Growing up my mother used to say, “Outer beauty is skin deep, have a good belly ache and it’s gone. You don’t care how you look, all you want is to feel better.”

At the time, I did not really pay attention to what my mother was saying or even understood. When you’re young, it’s “here she goes again” but over the years, many of what my mom said comes back to me and I even find myself repeating them. What can I say, “I have turned into my mother.”

But on a more serious note, recently, I was forced to answer the question, “What makes you feel beautiful?” and it got me thinking, what is inner beauty?

In our culture, we are conditioned to focus on outer beauty despite the fact that many of us don’t meet the supermodel beauty standards. We talk about inner beauty a lot but do we really use it as a criterion to define beauty? This is a rhetorical question.

So… what is inner beauty? I did a lot of research and this is what I found:

Your self-esteem, attitude, sense of purpose, love for others and compassion.(Eva Frito, M.D. – Psychology Today)
Confidence, flexibility, a radiant smile, focusing on what you have, not on what you don’t (Vivian Tiller, Ph.D. – Psychology Today)
Your unique light is your greatest asset and your unique definition. It is what makes you spark and most importantly, it already sits within you. Some cultures refer to it as your ‘hare’ – your center or your spirit. I refer to it as your blueprint; it encompasses your qualities as a “whole” – your personality, your physiology and your presence. Everything about you exists for a reason and together they unite to reflect a clear and intended picture that exists for a specific purpose. (Sarah Whitaker – Self Growth.com)
In my humble opinion, the latter by Sarah Whitaker comes closest to defining inner beauty because it’s all-encompassing. It’s your signature and no two people have the same one. The problem I have with the others is that self-esteem, sense of purpose, radiant smile are not constant. There are days when my confidence is shot, I don’t feel like smiling and I don’t and I question my purpose. Does my inner beauty diminish on those days? What do you think?

I also feel that some of the very things that we don’t like about our self are what make us beautiful. For instance, I disliked that I am an introvert. Honestly, I still struggle with it because sometimes people see it as a sign of weakness. But, I have been working on embracing this part of me. For instance, I have come to realize that being quiet allows me to observe and get a better understanding, which is an asset. People also seem to trust me because they know what they share is not going anywhere. It also makes people curious because they don’t know what I’m thinking.

By the way my fellow introverts, there is an excellent book, Quiet, by Susan Cain on the topic that I strongly recommend.

Well, earlier I mentioned that I had to answer the question – “What makes me feel beautiful?” This is what I wrote:

I feel most beautiful when I am in harmony, that is, have an inner peace. The following are just a few of the things that help me to get into that space (they are not in order of priority). I feel beautiful when:

I am helping others, especially when I do coaching.
I figure out another piece of the “Faith Puzzle;” that is, have what Oprah calls her “aha moment” as it relates to figuring me out.
I see or think about my children – Daniel and Ashley. The greatest gifts I have ever been given.
I reflect over my life and realize how God has been good to me. This is the greatest love that has been bestowed upon me. He knows it ALL but He still has my back!
I am writing! Sharing my inner thoughts.
Driving and listening to a book on CD (especially a James Patterson Alex Cross book).
Walking along the towpath at Colonial Park on a nice day. Just being among nature.
Socializing with my family or friends.
Now, it’s your turn! do you want more information about this visit https://fitbeautysaloon.com/

How do you define inner beauty?
What makes you feel beautiful?
Do you think that inner beauty is really used as an indicator of true beauty?

Something that has not changed in this fast-paced technologically advanced time we live in is the simple need of most families to save money on their monthly grocery bill. But grocery savings in your grandma’s time and even in your mother’s time were not necessarily the same as grocery savings today.

How does such a fact impact you, today, in your quest for a lower monthly grocery bill? Simple. If you were raised by your mother (!), then you are probably still using her methods of saving at the grocery store.

Now you’re paying attention.

In the last twenty years several things have changed in the way we shop for our groceries. Convenience food, once that little-used novelty, has morphed into, quite simply, the way we choose our food. I think my personal favorite in this category (I’m being a bit sarcastic here) is the friendly fruit snack. Don’t get me wrong, we buy our fair share of fruit rolls, fruit chew-y things, and fruit-stretchy-pieces in our household. But let’s be honest here. The grocery industry started with a highly nutritious and CONVENIENT food (a piece of fruit) and, well, changed it. Somehow along the way, we as consumers have begun believing this ‘change’ is more convenient (huh?), more tasty (yum…added sugar) and better for us all around (now we look for percentages of fruit…instead of a piece of fruit…which is one hundred percent fruit).

Now I know it’s no accident that our thinking as consumers has changed when it comes to a piece of fruit. Huge amounts of money are spent every year through marketing campaigns to convince us to change our thinking.

And that’s something that has changed quite a lot since mom and grandma’s day in our friendly grocery store.

What used to be gentle persuasion is now serious business. Your grocery store wants your business so badly that your whole shopping experience is manipulated from the moment you walk in the door. Personally, I don’t think this is such a bad thing. Grocery shopping has risen to the level of art in many stores, providing the consumer with a quite pleasurable experience.

Nonetheless, as an adult in charge of your family’s grocery budget, you had better be paying attention or you can kiss all grocery savings goodbye.

I know my mom would’ve laughed at the idea that she was supposed to hand over extra money because someone had repackaged a piece of fruit. But then my mom cooked, too. She worked full time and came home every night and put a complete meal on the table.

What she didn’t have to contend with was long commutes, rampant amounts of after school activities and a culture which was telling her kids daily that fast and yummy beats nutritious and cost-effective every time.

Today’s mom is fighting an uphill battle if she wants her family to eat together more often than not and if she wants that food to be healthy and fit within her food budget. (If you would like more strategies on grocery savings, see the resource box at the end of this article.)

My mom gardened, froze and canned food. Today’s mom needs to be a savvy label-reader and able to discern when ‘convenience’ means buying per-packaged or when it is really more convenient for her to cook her own meal. Both can be true in our current food economy.

So…if you’re still clipping coupons because your mother did, better get out a calculator and a clock to see what you are really saving on your groceries, and if it’s worth your time to do it. (The answer is, it depends upon your buying habits and your family’s eating habits.)

Today’s consumer has to think on her feet and be aware that she is a player in the grocery game, whether she wants to be or not. It is not difficult to maximize grocery savings for your family, but you’ll need to have the http://www.fitbeautysalon.com knowledge and resources to do the job. In addition, you need to give yourself permission to learn a few new tricks that can get your monthly grocery shopping done more efficiently plus save you money at the same time.

Free grocery coupons can dramatically lower your grocery bill, but learning a few easy tips can double or even triple those savings. This article discusses five easy ways to stretch your budget and get the most out of your coupons for groceries.

Tip #1: One is good, but twice is very nice. Most consumers turn to their local Sunday newspaper to find free grocery coupons and great savings on everyday goods and merchandise. Just like buying in bulk can save you some serious cash at the check-out aisle, buying more than one Sunday paper is a great tip for the trade. Buy your first copy and take a look through the coupons for groceries sections. If potential savings totals more than the cost of the newspaper, then it may be time to buy the newspaper in bulk.

Tip #2: Use them or lose them. Many people scour the Internet for printable grocery coupons and clip and save them. However, statistically, the vast majority or free grocery printable coupons are never used. Finding and clipping printable grocery coupons is less than half the battle. Remembering to use them before they expire and bringing them to the store are the largest factors in saving money at the checkout aisle. To get the most out of your free grocery coupons, create a filing system that makes accessing your coupons easy and always keep them handy for shopping.

Tip #3: Go off-brand every once in a while. Manufacturers create and distribute free grocery printable coupons to encourage sampling of their brand and perhaps encouraging brand-switching. If you are willing to try something new, you could find yourself saving a bundle at the check put aisle. Compare ingredients and prices for alternative brands. If you like what you see, give a new brand a try. You may find something new that you like, while taking advantage of coupons for groceries.

Tip #4: Try the store brand. Always check out the store brand, particularly for canned foods, where the brand name manufacturer may be the same as the store brand. If you can save a few dimes over and above what you would have paid, even after accounting for savings from printable grocery coupons for a fancier brand without sacrificing quality, give the store brand a try.

Tip #5: Share unused and unwanted coupons for groceries with friends, family and neighbors. Your tastes may differ significantly from those of your closest friends. By creating a club where you http://www.fitbeautysalon.com regularly exchange coupons, you may end up significantly increasing your savings. If the kids are all grown, go ahead and pass that baby formula coupon along to a family with a newborn. You never know what valuable
free grocery coupons may come your way.

A few of those routine tasks can get reasonably tiresome at times. You understand, equivalent to going to the grocery retailer week after week. Hey, some of us even grocery store on a each day basis. Regardless of whether or not you grocery store on a every day or weekly foundation, it’s possible you’ll get sick and bored with the routine. But, what can you really do about it? In any case, everybody has to eat; proper? Effectively, be that as it may, you no longer must enterprise off to the native grocery store so as to purchase a couple of groceries. At the moment, grocery buying online is a second option.

Have you ever ever given much thought to grocery buying online? Luckily that is an possibility in this day and age. At least for those who reside in larger urban areas. When you certainly live in a major city, then you’ll be able to in all probability go grocery shopping on-line, in the event you choose to. Now, let’s contemplate the perks of this option. You don’t have to get ready to go out; you don’t have to drive someplace in your car; you do not have to spend time moseying by the supermarket; and you don’t have to stand in any lines. What else might you probably ask for? At times there is no need to go grocery shopping in public. Perhaps you feel below the climate or possibly you might have children to watch. Anyway, if you go grocery procuring online. You possibly can basically put in an order for the meals items you desire and have them delivered to your house or apartment.

Convenient grocery purchasing on-line is becoming very fashionable for aged individuals and those that merely lack the time http://www.fitbeautysalon.com to grocery store in a supermarket. In the event you at the moment reside in a serious metropolis, you can find out fairly simply if on-line grocery buying is on the market in your neck of the woods. If it’s not, you will have a choose up purchasing option at your fingertips. This principally means which you can put in an order for groceries and choose them up at a drive-through window. Obviously this isn’t quite as handy as grocery buying on-line and having them delivered to your door, but it is the next best thing. Hop on-line now and see what options are available to you!

Take this quiz to find out what kind of grocery shopper you are, and then discover how to maximize your savings!

1. I usually go to the grocery once a week.
   True / False
2. I always plan my meals and take a list to the grocery.
   True / False
3. My friends call me the coupon queen!
   True / False
4. I like to look at the ads & shop more than 1 grocery store.
   True / False
5. I don’t work, so I have a lot of time to grocery shop.
   True / False
6. I know a good price when I see one.
   True / False

Score yourself…

If you answered “True” to 5 or more questions, you are probably already familiar with coupling and grocery savings! Why don’t you write an article on grocery savings!

If you answered “True” to 2-4 questions…you’re well on your way to saving lots of money at the grocery! A few tips, and you’ll be saving even more! Consider these grocery saving tips…

· The best way to save money with coupons is to use them when the item is on sale…this is known as “coupon matching.” A simple web search will turn up lots of coupon matching sites that will do the work for you!.

· You need to dedicate about an hour a week to planning your meals, making your list, gathering coupons & shopping more than 1 grocery store. The savings are well worth it. If you’re a stay at home mom, consider this your $100 per hour job!

· Make sure you know your prices! We are creatures of habit, and we all generally buy many of the same products week after week. Take a moment this week and make a list of your 20 most common grocery purchases and get to know the prices! Always compare unit prices (price per oz., price per lb., etc.). Unit prices can be found in the fine print on the grocery store shelf price tag. Don’t assume that the bulk item is always the best price!

If you answered “True” to 1 question or none at all…you may not have the time or interest to maximize your grocery savings. The best way for you to maximize your grocery savings is to shop a low price grocery store and stick to buying store brands. Did you know that switching to store brands will save you 25%…WOW!

Your challenge for the week…implement the grocery shopping method that will work best for your lifestyle, and you’ll discover http://www.fitbeautysalon.com huge savings right away! I’ve gone from spending an average of $350 a week on groceries to $200 a week (we’re a family of 5 with 3 teens!).

Online grocery shoppers are usually composed of the elderly, the handicapped, the recluses, and the extremely busy since it is more practical for them to get grocery delivery. Yet there are those who prefer this mode of shopping because of bad experiences at their local market. Here are five horror stories that will make you think about getting grocery delivery instead.

First, you have the long lines. The worst ones aren’t necessarily made of a million items. In fact, most lines are elongated by maxed out credit cards and millions of coupons. There’s also the occasional old lady paying in mountains of loose change.

Then, there are the distraught mothers with two or three hyperactive kids in tow. They’re the ones in dire need of grocery delivery. To top off their frantic grocery mishaps, some callous individuals have the nerve to tell them that the store is no place for children.

Accidents could also happen to you and the most embarrassing ones could involve toppled display towers, fallen top shelves or freak shower sprays from dropped soda cans. Kids could also get stuck in narrow spots, the frozen food section, or between railings. Did we mention that grocery delivery should be the first option for parents?

One thing you’d be glad about with grocery delivery is not seeing snobby and indifferent shoppers. Let’s not mention the crazies who open up bread loaves to check for freshness and the loons who pinch apples to check if they’re crisp enough.

It’s not like the staff can’t get a little deranged, too. You have the staff who put expired items right back into the shelves, the managers who don’t see the problem, and the cold-heated owners who go along with it all just to make a buck. Let’s hope you don’t run into such staff with grocery delivery.

Don’t forget the parking nightmares on weekends. As if looking for a free spot is hard enough, you also have to maneuver around shopping carts that have been carelessly left behind. The worst part is when several discarded shopping carts have invaded what could have been a free parking spot. And this is but one more thing that would never happen if you opt for a delivery.

Of course, shopping at the grocery store isn’t all that bad in the same way that http://www.fitbeautysalon.com grocery delivery doesn’t have its disadvantages. Still, it’s the rare bad event that makes you switch grocery stores. Maybe we should all just stick to producing the food we eat.

The convenience of a grocery tote

I was at the grocery store the other day and a young lady caught my eye. In her cart were 4 grocery tote bags folded in half. She was obviously shopping for the week and I could tell that she enjoyed cooking because of the items that she was purchasing. I was curious how she would fit all of her groceries into these 4 grocery tote bags. We ended up going in the same checkout stand (she was in front of me and NO, I was not stalking her). She started unloading her cart and she had quite a few things.

I honestly did not think that she could fit all of her groceries in those 4 bags. So, I watched as the bag boy grabbed the 1st grocery tote. He added and added items into the 1st tote and filled it up. He grabbed the 2nd grocery tote and added and added items and filled this bag up. He grabbed the 3rd bag and filled up the bag. He finally picked up the 4th bag and piled on the rest of her groceries into it. I watched in shock as the 4th bag still had extra room in them even after he ran out of groceries to pack in them. I watched her role out her cart, not with 25 plastic bags, but with 4 strong sturdy grocery totes. She didn’t go home with tons of plastic bags to put away, like I did, she went home with 4 grocery totes that she could neatly put in a drawer until her next trip to the market.

Grocery totes are sweeping the country, not only because they are Eco friendly, but also because they are just so much easier and convenient to work with. They’re a cheap investment and I promise you that people will love to receive these as gifts and as giveaways. The come in a rainbow of colors and they can be imprinted with whatever information you like. They are usually made with non-woven polypropylene materials, which is always earth friendly. They last for long periods of time and when you feel that they’re used out, you simply put them in the recycled bin, and BAN, they will be turned into brand new items. The grocery totes are convenient, stylish, and space friendly for your shopping needs!

There have been rumors over the last few years that grocery stores will begin to charge for paper and plastic shopping bags. Now, obviously this can cause a bit of a dilemma considering that every trip to the store requires bags to hold the items that we purchased. Will we really have to pay every time that we go to the grocery store (which by the way can be up to 3 times a week for a person)? That can add up and become a bill all by itself. Luckily, there is a new option that is practical, simple, inexpensive, and even earth friendly.

These strong bags have made their way into our local grocery stores and their popularity is not declining. These bags offer the conveniences that plastic and paper bags have failed to do. The grocery totes are sold at amazing prices and they can be a great way to encourage people to start living an Eco-friendly lifestyle. Grocery totes are big in size and can carry up to three times more items than a regular paper bag can. They are stronger and more dependable. They usually come reinforced and some of them even have inserts at the bottom to guarantee dependability. This eliminates the need to double bag, like we do with plastic bags.

Grocery Totes can be stylish as they do come in a rainbow of colors. They can be imprinted with your brands name or with your company slogan or logo. You can print on one side, you can print on 2 sides, you can print with one color, or you can print with 4. You can even join forces with a fellow http://www.fitbeautysalon.com company and use one side for each company. Need it tomorrow? Some bags can be done in as little as one business day, imprinted!

Its swimsuit season and you know what that means. It means getting your bikini area ready for the bikini. For some of us it’s an easy task, but for others, it can be a horrible vicious cycle of red bikini bumps and irritation that usually looks worse than the hair!

First off, you’re not alone. Every girl who removes unwanted hair gets bikini bumps and irritation – it comes with the territory. If you suffer from bikini bumps after shaving, you can’t leave it alone. It could turn into Diverticulitis. Not to mention, how awful it looks.

So what actually causes these bikini bumps? It is most likely those pesky ingrown hairs causing the irritation. You see, these bikini bumps pop up when a hair curls back into the skin instead of growing straight out. Sometimes you might see some pimple-like blemishes created by irritation and those babies itch. No wonder it’s so painful with the razor burn and skin irritation.

What can we do about these pesky bikini bumps? The good news is that there is a solution. We don’t have to be plagued with these bikini bumps or irritation any longer. The solution is Bikini Zone! Bikini Zone medicated after shave treatment provides instant relief from irritation, pain and itching while it smoothed away bikini bumps and redness. Bikini Zone is specially formulated to put the brakes on bikini bumps and irritation.

Dermatologist-tested Bikini Zone Medicated Creme is specially formulated to provide fast relief from bumps, irritation and pain that can occur in the sensitive bikini area after shaving or waxing.

First, it contains an analgesic to soothe away pain and irritation. It improves healing by speeding along new skin cells to replace the scraped ones, eliminating redness and razor burn. Next, it dries out the small, pimple-like blemishes and exfoliates the skin to help prevent hair from curling back into the skin to form an ingrown hair. With Bikini Zone, your skin will look and feel better.

Bikini Zone absorbs instantly, as you apply it. It will not stain lingerie, swimsuits or clothing and you’ll start to feel relief from the irritation, pain and itching immediately. After 24 hours, you’ll see a noticeable difference, as Bikini Zone begins to smooth away the appearance of bikini bumps and irritation.

Bikini bumps and irritation can occur any time, not just during swimsuit season. Using Bikini Zone after shaving regularly can help keep your bikini area skin irritation free and beautifully smooth all year long.

Are you planning on heading out to the beach, but you are feeling that your body just not quite ready yet?

Have you already brought a very nice bikini and thought that it fit your body just right, only to try it at home and realize that it doesn’t fit you that well after all?

Well, this is what happens when you do not have a good awareness of your body and the state that it is in. You tend to forget that your now and again, fat deposits may be piling up in your body, being deposited as ugly flab.

However, do not be disappointed, you can still achieve that perfect bikini body you know, the bikini body that you are dying for. By choosing and working on the best bikini body workout that you can find, this will be all you have to do for the rest of the days before your beach trip.

So, how would your chosen bikini body workout help you in getting the best bikini body?

Well, first of all, it will help you tone your body and this can be achieved by workouts that trim the extra fat that has been stored in all the wrong areas in your body. The areas include the tummy area or abdominal, the arms, especially the upper arms around the triceps, the buttocks and thighs. The sad thing about it is that these are also the parts of your body that you have to flaunt when you are wearing a bikini. How ironic, isn’t it?

Your bikini body workout is here to give you confidence in wearing your favorite bikini when you are at the beach or when you go swimming in the pool. A lot of this can be done if your efforts are directed toward burning fat.

Following a fixed bikini body workout program would be good, but you may also consider customizing and designing your own program from fixed routines so that the program will best suit your needs and current level of fitness. It all depends on which exercises work best for you. Of course, different body types adjust and adapt to the workouts differently, so it would be better to have a custom-made bikini body workout planned uniquely just for you. Taking the initiative to start and be consistent in your intentions and actions will help you get a bikini body that you can be proud of.

Another important aspect to your health and well being; both of which are also important to a beautiful you, you need to be conscious and selective about your diet. You should stop eating foods that are not good for you body, such as junk food, sweets, and other unhealthy kinds. Instead choose low calorie and nutritious foods.

Enjoy as much fruit and vegetables as you like and remember to drink lots of water so you can stay hydrated. This would keep your metabolism working at its optimal level. In turn, these new habits also aid your body in digesting the food you eat, so that you do store excesses as fat.

When it comes to your bikini body workout, it would be beneficial to begin with warm-up exercises first. Next, follow through with a good cardio workout to exercise your heart and also for optimal blood flow. The cardio component of your bikini body workout will help you burn fat.

As for your main exercise, you can concentrate on the parts of your body that need special attention. For example, if you are having some trouble with your tummy, you may include lots of crunches and abdominal exercises in your workout program. If you have problems with your flabby arms, you should do some weight lifting, to tone your arm muscles. There are also a lot of thigh and buttocks exercises available to have firm muscles in those areas. These exercise options help you build muscle, tone the selected areas, and essentially help you look great in a bikini.

Over the past 50 years, women’s swim wear has changed dramatically. We have gone from a period of women frequenting bathing spots fully clothed to women going to the beaches with barely anything on at all. However, throughout these different eras in fashion, one swimsuit item has remained consistently popular and ever-changing along with the needs and desires of the modern woman, and that’s the bikini. The bikini trend escalated in 1960 when the song Yellow Polka Dot Bikini sang by Brian Hyland became an international hit. Since that time, the bikini has become a common staple in the works of fashion designers all over the world.

Recently, however, a new style of bikini has emerged that has gained worldwide attention and that’s the Micro Bikini. These bikinis have escalated in popularity over the last few years by women looking for a more daring look while traveling to their favorite sun bathing sites. With the recent craze over the micro bikini, women can express themselves emphatically while wearing one of these small wonders. This tiny bikini can accommodate any situation whether it’s a fast-paced party environment, casual encounter or intimate relation. One of the most fantastic components to having a micro bikini is the sheer reality that owning one can make your body look fabulous. It’s no surprise that women stemming from all over the world rush to their fashion outlets looking for a small bikini that matches their particular lifestyle.

At the present time, the micro bikini is perhaps the most popular beachwear around the globe. This swimsuit varies in style, cut and amount of coverage that they offer, which is a pertinent determining factor in the way women shop for their particular bikini. Depending on the type of coverage that a woman wants, the tiny bikini allows her to be totally individual with the detail of micro bikini she desires. This swimwear allows for great versatility and flexibility for today’s active woman. Many of today’s female athletes, movie stars and models add to the fashionable popularity of owning a micro bikini.

In a manner of speaking, this type of bikini is a meaningful token in the lives of many of today’s most elaborate and outspoken women that choose to own a piece of clothing that shows off their unique character and personality. The current micro bikini craze is rampant throughout the world with many European and American fashion designers clawing to develop the most flourishing and effective micro bikini to satisfy the wants and needs of our generation. Plain and simple, they are selling like hot cakes and to own a micro bikini means to own a definitive part of the current era of fashion. Many women proclaim owning this type of bikini makes them feel beautiful and elegant which is their right. Why wouldn’t you want to own a piece of clothing that makes you feel admirable and attractive?