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

The All-New RAM 1500 is Built To Serve

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With the most towing and hauling capability ever in a Ram 1500, as well as improved efficiency and exceptional available off-road capability, the All-New 2019 Ram 1500 has the grit to take on any task and the folks at Speedway Auto Group are ready to help you find the truck that fits you best!

Reengineered from the inside out, the All-New 2019 Ram 1500 was built to set the benchmark for strength, durability and capability. The result: the strongest, most capable Ram 1500 yet.

Beautiful Inside and Out

Think heritage Ram Brand style with all-new appeal. A bold new exterior with a sculpted design, smart cargo management and advanced technology push the boundaries of what you think a truck can be. More space. More storage. More leather. More technology. The All-New 2019 Ram 1500 is truly the best combination of grit and grace. Step up to the most luxurious truck in its class.

Safe and Secure

Your peace of mind is our top of mind. That’s why the All-New 2019 Ram 1500 has been fully redesigned with a high-strength steel frame and more than 100 standard and available safety and security features.

Advanced technology gives the All-New 2019 Ram 1500 an impressive level of safety and security, with sensors, cameras and sophisticated software combining to keep you informed and in control.

New Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Path and Trailer Detection scans the blind spot zones behind the vehicle to help ensure safer maneuvering, while automatically sensing and accounting for the length of the trailer – something other trucks still require you to do manually.
Lane Departure Warning–Plus Available LaneSense^® Lane Departure Warning–Plus helps prevent unintentional lane drift by providing a visual alert and safely guiding the vehicle back into position.
Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go detects vehicles ahead. If increased braking is needed in slower traffic, the available Forward Collision Warning with Advanced Brake Assist will automatically help adjust to a safe distance.
Parallel and Perpendicular Park Assist provides active guidance when parking. The guidance system directs you to engage the gear position, brake and accelerator while it automatically controls steering.
360° Surround View Camera provides a complete picture of vehicle surroundings to help make things like parking, loading and unloading and hooking up a trailer safer and easier.

The All-New 2019 RAM 1500 is sure to meet the needs of every trucker lover out there!

Automotive

9 Reasons Why You Should Buy a Nissan Versa for Your Teenager

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If you have a child who is on the verge of getting their license and is in need of a car or if you are looking to give your graduating child a new car as a gift, a Nissan Versa Sedan is a great option and here are 9 reasons why!

Let’s talk about the price of this cute little sedan. The base price for this car ( a 2017 Nissan Versa Sedan S 5- Speed) is just $11,990. That is an amazing price point for a car for someone who is a new driver, just graduated, or venturing off to college or out on their own.
The key features in this base price include:
- AM/FM/CD audio system
- Auxiliary audio input jack
- Illuminated steering-wheel-mounted audio controls
- Bluetooth® Hands-free Phone System
- Air conditioning
- Tilt steering column
- Variable intermittent windshield wipers
- Rear window defroster
- Trunk light
- Front door pockets with bottle holders
- Front and rear cup holders
- Sun visors with extensions
- Driver’s and passenger’s visor vanity mirrors
- Foldable assist grips
- Digital clock
- Auxiliary 12-volt DC power outlet (two on SV and SL)
- Battery saver
The safety features.
- Nissan Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) with dual-stage supplemental front air bags with seat-belt and occupant-classification sensors
- Driver and front-passenger seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags
- Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags for front- and rear-seat outboard occupant head protection
- Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) with Traction Control System (TCS)
- 3-point ALR/ELR passenger seat belt system (ELR for driver)
- Front seat belts with pretensioners and load limiters
- Height-adjustable rear outboard head restraints
- LATCH System (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children)
- Zone Body construction with front and rear crumple zones
- Hood buckling creases and safety stops
- Energy-absorbing steering column
- Pipe-style steel side-door guard beams
- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Affordable accessory upgrades like splash guards, carpeted trunk and floor mats, interior accent lighting and more.
4.0 Out of 5 Crash Test Rating
It’s the least expensive new car available in the United States
For 2018 the new Nissan Versa Sedan has a few small upgrades. Nissan has added standard adjustable front headrests, map lights and variable intermittent windshield wipers to all trim levels.
Impressive fuel economy.
It’s just super cute and a great car that any teenager would love to have!

You can visit Central Avenue Auto Group to find the Nissan Versa that fits your needs and budget.

Gardening

A New Season, A New Garden: Top Apps for Planning, Planting and Picking

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If you love your garden space and enjoy the challenge of growing your own fruit and vegetables you will no doubt be itching to start putting your planting plans into place once spring is approaching.

Here is a look at how you can make the most of some useful apps to enhance your gardening plans. Including a way to plan out your space, help with starting a kitchen garden, how the moon could be your guide, and a way to access expert gardening guidance on your phone.

Carry your plans around with you

There are a number of apps around that can help you to plan a way to put your growing space to maximum use and one that is popular with gardeners is GardenPlanPro.

The app gives you access to a large database of different plants and varieties and it allows you to design a plan that works for your garden and should help to give you a productive fruit, herb, and vegetable harvest.

You also get planting remembers when it’s time to plant your chosen crops, so you don’t miss a trick and have the chance to make the most of every growing season.

You might also want to download a weather app by Apalon Apps so that you can get a good idea of what conditions are going to be like throughout the day and looking ahead to the rest of the week and beyond.

Get help with your kitchen garden

If you like the idea of getting a kitchen garden established but need a bit of guidance on how to go about it, you might want to download an app like Gardroid.

This app aims to give you the lowdown on things like suitable sowing and harvesting periods, what fruit and vegetables you might find easier to grow, and also provides some useful information on how to protect and care for your crops.

Let the moon guide you

Keen gardeners are often interested in hearing about new ideas and methods that could help them transform their garden and enjoy bountiful crops, which is why the idea of moon gardening has gained in popularity.

It is believed by a number of gardeners that the moon phase has a strong influence on how successfully your plants grow.

Take a look at apps like Moon and Garden, and Moon Gardening, to see how plants are naturally dependent on lunar phases and how to sync your organic planting in line with these phases.

Help with plants and pests

You tend to learn on the job with gardening and as your knowledge grows you become more confident and competent, but in the meantime, there are going to be some blanks that you could with help filling in.

If you use an app like Garden Compass, it lets you identify a plant species and if you are having issues with a pest infestation, you can also ask for some tips and suggestions using the app to get the answers you are looking for.

If you are ready for another fulfilling growing season in your garden, make sure you have some apps to hand that will help you get the best return for your efforts.

Food

Let’s Make a Cup of Coffee

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Starting your morning with a cup of Joe is something unforgettable. Maybe you aren’t the one who break every dawn with a tasteful cup of coffee, but you should start it without thinking further. People with the daily routine of drinking coffee are healthier than those who don’t. So, for the sake of your health, start it already. Maybe you do not prefer to take coffee because you feel it a burden to make a cup of it, but what a 5-minute drill can take away from your life? Spare 5 minutes in your morning, grind some beans, extract the juice out of them, and you are done.

The question you may ask now, how to make a cup of coffee smoothly like my smooth talks. Well, believe me, it is even easier than that. You just need to start. I am here to simply teach you how to make a perfect cup of coffee every morning to spend a healthy day. Just follow these steps and you will see what you can do.

# 01 – Best Coffee Beans

The best pick for coffee beans are the fresh roasted Arabic beans packed in a vacuum sealed bag. Go to the nearest supermarket and ask for the fresh roasted coffee beans supply. You cannot trust on the salesman, though. So, if you can roast beans on your own, then it should be the first priority. The reason for the advice is that the taste of coffee gets less-tasteful with the time passing after you roast beans. Also, keep coffee beans in an airtight glass container because this way there are less chance that the taste will get affected.

# 02 – Time to Grind

Keep in mind that just after the grinding, coffee starts to lose taste. This is why you can get the best taste of coffee if you brew it right after the grinding. So, for your home, you should try a coffee bean grinder with a burr grinder and that will work perfectly. Even for espresso, you can grind coffee beans accordingly. Don’t store ground coffee, grind every time you need to make a cup of it for the sake of best taste.

# 03 – Water and Filters

A little off flavor or chlorine in water can ruin the taste of your coffee. Go for bottled spring water to make coffee and don’t even use distilled water because it will do the same to ruin the taste. In the case of filters, avoid cheap filters if you want the best taste. Go for dioxin free or oxygen bleached paper filters. On the other hand, gold plated filters are little expensive, but if you can afford one, buy it because they serve long.

# 04 – Perfect Heat

Coffee has some components which are bitter and should not be included in the cup you drink. So, take care of water heat otherwise, those bitter taste compounds will be the part of your coffee. The range of proper temperature is 195F to 205F. There are many automatic coffee makers which control this temperature automatically. There are even some Automatic Best Cappuccino Makers with this control panel for taking care of everything.

# 05 – Clean Equipment is good

Keeping everything clean also effects on the taste of coffee. Without proper cleaning, there remain some particles to destroy your taste. Clean your coffee maker, storage, filters, etc. every week so that you can enjoy the best of coffee.

Apparel

A Girl’s Guide to Managing Prom Expenses

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You know you’re a shopaholic. When it comes down to money, you love spending it especially on clothing! If you struggle with cash and are wondering how you are going to get through prom without being totally broke, we have some winning tips for you.

First and foremost, it pays to shop smart. Looking in the right place at the right time can end up saving you huge amounts of money. You can discover plenty of affordable prom dresses by Prom Dress Shop and you’ll be surprised to see how much you can save.

How To Manage Prom Expenses

So many people end up spending way too much for prom and being broke all summer. You don’t need to put yourself or your parents through all the pressure of prom financials.

Get your budget in order – Planning how much you want to spend on your dress, transport and styling is crucial. If you don’t have a maximum figure in mind, you could risk going wild if you have the cash lying around. Once you sit down and plan out how much you have in mind, you know where to go and how to use your money. If you want to spend more on the dress for example, then skimp out on the car.
Think about dress rentals – Renting a dress is all the rage these days. It’s not unfamiliar to hear about someone renting a dress or a tux these days. There are plenty of sites that offer this service and even brides-to-be end up saving thousands off of designer dresses. This frees you up with more money to spend on things you will use in the longer term.
Utilize your connections – Think about who you know who can help with certain areas. If you know a friend who does sewing so you won’t have to find a tailor, get in touch. Think about who you can get in touch with who will be willing to help you out for a little less. This is a great way of being resourceful!
DIY your make-up – Start watching YouTube videos and doing some research so you can save money on this area. People end up spending huge amounts on a great hairdresser and make-up artist. However, they don’t even experiment themselves. If you are already used to doing your own make-up then you know what works for you.
Think about shopping at sale time – There’s always a good time to shop and the sales are perfect for catching a great bargain! Shop at the right time and you will save yourself a lot of money on the dress. There are plenty of retail stores in your local area or online that offer affordable designer dresses that you don’t want to miss.

These are all great things to put into action when you are prepping for prom. There’s a lot of ways you can save money. Now that you know a few things, you can start saving straight away.