Are you faced with planning a wedding on a shoestring budget? Considering the state of today's economy, you can rest assured that you're not alone. Many brides-to-be are in the same boat. You can have a champagne wedding on a shoestring budget.
The good news is this: there are many things you can do that will actually help you save money on your wedding. You can still have a beautiful day, without spending thousands of dollars in the process.
Tip number one. Develop a budget. Be honest with yourself and your fiance about how much you can reasonably spend for your wedding. You can do some preliminary estimates by going to websites and seeing how much a three tiered wedding cake costs, a dramatic bridal bouquet, centerpieces, invitations, and so forth. Once you set a budget limit, stick to it. It's easy to get carried away and decide that the darling tissue paper liners for the save the date cards are a must have and add only $100 to the total cost of the invitations. The problem is that if you keep adding $100 here and there you'll end up thousands over budget.
Tip number two. Decide what's important to you. If you've always dreamed of a beautifully embroidered wedding gown with yards of lace then cut back in other areas. Or find a wedding gown that fulfills your dream but is second hand. Because most dresses are only worn once, opting for a 'gently used' gown is almost like purchasing a new one... for a whole lot less.
Many bridal shops carry at least a small selection of used wedding dresses. You can also utilize online resources such as eBay. You will probably be surprised at the number of 'designer' gowns that are currently up for grabs, for a fraction of the price.
Tip number three. Determine what you truly want. You might think that a sit down formal dinner is the only alternative for your wedding but what you really want is to share a wonderful meal with friends and family. There are alternatives to that sit down dinner. A buffet is a great idea and cuts costs, or what about an elegant boxed lunch picnic? Or perhaps consider a selection of appetizers instead of a full meal.
Tip number four. Offer your guests the opportunity to help pay for your wedding as their wedding gift. Several of your friends could decide to pay for or supply the wine for your wedding. Others could participate in paying for the wedding cake, music, photographer, and so forth. This isn't as crass as asking for cash donations directly and it makes your guests feel they made more of a contribution to your happy day than just showing up.
Tip number five. Research, research, RESEARCH! There are many websites that provide information on low-cost weddings. Take the time to visit several of them. Chances are you will run across MANY great ideas that you may not have thought of on your own.
The websites don't necessarily have to be geared specifically toward weddings. Even sites such as Better Homes & Gardens and Redbook often feature wedding related articles.
Follow these tips and you can have a beautiful wedding on a shoestring budget.
About the Author
Free report, Weddings on a Shoestring Budget. Dee Power is the author of several nonfiction books, and the novel Over Time. Read her wedding blog
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Signs of Cheating Spouse - Warning Signs of a Breakup by John Morgan
If you suspect that your spouse may be cheating you are probably wondering what the signs that you might be right. You might also wonder what is the best way to get your spouse back or the best way to handle a breakup.
Statistics say that 85% of women who feel their lover is cheating are correct and 50% of men who feel their lover is cheating are right. If you have suspicions, consider some of the following:
Have you noticed a:
~ Sudden increase in time away from home - this could be spending more time at work or spending time with the "boys/girls" on weekends.
~ Decreased sexual interest with you - has he/she consisently rejected your sexual advances? You need to distiquish his/her rejection from honestely being tired.
~ Cheating spouse is often distracted and day dreaming - he/she could be thinking about her/him or a "good time" they had recently.
~ Cheating husband or wife is often “unavailable†while at work - maybe he/she is out to lunch with his/her lover or visiting with his/her lover.
~ Cheating spouse attends new functions outside of work and wants to go alone - have you noticed an increase in this type of activity?
~ Cell phone calls from you are not returned in timely fashion - Does he/she consistently put you off?
~ Cheating spouse leaves house or goes to other rooms to talk on the telephone - this is a sign he/she does not want you to hear what is being said.
~ Cheating spouse uses computer alone and secretly - sending e-mails or instant messaging would be one way to stay in contact.
~ Cheating spouse asks about your schedule more often than usual - the cheating spouse wants to know when it will be safe to make contact and sneek away for a short visit.
~ Mileage on car is high yet he / she reports only short distance errands
~ Clothes smell of perfume or cologne - is the perfume or cologne one you recognize?
~ Cheating spouse gets his / her laundry done independently - could be trying to hide scents or lipstick stains.
~ Unexplained payments on bank statements - this is a sign of gift buying.
~ Cheating spouse has more cash on hand without accountability - cash is less traceable and could be used to buy gifts or pay for a discreet dinner.
~ Cell phone bills contain calls with long duration - it may be wise to do some research to determine whose phone number is being called.
~ Cheating spouse now has a phone card but never used one before - one way of preventing calls from showing up on the phone bill.
~ Cheating wife or husband has unexplained receipts in wallet or purse - gifts, lunch, dinner, hotels, or ....?
~ Cheating spouse has suspicious phone voice-mail messages
~ Cheating spouse has suspicious cell phone numbers stored or dialed
~ Internet web browser history list (this is a record of web sites visited) contains unusual sites
~ Cheating spouse begins to use new or free e-mail account - doesn't want you to see who he/she is e-mailing or what the content is.
~ Cheating spouse is suddenly deleting e-mail messages - trash the evidence.
~ You may also want to consider reviewing your spouse’s credit card bills.
About the Author
If you can answer yes to any of these signs you might have a cheating spouse. Don't wait until it is too late to save your relationship. Learn important strategies and techniques for dealing with the emotional pain and for saving your relationship. Watch these free videos to learn how.
Statistics say that 85% of women who feel their lover is cheating are correct and 50% of men who feel their lover is cheating are right. If you have suspicions, consider some of the following:
Have you noticed a:
~ Sudden increase in time away from home - this could be spending more time at work or spending time with the "boys/girls" on weekends.
~ Decreased sexual interest with you - has he/she consisently rejected your sexual advances? You need to distiquish his/her rejection from honestely being tired.
~ Cheating spouse is often distracted and day dreaming - he/she could be thinking about her/him or a "good time" they had recently.
~ Cheating husband or wife is often “unavailable†while at work - maybe he/she is out to lunch with his/her lover or visiting with his/her lover.
~ Cheating spouse attends new functions outside of work and wants to go alone - have you noticed an increase in this type of activity?
~ Cell phone calls from you are not returned in timely fashion - Does he/she consistently put you off?
~ Cheating spouse leaves house or goes to other rooms to talk on the telephone - this is a sign he/she does not want you to hear what is being said.
~ Cheating spouse uses computer alone and secretly - sending e-mails or instant messaging would be one way to stay in contact.
~ Cheating spouse asks about your schedule more often than usual - the cheating spouse wants to know when it will be safe to make contact and sneek away for a short visit.
~ Mileage on car is high yet he / she reports only short distance errands
~ Clothes smell of perfume or cologne - is the perfume or cologne one you recognize?
~ Cheating spouse gets his / her laundry done independently - could be trying to hide scents or lipstick stains.
~ Unexplained payments on bank statements - this is a sign of gift buying.
~ Cheating spouse has more cash on hand without accountability - cash is less traceable and could be used to buy gifts or pay for a discreet dinner.
~ Cell phone bills contain calls with long duration - it may be wise to do some research to determine whose phone number is being called.
~ Cheating spouse now has a phone card but never used one before - one way of preventing calls from showing up on the phone bill.
~ Cheating wife or husband has unexplained receipts in wallet or purse - gifts, lunch, dinner, hotels, or ....?
~ Cheating spouse has suspicious phone voice-mail messages
~ Cheating spouse has suspicious cell phone numbers stored or dialed
~ Internet web browser history list (this is a record of web sites visited) contains unusual sites
~ Cheating spouse begins to use new or free e-mail account - doesn't want you to see who he/she is e-mailing or what the content is.
~ Cheating spouse is suddenly deleting e-mail messages - trash the evidence.
~ You may also want to consider reviewing your spouse’s credit card bills.
About the Author
If you can answer yes to any of these signs you might have a cheating spouse. Don't wait until it is too late to save your relationship. Learn important strategies and techniques for dealing with the emotional pain and for saving your relationship. Watch these free videos to learn how.
Top Warning Signs of a Cheating Spouse by John Morgan
Do you worry that your spouse is cheating on you? Have you seen some suspicious activity and aren't sure what it means or maybe you just need some confirmation that what you are seeing is real.
If you are feeling that something is wrong, then there is a good chance that you are right. It is important to learn the signs and if your suspicions are right, you need to learn strategies and methods for dealing with the emotional pain.
You have to ask yourself the question; do you want to save the relationship and get your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend back or do you want to let it go? This will require some soul searching, but it will be important to act quickly before it is too late. Finding out in the early stages of cheating give you a better chance of mending the relationship than if you wait until the distance between you widens to the stage where divorce becomes inevitable. All relationships are salvagable, if you want it bad enough.
Here are some warning signs that your significant other is cheating: ~ The cheating spouse tends to be more attentive to the other spouse at the beginning of an affair, due to the guilt of cheating.
~ In order to justify the affair a cheating spouse will often find fault with the other spouse.
~ Cheating spouses lose interest in the activities at home. They may even lose interest in you and the children. The house may begin to show signs of disrepair, including dirty dishes, laundry, lawn care and other simple house repairs that used to get fixed.
~ You simply "feel" like something is wrong. This usually is a good sign that something "is" wrong and you should check it out. ~ Your sex life changes. You may have more or less sex then usual and the cheater will make unusual sexual requests. ~ There is an obvious change in attitude towards everyone in the house, expecially the other spouse. Everything becomes your fault and the cheater has a more angry demeanour. ~ Finances are suspicious. You find unusual expenses, receipts, credit card bills or unusual amounts of cash in the wallet.
~ Grooming habits change. Cheaters tend to pay more attention to their personal appearance...like they are trying to impress someone. They may dress differently, groom their hair differently, switch colognes or perfume, etc... ~ Often there is evidence left behind. Look for lipstick on the collar, odors of cologne/perfume, underwear stains. Also check wallets or glove compartments for receipts, paper with phone numbers, addresses, condoms, etc.
~ You may find some red flags by monitoring your spouse for a couple of weeks. Keep track of the mileage in the car, the time they leave and come home from work. This should help establish a pattern. If your spouse claims to be working overtime, check the paystub for extra income. ~ Listen carefully to home phone calls. Your spouse might begin to whisper, leave the room or give quick answers and immediately hang when you come in the room.
~ Check your spouses cell phone for suspicious and unrecognizable phone numbers. Check for frequency and length of the call. Also check the cell phone bill and look for the first number called when your spouse leaves for work and the last number called before your spouse returns home.
~ When a female has an affair they tend to have a "glow" about them. They are also more discreet in their affair and selection of lovers.
About the Author
If you can identify any of these signs you might have a cheating spouse. Don't wait until it is too late to save your relationship. Learn important strategies and techniques for dealing with the emotional pain and for saving your relationship. Watch these free videos to learn how.
If you are feeling that something is wrong, then there is a good chance that you are right. It is important to learn the signs and if your suspicions are right, you need to learn strategies and methods for dealing with the emotional pain.
You have to ask yourself the question; do you want to save the relationship and get your spouse, boyfriend or girlfriend back or do you want to let it go? This will require some soul searching, but it will be important to act quickly before it is too late. Finding out in the early stages of cheating give you a better chance of mending the relationship than if you wait until the distance between you widens to the stage where divorce becomes inevitable. All relationships are salvagable, if you want it bad enough.
Here are some warning signs that your significant other is cheating: ~ The cheating spouse tends to be more attentive to the other spouse at the beginning of an affair, due to the guilt of cheating.
~ In order to justify the affair a cheating spouse will often find fault with the other spouse.
~ Cheating spouses lose interest in the activities at home. They may even lose interest in you and the children. The house may begin to show signs of disrepair, including dirty dishes, laundry, lawn care and other simple house repairs that used to get fixed.
~ You simply "feel" like something is wrong. This usually is a good sign that something "is" wrong and you should check it out. ~ Your sex life changes. You may have more or less sex then usual and the cheater will make unusual sexual requests. ~ There is an obvious change in attitude towards everyone in the house, expecially the other spouse. Everything becomes your fault and the cheater has a more angry demeanour. ~ Finances are suspicious. You find unusual expenses, receipts, credit card bills or unusual amounts of cash in the wallet.
~ Grooming habits change. Cheaters tend to pay more attention to their personal appearance...like they are trying to impress someone. They may dress differently, groom their hair differently, switch colognes or perfume, etc... ~ Often there is evidence left behind. Look for lipstick on the collar, odors of cologne/perfume, underwear stains. Also check wallets or glove compartments for receipts, paper with phone numbers, addresses, condoms, etc.
~ You may find some red flags by monitoring your spouse for a couple of weeks. Keep track of the mileage in the car, the time they leave and come home from work. This should help establish a pattern. If your spouse claims to be working overtime, check the paystub for extra income. ~ Listen carefully to home phone calls. Your spouse might begin to whisper, leave the room or give quick answers and immediately hang when you come in the room.
~ Check your spouses cell phone for suspicious and unrecognizable phone numbers. Check for frequency and length of the call. Also check the cell phone bill and look for the first number called when your spouse leaves for work and the last number called before your spouse returns home.
~ When a female has an affair they tend to have a "glow" about them. They are also more discreet in their affair and selection of lovers.
About the Author
If you can identify any of these signs you might have a cheating spouse. Don't wait until it is too late to save your relationship. Learn important strategies and techniques for dealing with the emotional pain and for saving your relationship. Watch these free videos to learn how.
Top 10 Tips for Having An Elegant And Low-Cost Wedding! by Sarah Fuller
Are you pinching your pennies these days? Most people are; with the cost of nearly anything skyrocketing it's no wonder that those planning a wedding have a hard time affording everything they want and need for their wedding. At the same time brides want their big day to be as beautiful and elegant as they've ever dreamed of it to be; of course it can be difficult to balance your desire for a gorgeous event with your need to stay on a budget.
Having a so-called low-cost wedding is something that most brides scorn at. To them, a low-cost wedding means some type of backyard barbecue with guests eating canned food and drinking watered down alcohol. To put it bluntly, many brides feel that cheap equals tacky.
In some cases this reflect reality and it's unfortunate that brides and grooms go to far with trying to save a few dollars and put little effort into making their day special and personal for them and their guests.
But having a budget wedding doesn't mean a cheap or tacky wedding either. Many brides discover that if they in searching out their many options when it comes to:
- an inexpensive but beautiful gown
- different venues for the ceremony and reception
- different options for a menu
- learning how to put together her own centerpieces and wedding
favors
and so on.
These brides find that a gorgeous but wallet friendly wedding can be hers.
It might take a little bit of extra work to keep a wedding within a certain budget, but the bottom line is that if a bride does this and invest the time and energy, she may very well find that she can enjoy a beautiful wedding that is budget friendly!
About the Author
Sarah Fuller, with some help from her husband Timothy, publishes tips and resources to help couples have their dream wedding at an affordable price. To learn more drop by their homepage at http://www.cheaperweddings.com
Having a so-called low-cost wedding is something that most brides scorn at. To them, a low-cost wedding means some type of backyard barbecue with guests eating canned food and drinking watered down alcohol. To put it bluntly, many brides feel that cheap equals tacky.
In some cases this reflect reality and it's unfortunate that brides and grooms go to far with trying to save a few dollars and put little effort into making their day special and personal for them and their guests.
But having a budget wedding doesn't mean a cheap or tacky wedding either. Many brides discover that if they in searching out their many options when it comes to:
- an inexpensive but beautiful gown
- different venues for the ceremony and reception
- different options for a menu
- learning how to put together her own centerpieces and wedding
favors
and so on.
These brides find that a gorgeous but wallet friendly wedding can be hers.
It might take a little bit of extra work to keep a wedding within a certain budget, but the bottom line is that if a bride does this and invest the time and energy, she may very well find that she can enjoy a beautiful wedding that is budget friendly!
About the Author
Sarah Fuller, with some help from her husband Timothy, publishes tips and resources to help couples have their dream wedding at an affordable price. To learn more drop by their homepage at http://www.cheaperweddings.com
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