All posts by Anne Younger

Anne is a 30-something full-time SAHM mom of 5 ranging from 3 to 17 and grandma of 1 who resides in Ashwaubenon (Green Bay) Wisconsin. She started blogging in 2008 as a way to regain her sanity. She enjoys coffee, chocolate, cheeseburgers and vodka along with spending time with her husband and kids.

Automotive

Have You Been Injured in an Auto Accident? Learn How to Calculate Your Pain and Suffering Damages

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If you’ve been injured in an auto accident that was someone else’s fault, you may be dealing with broken bones, back problems, and other issues that put you out of work for months or even years. Thankfully, you may be able to receive compensation from the responsible party. While the amounts given for medical bills and lost income are easy to understand, grasping the concept of a pain and suffering award is more difficult. In this guide, you’ll learn how pain and suffering damages are calculated after an auto accident.

Which Factors Determine Damages for Emotional Trauma?

Pain and suffering awards include compensation for not only physical pain, but mental suffering like anxiety, memory loss, insomnia, and depression. If you’re dealing with a permanent or long-term injury, you’re eligible to receive compensation for the pain and suffering you’ll endure in the future as well. While there’s no formula for these calculations, various factors determine your settlement amount, including:

How quickly you sought medical treatment
The severity of your injuries and pain
The expected recovery time
Your age
Your credibility as a witness
The presence of pre-existing injuries
The effects of the injury on your daily activities and work

These are just some of the factors to be considered. Judges, juries, and attorneys will also look at how the accident and your injuries have affected your personal and professional relationships.

How Pain and Suffering Awards Are Calculated

Insurers and auto accident lawyers use various techniques to estimate pain and suffering damages. Some of these methods include those listed below.

The multiplier: With the multiplier method, your medical bills and lost income are added and then multiplied by a factor of 1.5 to 5, depending on the case’s facts, the severity of your injuries, and the accident’s circumstances.

Per diem: Some lawyers and adjusters use daily rates to determine the value of a victim’s pain and suffering, multiplying that figure by the number of days the person has dealt with the injury. Per diem rates aren’t arbitrary, and in most cases, they’re set according to the victim’s daily earnings.

Computer programs: Many insurance companies use computer programs to consider factors such as injury type, length of hospitalization, and nature of treatment to determine the value of your pain and suffering claim.

Experience: A knowledgeable auto accident lawyer will have a firm understanding of the value of your claim based on cases they’ve handled in the past. Alternatively, a lawyer may research past jury awards and settlements before arriving at a figure.

Documentation for Pain and Suffering Claims

It’s important to document your damages to the extent possible, as providing sufficient information to the insurance adjuster may get you a more favorable award. It’s a good idea to save:

Medical records and bills
Prescriptions
Receipts for medications
Photos of the injury
Proof of missed work days
Journal entries showing how the accident has affected your sleep, your personal activities, and your daily life

Were you injured in an accident because of someone else’s negligent actions? You don’t have to fight the insurance company alone. With help from an auto accident lawyer, you can get the pain and suffering damages to which you are entitled.

Wedding

How To Save Money When Planning A Wedding

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Image Source: Unsplash

When it comes to your wedding, you don’t want to be cheap. Missing out on things you have always hoped for or what will really add those special touches for your big day is an area couples don’t often want to think about.

When done in the right way though, beautiful weddings can be planned without spending tons of money. As long as you are prepared to fork out some cash, you will be just fine. Remember that venues, parties and dresses don’t come for free.

If you are still searching for a ring that is stunning but also won’t cost you the earth, the Certified Diamond Network showcases diamond wedding rings Sydney couples would love to get their hands on. You will find what you are looking for whilst potentially being able to keep within your budget.

Meanwhile, let’s discuss important elements where you can cut back to start decreasing the overall expenditure of your wedding.

How To Save Money When Planning A Wedding

Image Source: Unsplash

Involve Friends And Family

When it comes to food, drinks, decorations and more, think closely and consider whether any of your nearest and dearest can help out. Be prepared to pay of course but the price shouldn’t be as high as when you don’t have a personal connection and approach a normal company. This can even come down to the alternations you make on your dresses and who you will choose to do your hair. It’s time to be resourceful and this can make a big difference.

Ask People To Bring Goodies

You can supply the main course but don’t feel ashamed to ask people to contribute to the event. People know how expensive it can get to put on a wedding and many have struggled to fund their own in the past so they will understand completely.

Make Use Of Sample Sales

Follow boutiques and designers on Instagram and Facebook to keep up-to-date with the latest sample sales and discounts. You never know when you can catch a bargain, even if it means you have to travel a while to get it.

Consider Buying Second Hand

You can find some stunning second-hand wedding gowns online and in-stores. You also don’t have to go to a typical bridal store to get it! There are shops that sell wedding dresses or gowns that can pass as wedding gowns. It’s important to think outside the box and search where you may not have searched before.

Keep Decorations Simple

Image Source: Unsplash

Try to utilize wild flowers you can pick yourself and decorate them in pretty vases or on the tables. When done thoughtfully this can look stunning and really professional. You also might want to ask friends and family you’ve invited to send back the RSVP’s as a selfie so you can incorporate this into the decor.

There are many more ways you can cut costs when planning your wedding but these are some of the main ones. Put them in place and you’ll be surprised at how much you can save.

Automotive

Test Driving a Used Car – What You Need to Know

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Purchasing a used car is not something that should be taken lightly and having purchased more than one, I’ve learned a thing or two. Why would anyone want to purchase a car that they are going to turn around and dislike or constantly have problems with?

One of the most important things I have learned to do before you make a commitment to purchase a vehicle, is take it for a proper test drive first!

Before you head to the dealership to begin your search, make a list of what it is exactly that you want in a vehicle. Once you have a list, prioritize it and decide what is the most important to you. When your list is ready, it’s time to shop!

Comfort

When taking a car for a test drive, you want to make sure you are comfortable. Does the seat feel good? Is it adjustable to meet your needs? Does if offer proper support? Do you have enough head and leg room? Being comfortable in the seat is something that a lot of people don’t really consider when shopping for a new car.

Not only should you be comfortable in the seat but you want your passengers to be happy as well so don’t be afraid to try out each seat. Take a friend with and find out what they think. Also, make sure your seats offer enough room for you and your fellow travelers. A comfy driver and traveler makes for a happy team!

Take Your Time

Don’t be afraid to take your time when taking it out on the road. You should drive it around town and on the highway to see how it handles at different speeds. See how it handles the constant stop and go of being in the city as well as long country roads.
Consider how the steering wheel feels in your hands, any sounds that you might hear and how the ride feels.
Park the vehicle and see if it is easy to park, if there any blind spots, and if it is easy to back up. After you do that, do it again to make sure you are comfortable parking it.
After you are done driving it and return to the dealership, play with the sound system and other tech features. Check to make sure everything works and that you know how to use everything and that it is user friendly and don’t be afraid to ask questions!
If the previous owner is available, like in a private party situation, ask them what they used the car for, if they had any complaints etc.

Weigh the Pros & Cons

When you are done checking everything out, go home or go grab a cup of coffee. Make a list of what you like and dislike about the car and weigh all the pros and cons before returning to the dealership to make your purchase.

Following these guidelines to properly test drive your next car will ensure that you are happy with your final purchase.

If you are looking to purchase a new or used vehicle, be sure to check the inventory that Marburger Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram has to offer.

travel tips

Have the Best Vacation Ever!

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I feel that vacation planning is very important if I want to enjoy my trip. So it’s worthwhile sitting down and planning out the different areas of the trip. Have a look at what I do to help get you started.

Try to Get Deals

Now, we all know vacations can be expensive, and this why you need to get clever. I always check out the same package on numerous different sites. There will be differences you just have to find them. I’m always on the lookout for deals that will save the family money. These deals definitely exist; it’s just a case of hunting for them. Choose options that will give you the biggest savings without affecting the holiday.

Who Are You Travelling With?

Think hard about who you’re traveling with on this vacation. Is it going to be just you and hubby, or will the kids be coming too? If it’s the latter, you’re going to need some extra preparation to account for the kids. I like to make sure I everything I need on hand when traveling with kids.

Check Out Accommodation

I have often found that the accommodation can make or break a holiday. It sounds like it should be the least significant thing, but it’s really not. If you holiday as a couple, hotels are the way to go. However, if I go on holiday with the kids a hotel can be a nightmare. It’s cramped and crowded, and the kids get stir-crazy. There are lots of rules and regulations to adhere to. So instead I like to find a holiday apartment for us all. That way we get much more space and freedom. We can all be together in the same place, and I can keep an eye on the kids if needed.

Plan Out What to Do

Something you’ve got to realise about going on holiday with kids, you always need things to do. I research where we’re going to go very carefully. I get online and look up all the possible activities we can pencil in while we’re there. I know the kids are going to need stimulation, so accounting for their interests is important. Planning out what we’re going to do keeps everything more organised. It also means we all get the opportunity to do things we’d like to do, kids and parents alike.

Take Plenty of Cash

Make sure you remember you’re going to need plenty of cash with you. There’s nothing worse than running out of spending money during your holiday. So make sure you have enough with you. I like to keep some spare cash set aside too in case anything should happen. Think about changing it all up before you go. Though sometimes I keep some money to exchange when I reach my destination. It depends on what the exchange rate looks like.

Be Prepared for an Emergency

Sometimes when you are on vacation, things go wrong and emergency situations happen. When this happens you want to do your best to be prepared. If you are heading out on the road in the family car, be sure to visit a reliable dealership, like Rochester Hills CDJR, to make sure your car is in great running condition.

Going on vacation should be a fun, exciting and magical adventure. But for a lot of us it can be a highly stressful experience. For me, it’s something that I greet with a mixture of excitement and dread. But I’ve learnt over the years that planning is the best way to solve the stress and chaos problems. Make sure you do the same in the build up to your travel.

Food, Recipes

Easter Bunny Bark

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It’s hard to believe that it is almost Easter and before we know it, our house will be filled with kids running wild on a sugar high.

This year, we are changing things up for Easter and the kids are going to be getting some homemade goodies in their baskets in addition to some traditional confections. To get the holiday festivities going, we are starting it off with this Easter Bunny Bark!

Making Easter Bunny Bark is so easy that my teenagers can do it!

To get started, you will need:

-Lots of Easter candy. M&M’s, Jelly Beans, and other pretty pastel candies.
-20 ounces of good white chocolate, like Ghirardelli squares.

Once your candy is procured, roughly chop the larger pieces of candy if you are using any.

After your candy is ready, line a 9×11 pan with parchment paper.

Next, it is time to melt your chocolate. When melting the chocolate its your choice which way you choose do it. You can either melt it in a microwave or in a double broiler style pot, we prefer to use the microwave in our house.

*If using a microwave start at 30 seconds stir and repeat until fully melted.

*If you’re using stove top keep temp. at medium range make sure you are stirring constantly

Pour melted chocolate onto parchment paper and spread.

After your chocolate is all poured out, start adding candy to it, however you like.

Let the Easter Bark sit for several hours until it hardens. We let ours sit in the fridge overnight.

Once your chocolate is fully hardened, transfer it to a cutting board and cut into pieces and enjoy.