One of the greatest pleasures in my life is drinking a great cup of coffee. With the advent of single serve coffee makers in recent years, anyone can enjoy the perfect cup of Joe. Since I get up very early every morning, I only get to enjoy coffee with my wife on the weekends because during the week I utilize my single cup coffee maker at work. But, thank goodness, we both have the same taste in coffee. It has to be strong and it has to taste great. In the Northeastern United States, where we live, Dunkin Donuts is a very popular place. But, I must say, we avoid it at all costs, even if we are desperate for a cup of coffee. Starbucks, on the other hand, is right up our alley. In fact, we buy Starbucks coffee and brew it in our coffeemaker at home. This is the type of coffee that we enjoy.

As I mentioned previously, almost every morning I rise at around 3:50AM and head off to the gym. After my

workout I drive another hour to my job. It isn’t until almost three hours after I awake that I will have my first cup of coffee. But it is certainly worth the wait. At the recommendation of a coffee blogger, I purchased a Black & Decker Coffee Maker. It is a single serve coffee maker and its full name is the Black & Decker Brew n go. The coffee brews directly into a stainless steel mug. I find this tremendously convenient because I don’t have to transfer the coffee from the pot into my mug. I am also a stickler when it comes to hot coffee and this stainless steel mug keeps my coffee hotter than any other container I have owned. Another option for single serve coffee is called pour over coffee and it is all the rage these days. But I am extremely happy with my single serve coffee maker. What do I find most enjoyable about having a one cup coffee maker?

1. Convenience

I know that when I get to work all I have to do is add my favorite coffee and water and within minutes I’m drinking great coffee straight from my stainless steel travel mug. I also don’t have to wait in the lines at work at the coffee machine for a subpar cup of coffee.

2. Portability

My wife and I occasionally travel, either visiting my daughter in Maine or just for a weekend getaway. Most motels and hotels tend to have a coffee maker but we have been to many that don’t offer one. This 1 cup coffee maker is so small that you can easily pack it back in its original box and take it with you.

3. Creativity

Over the years, coffee has certainly become a specialty drink. There are so many choices out there that you can become creative in your coffee flavors. If we find two different coffees that we really like we tend to brew them together with our Black & Decker coffee maker and you can surprisingly come up with a creative, unique blend of coffee.

4. Frugality

Saving money is very important to me. When I was stopping for my Starbucks coffee every day, I was spending quite a bit of money over the course of the year for my coffee addiction (OK I admit it…). On top of the coffee, oftentimes I was adding in a blueberry muffin or a scone to eat with my coffee. Needless to say, before I left the coffee house, I was down close to $5. Using this single cup coffee maker has certainly saved me a lot of money.

5. Ease of Cleaning

Cleaning a single cup coffee maker is a snap. All you have to do is to follow the directions in the manual and add a mixture of water and white vinegar and run it through the brewing cycle a couple of times. Then you want to run it through a couple more times with just plain water to remove any hint of odor or taste of the vinegar. Also, the Black and Decker personal coffee maker comes with a built-in filter so you don’t have to buy filters. To be honest, what I have found is that it is a lot easier for me to use a paper filter. This model uses #1 filters but they are not easy to find so I simply use a #2 filter and cut about a quarter of an inch off the top and it fits perfectly. After I make the coffee I simply pull out the filter and the left-over grounds and throw them in the bucket without having to thoroughly clean the built-in mesh filter.

6. Enjoyment

OK. I saved the best for last. Using a single serve coffee maker is fun! I actually look forward to making coffee every morning. The coffee is consistently good, which is something that is not always the case at the coffee shops. The turnover at any coffee shop is high so how can you count on consistently good coffee? I know what

goes into my coffee each day and I also know that it is fresh when I drink it. You never know how long the coffee that you are being served has been sitting. Think about it…

So, for the money (I paid a paltry $18.50) I highly recommend the Black & Decker Brew ‘N Go if you are in the market for single serve coffee makers. I have tried many different single cup coffee makers over the years, especially at my work, where they are constantly changing from one individual coffee maker to another. I have now owned this Black and Decker one cup coffee maker for approximately a year and a half and this is the best coffee maker for a single cup serving that I have come across. There are numerous one cup coffee makers out there in the marketplace and you can read all of the single cup coffee maker reviews that you can get your hands on. You will find that I am not the only one who thinks that this is the best one cup coffee maker on the market. I took the advice of a coffee blogger when I was looking for mine and he didn’t steer me wrong.

Coffee is one of the simple pleasures in my life. I want to make sure that I have the proper equipment, at the right price, to brew my coffee. The benefits of a single cup coffee maker are numerous. Take your time and read the reviews on the various types that are out there. If you take my advice I know you won’t go wrong. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: The image above of the coffeemaker is an affiliate link. But, please remember, I will never recommend a product that I haven’t tried myself.

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Financial management is a top priority in my life. I would think that this a top priority of most people. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been reading books on managing my money. If there is one thing I have learned from these books is that the most basic tenet of money management is, before you can manage your money, you must have an awareness of where it is going. This is certainly not a remarkable revelation…

Back in 2006, I started using a financial application called Quicken. Quicken is a tool and a practical solution that
helps me keep abreast of how I am spending my money on a regular basis. Needless to say, I now have a comprehensive history of my spending habits for the past four years. I can’t tell you how invaluable it is to have my financial history, broken down into categories, for this time range. It has really helped me understand my spending habits which ultimately allows me to make adjustments and better informed financial decisions going forward. So, what are the features of Quicken that have helped me manage my money?

Interfaces with your bank, brokerage, and mortgage accounts.

In your initial setup of the application, you set up any account that you may have including your bank accounts, brokerage accounts, mortgage, or home equity loans. If your institution allows an interface to Quicken, and all of mine did, you can set up all of your accounts in minutes.

One click update of accounts.

With one click you can run an update of all of your accounts which will retrieve all of your transactions from your last update.

Categories will identify your spending.

This is the one thing that requires a little bit of work. You have to set up different Categories that identify your transactions. I set up parent categories such as Fuel-Automotive and then have subcategories beneath which identifies each of my cars. When I buy gas for one of my cars I ensure that it falls under the proper car category. What is great about setting up parent and child relationships is that in the reports all of the child categories will roll up to the parent so, at a quick glance, you can see how much you are spending on gas per month. Most of the setting up of categories is done initially and what is great is that Quicken will remember if you have already categorized a particular payee and it will default in that category. It takes me roughly 10 minutes per week to run the update and categorize any transactions that may be new to Quicken.

Setting up a Budget.

There is a separate section in Quicken which allows you to set up a Budget. What is great is that it will use your past history to automate the process. You can then make any changes needed.

Reporting gives you the visibility.

Once you have a history of your transactions in the application, the reporting is phenomenal. There is a list of roughly 20 reports for Spending, Comparison, and Investing. To be honest, I use the Spending by Category report religiously. I also use the Spending by Payee report . I haven’t ventured into a lot of the Comparison reports but an example of one is Current Spending versus Average Spending by Category. It allows you a chance to see if there are any radical changes in what you typically spend on an average by category , to what your current spending is by category. This is a report that can really help you manage any changes in your spending.

Great at tax time.

When I am ready to do my taxes, I have found that I have all of my pertinent information already in Quicken. I am talking about my property taxes, mortgage interest, car registration, charitable contributions, etc. Basically anything associated with doing your taxes can be found quickly in Quicken. It has made a year-end pain-in-the-neck process, that much easier.

[cw4]Quicken has helped me take control of my finances. I can also say that I have only scratched the surface of the features that Quicken offers. But, for taking control of your spending, and knowing exactly where your hard-earned money is going, there is no better tool. Put down that notebook, stop updating that spreadsheet, and choose the automated financial management solution to your finances. I have used it religiously now for years and you cannot go wrong if you want to take control of your financial life.
(Disclosure: The image at the top of the post is an affiliate link.)

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This is a review of an eBook, entitled Make Money Blogging, by one of the foremost bloggers out there in the blogosphere, Daniel Scocco.  Daniel runs a small (tongue firmly planted in cheek) blog called DailyBlogTips. One of his goals is to hit the 50,000 subscriber mark by July 21st.  I’ve been extremely fortunate to have been able to guest post on DailyBlogTips.  My guest posts on his blog were entitled Top 5 Blogging Misconceptions and 5 Reasons to be Critical of other Bloggers. If you want to generate traffic on your site, submit a guest post to Daniel.  If he accepts it, consider yourself honored. You will also be amazed at the reach of his blog and the traffic it generates.  Make it a killer post though.  The link to your guest post may travel like lightning throughout the blogosphere.

I recently downloaded a copy of Daniel’s eBook, and found it to be very interesting and informative.  Some common mistakes bloggers make are referenced to by Daniel:

1. Making a blog gravitate around you.

2. Covering too many topics in your blog.

3. Choosing a niche you are not passionate about.

4. Many people create many blogs and try to manage them.

I feel that all of these make sense.  Of course you will always find exceptions to these rules.  For example, one of the most popular blogs out there is called Dooce, which evolves around Heather B. Armstrong, who was fired from her job back in 2002, for writing in her blog about her job.  I tend to agree with Mistake #2 but am probably guilty of it on my own blog.  But I do feel that I have a niche and that is in delivering solutions and tips for the everyday problems in life.  Bloggers must write about topics they are passionate about so I agree completely with Mistake #3.  Mistake #4 is interesting because in some places you read that the best way to make money is to have multiple sites so that you can potentially dovetail one into the other and could possibly make money with every one of them.

Killer Articles

Daniel talks about writing killer articles and I agree that these types of articles are very powerful.  I wrote one killer article in particular and it is entitled: How to get your child into their first choice college.  It ranks very well in Google.  This article took a ton of time to compile and put together but it was all worth it.  It helped me go from a pagerank 0 to pagerank 3 in one cycle and it continues to be one of my most highly-read articles today according to my analytics.

Headlines

As Daniel alludes to, a headline is so important in your posts.  Daniel mentions that the headline is so important because it is the first thing that your visitor will see.  And it could be their last, if it doesn’t pique their interest.  Daniel tells us about a tool that I had never used called the Google AdWords Keyword Tool.  This tool will give you a good idea of how people are searching certain keyword phrases.  As a result, it will give you a better idea of how to word your headlines. Daniel also gives us examples of headlines that work and create an emotional hook.  Concrete examples are given throughout this eBook which is a testament to Daniel.  If there is one thing that bloggers are looking for is examples of best practices in the blogging world.

Posting Frequency

This is one factor that new bloggers can have a hard time with.  How often should I post?  Daniel points to the fact that, if there is a choice, choose quality posts over frequency.  Daniel suggests that you should, at a minimum, be regular in your posting interval.

Design

Daniel goes into the design of your blog.  He mentions that there are many WordPress themes out there that are customizable.  He also mentions that if you are going to spend money on something, spend it on the logo.  I concur wholeheartedly.  In fact, I paid a graphic artist to design my logo and I am very happy with the look.  It is important in that your logo is your brand and your brand is SO important in the blogging world.  You want to be recognizable and your logo goes a long way to that end.

Showcase your Content

Daniel talks about how important it is to show off your content.  You can create a Popular Articles section in an area on your blog, like the sidebar.  I have this section in my sidebar and what I have found from my analytics is that it works.  People read these posts first.  You can also have a page that is solely meant to list your most popular articles.  My opinion is that it is a better strategy to have the Popular Posts in your sidebar so that a reader doesn’t have to go into a specific page.  The less clicks the better…

Networking

Daniel has a whole chapter on networking.  He talks about how important it is to collaborate with other bloggers in your niche.  He says you should identify and contact directly other bloggers in your niche and tell them that you will recommend them to others.  Also, you should link to their blogs if you expect reciprocation.  Also, tell others when you publish killer posts and, chance are, they could link to your post.

Promotion

As I mentioned earlier, when I wrote my first guest post on DailyBlogTips it was called Top 5 Blogging Misconceptions.  In this post, the first misconception I wrote about was entitled: If you write it they will come.  The point was that you could be writing great content, but if no one knows about it, is it really worth it?  You must promote your blog.  Daniel mentions many ways that you can do this.  You can promote your blog through commenting on other blogs, guest posting, social bookmarking sites, and social networks.

Monetization

The main point about monetization that Daniel wants to make is that monetizing should be the final step in the blogging lifecycle.  You need to have top-notch content, high traffic, a loyal audience, and a clean design before you even decide to place ads.  He talks about the different methods for monetizing such as Google AdSense, CPM Ads, direct advertising, affiliate marketing, and email marketing.  Daniel talks about building email lists and services that offer email marketing.

Daniel leaves us with the fact that your blog is your connection with the internet and with the world.  You can use its reach and audience to launch a new product, network with others, and venture into new projects.  Daniel has put together an interesting and informative eBook on blogging and what you can do to make it grow and potentially make money.  Believe me, Daniel Scocco knows of what he speaks.  You cannot go wrong in taking the advice of one of the preeminent bloggers of his time…

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The Ugly Roof! (May 29,2009)

This blog is geared toward practical solutions, and I certainly have one for you with this post. We had a new roof done on our house approximately ten years ago and, for a long time, it looked great. As the years went by, it started developing streaks and black mold on the roof shingles on the shady side of the house.  Understandably, I was concerned that we’d have to have our roof replaced. Up to this point, I hadn’t really heard of roof cleaning services. The most unnerving thing was that we were told that it should last at least 20 years.  So, I made it a point to start looking at other houses in my town and I saw roof mold, roof stains, and roof algae on many homes.  I remember distinctly, as we backed out of our driveway one day, my eldest daughter exclaimed, “Our roof looks horrible!”  And I agreed, wholeheartedly.

How to Remove Mold

So, I made it my mission to start doing my research on how to get rid of black mold on my roof.  I discovered that the build-up of dirt, mildew, black mold, fungus, and moss is prevalent especially on the roof on the shady side of a house.  I also discovered that there is a product for roof cleaning called Shingle Shield Roof and Deck Cleaner that, when applied with a pump sprayer, and hosed off, will remove these streaks from your roof.

Now the big problem was, to remove these streaks, you had to apply the diluted solution of the roof cleaner, directly to the roof!  And it basically required you to get onto your roof.  My wife had no desire to become a widow, so I ended up calling my chimney professional that cleans my chimney once a year.  He really didn’t know about the product and I thought that this could be another source of revenue for him.  He was interested in doing the job, so I purchased the product online and set up an appointment for him to apply the product to my roof.

He had the proper ladders to get up to the roof and had a special roof ladder that hooked over the ridge of the roof.  Prior to heading onto the roof we made it a point to cover all the bushes with plastic, even though the product is advertised as being non-toxic to plants.  I just thought it would make sense to cover them, just in case.

He then applied the product with a pump sprayer directly onto the streaks first.  Then he applied the solution to the whole roof by moving his roof ladder along the face of the roof.

After applying the solution to the whole roof, I handed him the lawn hose and he went up to the ridge of the house and sprayed off the solution with the garden hose.  He simply moved from one side of the roof to the other and thoroughly hosed down the roof.  You could see the stains disappear almost immediately.

After doing the initial application, you may have to go over individual streaks with a soft brush to get the really dark streaks totally removed. Cleaning roof mold takes some work and elbow grease if you want it entirely off of your roof.

How to Get Rid of Mold Forever

One final step, if you do not want these streaks to return, is to have your roofing specialist apply zinc strips under the shingles at the ridgeline of your roof.  This should prevent the black mold and fungus from returning over time.  You can find these zinc strips on the website mentioned earlier in the post.  As you can see from the before and after photos below, this stuff works! (Please check the updated photo of how it looks two years later.)

Before using ShingleShield.

After using ShingleShield. (June 4,2009)

Instead of paying big bucks for a new roof, consider roof cleaning products and give your roof a makeover.  For a few hundred dollars you’ll be able to look at your house with pride again.

(Updated on August 21st, 2011)

As of August 21, 2011

(Disclosure: I have no affiliation with the product mentioned in this post.  I am just a very happy customer.)

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