her to remove the ventilator and Dad passed away peacefully a couple of hours later. 

Fortunately,  our relationship with our stepmother was not too damaged and we banded together to plan the funeral and bury dad.  But the bad memories persist.  One document could have changed the experience for my father and the rest of the family. 

Now, do I have a living will?  Not yet but I am committing to get this done by the end of the year.  What about you?
Photo by Bucksome Boomer

Content © Bucksomeboomer  2009.  All Rights Reserved.